Virginia Beach’s “off-season” beckons.
I‘m at the Virginia Beach Art Center, walking around a giant silver hand making the chef’s kiss gesture. The sculpture, titled Hand, stands near a box of magnifying glasses. They’re for reading the tiny text on a technicolor paper mosaic of a giant eye. The exhibition showcases area artists, and like a mid-winter trip to “The Beach,” it’s full of surprises. Long after summer renters have folded up beach chairs and left for home, the city’s museums, restaurants, shops, and outdoor adventures await. As the weekend unfolds, it dawns on me: At Virginia Beach, there is no off-season.
Get Wild
Winter, in fact, is the only season for whale watching. “Even lots of locals don’t know we have large whales here,” says Mike Mizell, who’s led twice-daily expeditions from the Virginia Aquarium—from mid-December to early March—for the past 23 years.
Winter prompts humpback whales to migrate from northern waters to the Caribbean to mate and birth calves. Along the way, they make lengthy stops in the mid-Atlantic to feed off the plentiful menhaden and bay anchovies. Whale spotters stand a good chance of seeing humpback, minke, and fin whales, “and if you’re very lucky you may spot a right whale,” says Mizell. “They’re endangered, and I’ve never seen one, but I want to.”
Bring your own binoculars to scan for a tail fluke soaring skyward from the water, Mizell notes. And dress more warmly than you think you’ll need to. Although the boat’s cabin is heated, air temperatures on the water are cooler.
Prefer dry land? The Virginia Aquarium is home to about 12,000 animals in more than 800,000 gallons worth of tanks. Further afield, the Cape Henry Lighthouse offers tours year-round. Or check out Beachside Social on Atlantic Avenue for a game of shuffleboard or bocce. You’ll feel like you’re on a classic cruise ship.
For nature lovers, a wander through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge’s nearly 10,000 seaside acres offers a soul-satisfying escape. And with more than 300 avian species, it’s a birders’ paradise. Tram tours run on select winter weekend afternoons, too.
If you prefer your nature indoors, head to Plant House for a workshop in Succulents and Sangria, Boozy Bonsai, or Tipsy Terrariums, or learn to make a moss wall. Beer, wine, and mimosas are available for purchase. Plant House also offers a top-notch selection of house plants with complimentary potting service—from their stylish selection of pots.
For theater and music aficionados, Jesus Christ Superstar is coming to Chrysler Hall in nearby Norfolk May 30-June 4, and the Sandler Center for Performing Arts features musician Chris Thile on May 21 and The Sinatra Experience with Dave Halston on July 29.
Culture-seekers will enjoy the Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), which showcases regional and national talent in a range of contemporary works. Visit in February to catch the juried Made in VA exhibition, celebrating statewide artists.
An Artsy ViBe
Along with MOCA, Virginia Beach is also a bona fide arts destination, and the ViBe Creative District is its first dedicated hub. A few blocks inland from the Boardwalk, it’s anchored to the east by the Virginia Convention Center, and to the north by MOCA, which also offers master classes.
Launched a decade ago with a push from Andrew Fine, president of The Runnymede Corporation, and Laura Wood Habr, co-owner of Croc’s 19th Street Bistro, the ViBe Creative District is all about public art—more than 300 pieces. Sculpture abounds, along with 60 murals. Each year, artists come to town for Mural Fest, painting 10 new ones in 10 days. Take a one-mile walking tour with a ViBe guide and you’ll hit most of them.
“The idea is, you should be able to stand anywhere in the ViBe, turn around in a circle, and see art all around you,” says Kate Pittman, the district’s executive director. She’s right. Even the parking meters are painted. Color is everywhere, too, from the berry purple Virginia Arts Center, to the vibrant yellow 17th St. Gallery, to the funky neighborhood restaurant, the Pink Dinghy, which is, well, pink.
Constance Fahey is the founder of The Artist’s Gallery, which shares a building with the Virginia Art Center. A co-op of about 60 artists, the gallery holds working studios where visitors are encouraged to interact with the artists as they work. A peek over Fahey’s shoulder reveals the beginnings of a sunset scene—a canvas full of wavy dark blue and orange blocks. There’s even a ceramics studio where pros and tourists alike can mingle and leave with a glazed and fired piece.
A Maker’s Paradise
On Saturdays, you’ll find the Old Beach Art and Eco Market in ViBe Park, and the Old Beach Farmers Market just across the street. Visit on the third Saturday of the month, and you’ll also catch the Virginia Beach Flea and the Military Owned Market.
