(Virginia Beach, Va., 2008) – Escape to Virginia Beach this year to live the Beach life. Wake up with the sun to hit the hiking trails, go head to head with the mighty marlin in an all–out battle of wills, and seek solace in a quiet moment between you and Mother Nature. Whether it's a summer sojourn, a fall getaway or a winter wonderland adventure, Virginia Beach is an ideal destination any time of year. The following story ideas are centered on Virginia Beach's year–round events and travel options. For more information and images, visit www.vbpressroom.com or www.vbfun.com.

Virginia Beach … an Evolving Destination: Virginia Beach is a vibrant, growing city, offering visitors all the excitement of a large metropolitan area, nestled in the mild climate of a rich coastal environment. In recent years, Virginia Beach has invested millions of dollars to enhance the resort city, including more first–class hotels, restaurants and retail. Virginia Beach's most famous landmark, the oceanfront boardwalk, is "bigger and better," after the resort city completed its $103 million makeover. The nearly three–mile structure now features a stronger seawall, a wider concrete boardwalk and a beach that is now wider than a football field. The boardwalk is a popular thoroughfare for walking, running, biking, blading and strolling in the sun. In addition, the chic and elegant mingle at Virginia Beach's newest downtown area, Town Center, spanning 17 city blocks of upscale retail, exciting outdoor cafes, restaurants and nightlife.

The Virginia Beach Convention Center Goes Green and Transforms the Oceanfron: Having long enjoyed being a premier vacation destination, the city is now one of the nation's most sought–after meetings and conventions destinations. The new $202.5 million Virginia Beach Convention Center fully opened in January 2007, boasting more than 500,000 gross square feet of space. It is the first convention center in Virginia certified by Virginia Green, which promotes environmentally–friendly practices in all aspects of Virginia's tourism and hospitality industry. Serviced by a seasoned, award–winning staff and offering competitive rates, the Virginia Beach Convention Center features a 150,000 square–foot column–free exhibit hall, a 31,000 square–foot ballroom, 28,929 square feet of meeting space and 2,230 free parking spaces. It also offers the latest in wired and wireless technology, including a ballroom with LED lighting.

Virginia Beach's Coastal Cuisine Entices the Palate: Virginia Beach is known for its Coastal Cuisine, a rich culinary style exploding with flavors that take advantage of the mouthwatering variety of fresh seafood. Virginia Beach is located where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, which means the city's nearly 300 restaurants are serving the freshest seafood year–round – tuna, flounder, tautog, you name it. Some of the region's specialties are crab cakes – jerked, broiled, pan sautéed or fried – she–crab soup, and striped bass, better known as "rockfish." Agriculture also is one of Virginia Beach's top industries, so chefs also are cooking with the freshest of produce. Fresh seafood combined with the freshest produce equals recipes and flavors unique only to Virginia Beach.

Experience the Majesty of Virginia Beach's Dolphins and Whales: Virginia Beach's most intriguing visitors are the bottlenose dolphins that visit in the summer months, as well as the fin and humpback whales that visit during the winter. The Mid–Atlantic's largest population of bottlenose dolphins feeds and plays just off the coast of Virginia Beach. Dolphin–watching and whale–watching boat trips, sponsored by the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, give visitors the chance to see these majestic creatures up close and in their natural environment. For a more challenging ocean adventure, embark on a guided dolphin–watching kayak trip offered by several outfitters off Virginia Beach's shores.

Surfing's Biggest Rippers Dominate the Virginia Beach Barrels: Virginia Beach offers several surf camps to surfing enthusiasts, including a Billabong surf camps run by a former pro. For the surf–stoked girls who want to learn to surf, Surf & Adventure Co. and Billabong have teamed up to offer 2–day girls Chica surf camps. Each August, more than 100 of the world's top professional riders – male and female – and an estimated 300 amateur surfers travel to Virginia Beach to ride the curl at the East Coast Surfing Championship (ECSC). The competition promises some of the greatest shralping and shredding of the finest East Coast waves that Virginia Beach has to offer, as the competitors contend for cash prizes. Held annually since 1963, ECSC is North America's oldest surfing contest and the second oldest continuously–run surfing contest in the world.

