Virginia Beach Oceanfront (Resort Beach)
Virginia Beach Oceanfront (Resort Beach) is a beach in Oceanfront, Virginia Beach, best for first-time visitors, families who want amenities close, boardwalk biking, people-watching.
The Resort Beach is the Virginia Beach most visitors picture: three miles of wide Atlantic sand fronting the concrete Boardwalk, with hotels, restaurants, amusement rides, and the King Neptune statue at 31st Street a few steps from the water. It is the busiest stretch of shoreline in the city — lifeguarded in season, lined with amenities, and loudest between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The separate bike path paralleling the Boardwalk keeps cyclists and surrey riders out of the pedestrian flow. If you want restaurants, restrooms, and rental chairs within a two-minute walk of your towel, this is the beach; if you want quiet, head to the North End or Sandbridge instead.
- Family Friendly
- Free
Amenities
- 3-mile Boardwalk with separate bike path
- Seasonal lifeguards
- Public restrooms along the Boardwalk
- Beach equipment rentals in season
- Oceanfront parks and playgrounds (Neptune's Park, Grommet Island)
Know Before You Go
- Best for: first-time visitors, families who want amenities close, boardwalk biking, people-watching
- Parking: Paid parking throughout the Resort Area — municipal garages at 9th and 31st Streets, surface lots, and metered street spaces. Fills on summer weekends; arrive early or expect a walk.
- Accessibility: Boardwalk is flat and wheelchair accessible along its full length, with ramps at street ends. The city provides beach access matting at some blocks; JT's Grommet Island Park at 2nd Street is a fully accessible beach park.
- Dogs: not allowed — Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, dogs are prohibited on the sand and in the water between Rudee Loop and 42nd Street at all times; leashed dogs are allowed on the Boardwalk 6 a.m.–7 p.m. Off-season (after Labor Day, before Memorial Day) dogs are welcome on the beach and may be off leash on the sand.
- Location: Atlantic Ocean beach along the Boardwalk, roughly Rudee Loop to 42nd Street, Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-10.
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While You're in the Area
Abbey Road Pub & Restaurant
Beatles-themed pub a block off the beach at 22nd Street — 42 taps, live music, a dog-friendly patio, and a Monday military discount.
- Dog Friendly
- Live Music
- Outdoor Seating
- Military Discount
Adventure Parasail & Rudee Inlet Jet Ski
Virginia Beach's original watersports operator since 1985 — parasailing, jet ski and kayak/SUP rentals, and banana boat rides at Rudee Inlet.
AquaMan Sportfishing Charters
Two-boat Rudee Inlet charter operation — The Flat Line and The Game On — running inshore, nearshore, and offshore deep-sea trips around the clock.
Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum at the de Witt Cottage
Built in 1895 as a wedding gift from Bernard Peabody Holland — Virginia Beach's first mayor — to his bride, the de Witt Cottage is the oldest remaining private…
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Barclay Cottage Inn
The oldest lodging in Virginia Beach still open to guests — an 1895 cottage with five rooms and wrap-around porches two blocks from the boardwalk.
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Barclay Towers Resort Hotel
All-suite Boardwalk tower at 9th Street — 138 two-room suites, every one with a full kitchen and ocean-view balcony, plus a heated indoor pool.
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Upcoming Events Nearby
Neptune's Coastal Craft Beer Festival
August 15, 2026 · annual
The Neptune Festival's 11th annual beer afternoon takes over 31st Street Park with more than 60 beers from around 30 breweries, heavy on the coastal Virginia scene. Two bands play through the 3–8pm session and local food trucks handle the eating. It's a compact, single-day festival — an easy add-on to a mid-August beach day, a block off the boardwalk at Neptune's Park.
Coastal Edge East Coast Surfing Championships
August 23, 2026 – August 30, 2026 · annual
The world's oldest continuously running surfing competition returns for its 64th year, turning the south end of the Oceanfront — from the 1st Street Jetty up to 10th Street — into a week-long surf carnival. More than 850 competitors surf pro and amateur divisions, including a WSL qualifying event, while the beach fills out with skate and BMX demos, live music, and tournament games. It's the anchor event of late summer at the beach and the best week of the year to watch serious surfing at the 1st Street break.
Virginia Beach Funk Fest Beach Party
August 28, 2026 – August 29, 2026 · annual
A free two-day beach party on the Oceanfront closing out August with funk, R&B, and soul acts on the sand. Part of the official Beach Events season, Funk Fest draws a big, dance-heavy crowd to the resort beach for one of the last major music weekends before Labor Day — no ticket needed, just claim a patch of sand.