At Mug’s Bakery, I sample their buns in flavors like caramel apple bourbon and espresso mocha. Owners Tyler and Kiwii Boyd call it a “modern disco bakery,” and it shows—most of the treats are decorated with bright psychedelic designs. At Virginia Pie Shop, I’m too late for an Iberian eggplant hand pie, so I settle for Southern spanakopita. Like many other vendors here, the bakery and pie shop are pop-ups, so you have to make it to the markets to catch them.
The restaurants here echo the arts vibe: Contemporary gastropub Esoteric feels like a small gallery itself, full of paintings in gilt frames that look down on rich small plates like duck tacos, poutine, and charred octopus. Next door at Commune, you can stroll through the garden to see the vegetables that will turn up on the menu. And Zoës Steak and Seafood nearby has been named one of America’s Top 100 Wine Restaurants by Wine Enthusiast magazine.
Go High, Go Low
Just past the Boardwalk’s north end at 40th Street, I practice a vertical and gustatory two-step, stopping into a pair of the city’s finest hotels for a drink and a small plate. I start at the Cavalier Hotel and descend the spiral steps to the basement-level Hunt Room, part of its multimillion-dollar renovation, where I’m greeted by a large fireplace. In warmer months it holds a mellower sort of fire—aging barrels of whiskey from the adjoining Tarnished Truth Distillery. A window opposite the bar affords a view of the distillery’s gleaming copper kettles and steam valves. I take the guided tour, and I’m rewarded in the tasting room with a sample of each spirit.
The Hunt Room’s clubby atmosphere is a warm respite from the winter wind—with a little imagination, you might feel like you’re stepping off the Scottish moors. And it lives up to its name. Under a dark green paneled ceiling, a black bear rears by the hearth, while two raccoons play cards on the mantel. A pheasant and fox stare down the dark wood of the bar.
On the menu, the honey-stung Brussels sprouts are a most pleasant way to eat your veggies—overall, this is the place for elegant comfort food. The pleasant smell of rich woodsmoke occasionally wafts through the room as the bartender prepares cocktails like the smoked Old Fashioned.
Onward, but mostly upward, I leave the Cavalier and head across the street to Orion’s Roof, the rooftop restaurant perched high on the 24th floor of the Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront. The first thing you’ll discover is: The view lives up to the hype. It’s hard to focus on the Asian fusion menu, or the spare elegance of the dining room, when outside in the green-gray Atlantic Ocean, I count three kites, two sailboats, and one brave swimmer. On the beach below, the seating suggests nuptials, but the bachelorette party in the elevator was unmistakable. It’s a popular spot for couples seeking a sand-in-your-toes wedding.
The bartenders in suspenders remind me of an upscale Prohibition-era bar at a seaside resort—fitting, since Orion’s Roof feels like its modern counterpart. A table here is in high demand, one of the benefits of a winter visit: reservations are easier to score.
Live, Laugh, Love Song
If you’ve ever enjoyed cooking show competitions, you’ll also like sitting at the bar at Love Song, opened in late 2021 by chef Mike Hill, previously of Richmond’s Heritage. This oceanfront restaurant is a long, narrow-ish affair, but the action is in the small kitchen, positioned directly behind the bar. Here, you are almost—but not quite—a dancer in this chef’s ballet, at once frenetic and tightly controlled, with more cooks and burners in this tiny space than should be possible.
You may also almost—but not quite—believe you can drink like a chef, too. In addition to a wine list focused on natural and biodynamic wines, the drink menu features a series of bracing “50/50s”—essentially shots made with half spirit and half amaro or aperitif.
I am interested in the T&A, a Tequila and Aperol shot, but my server tells me that the M&M is the staff favorite—that’s mezcal and Montenegro. She dips over the bar to pull the bottle of Montenegro and show me. It’s representative of the service here, informal and highly attentive.
Tall containers of herbs stand at intervals behind the bar, mis en place forests from which chefs pluck and pull as they cook. Littleneck clams clatter into a pot, duck breasts sear on the flat top as Motown and classic hip-hop mix with the sizzling, chopping, and bubbling of the kitchen.
I watch a chef use long tweezers to arrange dill onto my mushroom tartine. It eats like an open-faced sandwich, the bread crispy around the edges but soft enough to cut with a fork in the middle, piled high with mushroom, creamy eggplant, and soy—an ode to umami, earthy and nearly overpowering. He takes similar care with the feathery ricotta gnudi, pesto, and a pillowy cloud of Parmesan.
Another chef pries clams open with a spoon as they cook in a red-orange sauce. All but the tip of his spoon is still. You can see the focus—his awareness flowing to that one point. Guided meditation simmering in cream sauce.
