Shopping in Virginia Beach is better than you'll find at most other "resort" beaches. This is because unlike most resort beaches, we are a year-round city with more than 500,000 full time residents. Lots of options and great prices await you.
Oceanfront
Shopping at the oceanfront is an age old tradition. Everyone who comes to Virginia Beach ends up shopping on Atlantic Avenue, picking up souvenirs along the way.
Don't be shy about visiting the souvenir shops. They still offer the classic souvenirs you loved as a kid, but there's a lot of newer more practical items too. There may be a few items that you can get elsewhere for less, but half the fun of a pool float or sand bucket is buying it at the beach where you'll find the best selection!
I recently saw a TV magazine segment on travel and they suggested you only pack what you absolutely need and buy everything else along the way. Your luggage will be litghter for at least part of your trip and you'll end up with lots of practical souvenirs of your travels.
One thing you will definitely want to buy at the oceanfront is a bathing suit. There are several surf shops and swimwear boutiques near the beach that have amazing selections of bathing suits for men women and kids. These are the kinds of bathing suits you can't find back home and you definitely can't order from a catalog. If you want to find a bathing suit that fits you just right, you need to come and see the experts.
31st Street to Hilltop on Laskin Road
This shopping corridor starts where Atlantic Avenue meets 31st Street. After a few blocks, 31st Street becomes Laskin Road. You'll find various shops and malls all the way up Laskin Road until you get to the 264 ramp about four miles away. The center of the Hilltop area is the intersection of Laskin Road and First Colonial Road.
The Hilltop Shopping Area is comprised mostly of very nice strip malls but there are some freestanding businesses as well. Some of the stores you will find here are the K-Mart Superstore (24/7), Office Max, Office Depot, Big Lots, Radio Shack, Ritz Camera, Barnes & Noble, Kinko's, and literally hundreds more. There are many great places to eat at "Hilltop" including Japanese Steakhouses, Fondue, Sports Bars, Chinese, Mongolian Bar-B-Que, North Carolina Bar-B-Que, Italian, Seafood, Steak, Family Style and a dozen fast food and national chain restaurants.
Lynnhaven Mall
If you are looking to do a little indoor shopping, look no further than Lynnhaven Mall. Anchored by Dillards, J.C. Penney and Macy's, Lynnhaven Mall and the strip malls that surround it are guaranteed to have what you are looking for - no matter what it is. The AMC Lynnhaven 18 Theaters are very nice with comfortable seats and BIG screens.
In Virginia Beach there are hundreds of shopping malls, stores, boutiques, art and antique shops, and everything else you can imagine. |
