Over the past several years, Virginia Beach, Virginia has been aiming toward making the resort city a year-round destination. With more than 35 miles of beaches stretching over the area, it has many plans to make it the place to go on the East Coast of the US for entertainment, vacations, conventions and recreation. With first-class resorts in Virginia Beach, there are clean and comfortable accommodations for visitors as they enjoy the restaurants, shopping and beach activities. There are nearly 500,000 residents that live in Virginia Beach year-round. Many of them work in the city or in one of the neighboring cities that help it comprise the area known as Hampton Roads.

Convention Center

The Virginia Beach Convention Center is the first Green Certified facility of its type and size in the United States. It is located just minutes from the Oceanfront and state-of-the art Virginia Beach hotels. Future plans include many national and state conventions at the facility, which was recently revitalized and is suitable for year-round conventions and gatherings.

Shopping

With several shopping malls and shopping centers throughout the city’s nearly 500 square miles, Virginia Beach keeps its visitors and residents alike busy with quality retail stores. There are several large department store chains with locations in the resort city, as well as a bevy of smaller boutiques and regional stores. Improvements to the roads in these areas are planned, and will make them more accessible to visitors and residents in the future.

Transportation

While Virginia Beach does have a year-round bus and shuttle system to serve both residents and tourists, it is currently in the process of considering a mass transit system that will connect the Oceanfront area to other parts of the city and also neighboring Norfolk. The light rail system construction is already underway in Norfolk and would make it easier for visitors and residents alike to get to and from the area without a personal vehicle.

South Beach Trail

One of the latest additions to the Oceanfront area is the South Beach Trail Boardwalk. It is a dozen feet wide and handles walking and biking, with LED lighting and a gazebo to boot. For those interested in exercise, the trail measures eight miles in a loop and offers 1,000 feet of scenic boardwalk adventure. This area is located at the southern portion of the resort area and links a number of hotels, businesses and residential rentals to the Rudee Inlet waterway and adjacent beaches. It is a popular area for fishing, crabbing, swimming, sunbathing, walking and enjoying scenery.