The standout is a plate of marinated anchovies, balanced with fennel, the saline tang of green olives, rich butter, and saffron aioli, served with crusty baguette slices—just enough to grant a glimpse at the strength of each flavor without overpowering.
Indoor Escapes
Adventure-seekers will love iFly Indoor Skydiving, where you can step into a wind tunnel to simulate the free-fall part of jumping out of a plane—without the plane. Downshift afterwards at SeaHill Spa at the Cavalier where you can choose among a dizzying array of spa treatments—from Quartz Thermal Therapy to Soak and Sand rituals that rejuvenate with ocean minerals. Try a CBD massage or step into the multi-sensory Hydro Capsule. Equipped with 20 shower sprays, the capsule delivers an invigorating mix of infrared heat, aromatherapy, and chromotherapy.
Get your aura read, walk the labyrinth, or book a massage and grab lunch at Graze Kitchen & Catering, all on the campus of Edgar Cayce’s Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), headquartered on 67th Street and Atlantic Avenue. A prolific psychic, Cayce is considered the “father of holistic medicine.” He established the A.R.E. to explore spirituality, holistic health, intuition, dream interpretation, psychic development, reincarnation, and ancient mysteries.
A.R.E. is a popular spot among locals and visitors alike, with free daily lectures, a health center and spa, meditation garden, the Cayce/Reilly® School of Massage, a metaphysical bookstore, and gift shop. The campus is also home to Atlantic University which offers degree, continuing ed, and certificate programs.
In the midst of all, a winter break in Virginia Beach yields art, great food, music, theater, and even outdoor adventures—I haven’t missed the sand or sunbathing one bit.
I think of Pittman’s description of the ViBe District: “A museum without walls—a venue without a roof.” His words capture the rest of the city, too. One big venue that’s a little more chill, a little more local, and a lot more than I’d expected—especially in the winter months.
Dig In
BoBo’s Fine Chicken: No-fuss, traditional fried chicken. On Shore Drive, it’s a longtime local favorite. BoBosFineChicken.com
Cobalt Grille: Owner and executive chef Alvin Williams capitalizes on fresh and local ingredients in his seasonal and seaside-inspired menu. CobaltGrille.com
Le YaCa: A fine French and European dining institution with a new-ish Beach location caters to an in-the-know foodie crowd. LeYaCaWilliamsburg.com
Taste: The gourmet sandwich shop with three Beach locations got its start in 1973. Take home a bottle of their famous House Dressing, a must-have souvenir. TasteUnlimited.com
Tupelo Honey: Southern-inspired dishes, scratch-made with seasonal ingredients from executive chef Eric Gabrynowicz, a four-time James Beard Award semifinalist. TupeloHoneyCafe.com
Seaside Shopping
Hilltop: The area’s premier lifestyle, dining and shopping destination with over 120 storefronts, Hilltop includes local favorites like:
Airotciv by Victoria: From hand-crafted jewelry to carefully curated beachwear, this specialty boutique showcases a coastal European aesthetic. AirotcivByVictoria.com
The Collective Garments & Goods: Women’s contemporary clothing and activewear with a casual luxury vibe, plus gifts and kids clothing. TheCollectiveVB.com
Frances Kahn: Women’s high fashion featuring brands like Herno, Majestic Filatures, Kinross, and Lafayette 148. FrancesKahn.com
The Globe: Fine gifts and home décor, and brands like Simon Pearce, Vietri, Staub, and Herend. TheGlobe.MyShopLocal.com
Nectar: A home accessories and gift boutique with a coastal flair showcasing Dash & Albert, Archipelago Botanicals, Bella Bags, and more. Facebook: @NectarVB
La Promenade features a distinctive collection of chic boutiques, including Chico’s, Ocean Palm/Lilly Pulitzer, Talbots, and J. McLaughlin. Salons and spas for pampering and relaxation include Amazing Lash Studio, MassageLuxe, Ava Maria, and Restore HyperWellness. Aldo’s Ristorante and Mizuno Japanese Restaurant offer casual dining.
French Twist Boutique: Gifts, jewelry, tableware, clothing, and accessories with a European flavor. FrenchTwistBoutique.com
Lemon Cabana: Beach-inspired home décor and preppy-chic women’s clothing, jewelry, and accessories. LemonCabana.com
Acredale Saddlery: Cowboy boots and hats from Tony Lama, Ariat, Lucchese, Justin, Twisted X, Nocona, and others. Largest selection in the region. AcredaleSaddleryBoots.com
This article originally appeared in the February 2023 issue.