The Different Beats of Diversity Explode in Virginia Beach: Virginia Beach celebrates diversity as it pulsates with a myriad of festivals, celebrations, and cultural events. Dance to the beat of salsa, merengue, mamba and bachata tunes presented by some of the best national and regional acts at the annual Latin Festival. Explore the African origins of today's diversified music genres during the Soul Music Beachfest and the Blues at the Beach festival. Groove to Caribbean, Latin, and pop music during the steel band competition at PANorama Caribbean Music Fest. Virginia Beach celebrates the German spirit each year with good food and good drink during Oktober Brewfest. Indulge in pizza, prosciutto and fontina, caprese, eggplant parmesan, lasagna, espresso, gelato and all things Italian at Festa Italiana. Grab your groove thing and bring your moves down to the Virginia Beach oceanfront festivals!

Nature's Gifts Abound in Virginia Beach: More than 18,600 acres of state parks and wildlife refuges, over 121 navigable miles of waterways and 35 miles of ocean and bay beaches give Virginia Beach visitors a variety of options for exploring the great outdoors. Venture on an eco–safari through Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge, False Cape State Park or First Landing State Park. Kayak, hike or bike along the miles of pristine trails and waterways through beach, back dunes, tidal marsh and cypress swaps.

Race to the Virginia Beach Finish Line: For running enthusiasts, Virginia Beach hosts not one, but TWO high-profile half-marathons – the Shamrock Half–Marathon on St. Patty's Day weekend and the Rock–N–Roll Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend. The Shamrock course is guaranteed to be fast and festive, as participants race along the Virginia Beach boardwalk. Watch out for the leprechauns along the way! In September, more than 20,000 runners descend on the Virginia Beach oceanfront for the Rock–N–Roll 13.1–mile foot and wheelchair race. With live music at every mile and a course that's flat and fast, the Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon has become a "must run" event for all runners.

History comes alive in Virginia Beach: Delve further in Virginia Beach's history, and learn more about Virginia Beach's resident witch, Grace Sherwood. In 1706, a jury accused Sherwood of practicing witchcraft. A trial by "ducking" ensued, following a belief that guilty persons bound and thrown into water would float and the innocent would drown. Sherwood was pronounced guilty after she surfaced, apparently unhurt, and served a seven year jail sentence for witchcraft.

Indulge in a Massage and Learn more about Edgar Cayce, the Father of Holistic Medicine: Treat yourself to a day in the spa at one of Virginia Beach's full–service day spas. One of the more renowned is the Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E.), the former headquarters of Edgar Cayce, the 19th century's most documented holistic practitioner and noted psychic. In addition to the health services including massage therapy, facials, reflexology and acupuncture, visitors from around the world gather at the A.R.E. in Virginia Beach to learn more about the late Edgar Cayce and to peruse the metaphysical library, one of the world's largest such libraries, second only to the Vatican. With a growing public awareness of holistic medicine and spiritualism, physicians worldwide are finding Cayce's research to be on the cutting edge of many health care concerns today, particularly the mind–body relationship to health and healing.

Gone Fishin' in Virginia Beach: Where the Atlantic Ocean meets the food–rich Chesapeake Bay, anglers find a fisherman's paradise in Virginia Beach. Known as the "Striped Bass Capitol of the World," Virginia Beach offers some of the best sport fishing on the East Coast. Hook the mightiest tuna, wahoo, marlin, striped bass, red drum, flounder, and much more during a half–day, full–day, inshore or offshore fishing adventure. Virginia Beach boasts two inlets, Lynnhaven Inlet and Rudee Inlet. Landlubbers can cast their line from one of four fishing piers. Virginia Beach also hosts a number of fishing tournaments year–round, including the Striped Bass World Championship and Waterman's Rockfish Shoot–Out.

Virginia Beach entices visitors to “Live the Life” every season of the year! Virginia Beach is four hours southeast of D.C. by car and within a day’s drive or less from two–thirds of the U.S. population. For visitor information, call 1-800-VA-BEACH (800/822-3224) or visit the Web site www.vbfun.com for online trip planning. For media information and digital images, click on www.vbpressroom.com.

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