Planning a Virginia Beach Vacation on a Budget

Looking for a place to take the family this year where you won't erase your savings? In Virginia Beach, you can experience a good old-fashioned American surfside vacation, where the biggest attraction won't cost you a penny! You can spend the better part of your days lounging on the sun-toasted sands, listening to the music of the waves and gulls while the kids master their sand architecture. Your biggest worry on this vacation? Falling asleep and waking up to find that your kids covered you with sand!

The great thing about a Virginia Beach vacation is that it's the ideal family getaway, and it's priced accordingly. There are many places to see that don't cost much money, and some that don't even cost a thing. In Virginia Beach, even the hotels charge less than you would expect at an Oceanside resort town. If you're planning a Virginia Beach vacation on a budget, then you've come to the right place.

Sleeping in Virginia Beach on a Budget

The single biggest expense of every vacation is the accommodations. Sometimes, the cost of the hotel is the only thing keeping you from visiting someplace you would really love to see. That's not the case in Virginia Beach. The hotels in the town of Virginia Beach offer some of the best rates on the Eastern seaboard. For example, The Barclay Towers Resort Hotel is nicely situated right on the beach for only $75 a night. The Quality Inn Pavilion is on the beach and only five blocks away from the boardwalk and their rooms start at $60 a night. Now, during the busy months, the rates may climb slightly, but it's still a fabulous deal on a Virginia Beach hotel.

If your vacation is planned during the summer months and you're having a hard time finding vacancies in Virginia Beach, try one of the outlying towns. Hampton, Newport News, Chesapeake and the other nearby towns have comfortable hotels where you may have better luck finding a room. Each of these towns offers their own sightseeing opportunities and they're only a short, scenic drive from the main attractions in Virginia Beach.

Eating on a Budget in Virginia Beach

With so much to see and do in Virginia Beach, you're going to want to stay nourished. Many of the accommodations feature kitchenettes, but in the event that yours doesn't, where can you eat where you can afford to take the entire family? For breakfast, you can't really beat Mary's Restaurant. She's been cooking it old school style for over 40 years! At Mary's, you can get the early-bird special (until 9 am) which consists of 2 eggs any style with grits, toast and your choice of 2 bacon strips or 2 sausage patties or, 2 eggs any style and 2 pancakes with warm syrup and whipped margarine for only $2.50. Over the duration of your stay, you'll become what's known as a temporary regular!

For lunch, try the Classic Attack Burritos at Phil's Grill for only $7.95 or head over to the Cinema Cafe and take in the latest movie while grubbin' on some stellar pizza. A large pie with the works is only $16.99.

For dinner, you have your choice of cuisine at many of the best Virginia Beach restaurants. From casual American fare to spicy Mexican meals to Asian delicacies, there are a host of different places to eat in Virginia Beach. If you're looking for an iconic American dinner, try the drive-in service of Doumar's. It's a 1950s, curb-side eatery that offers ooey-gooey cheeseburgers and heaps of crispy fries for ridiculously low prices. If you're suffering for some soul food, you can't do any better than the Fly'N Fishbone. Come in and let Momma Ester fill your soul, and your belly, with some down-home cooking at low-down prices.

Places to Visit in Virginia Beach on a Budget

Of course, the beach is free, but sometimes you just want to take a break from it and see the local sights. In the city of Virginia Beach, you can fill your itinerary with wallet-saving attractions.

The State Parks and National Wildlife Refuges offer great learning experiences and brilliant scenery for only a few dollars per carload. You can take a short trip to any of these exciting sights in your Virginia Beach car rental. Yes, for only 3 or 4 dollars ($4 on the weekend), your family can see the incredible conservational efforts of First Landing State Park, Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, False Cape State Park and the North Landing River Natural Area Preserve.

The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum offers free admission (although donations are appreciated) and provides an incredible display of hand-carved decoys, paintings and wildfowl related artwork and information.

You can then take the family to the Cape Henry Lighthouse for some visions of maritime history, and it only costs $4 for adults and $2 for children over three years old.

This is just a sample of the places you can visit, dine and stay at that won't break your budget in Virginia Beach. There are literally hundreds of attractions, restaurants and hotels in Virginia Beach and most of them are attainable for the family on a budget. At any moment, travelers are only just a cheap flight to Virginia Beach away from a perfect vacation. A good old American vacation at good old American prices is what you can expect with a family vacation to Virginia Beach, and your family will be so entertained, they won't even realize how much money you're saving!