During my visit to Virginia Beach, I felt like a free bird, bask in the golden sand and take a long stroll in the evening with your beloved. The best part within this resort city Virginia Beach is the Broadwalk. The moment you step on it, it makes you feel you are on vacation. Everything seems so eye catching and captivating.

Moving on the Broadwalk your eyes will never ignore the old building of Old Coast Guard Station. This conspicuous white building is visible even through huge and big buildings. The building dates back to 1903 as a life saving station and later from 1915 to 1969 as Coast Guard Station.

A time came when the building was no longer in service, remained idle for decades. There were plans to demolish it but thanks to the people of this city whose timely intervention and financial backing not only saved it but gave a new life by transforming it into a Maritime Museum. Now this old fashioned oceanfront museum has become a must see site of Virginia Beach.

The credit of restoring it goes to the citizens who preserved the honor of brave coast guard, the history of Virginia’s coastal communities and maritime heritage. The moment you step inside, you are automatically getting carried away in that era, as if in a trance. The exhibits are displayed on two floors.

The lower gallery, once an old boat room and the upper gallery were surf men used to sleep now has around 1000 photographs and more than 1800 artifacts that speaks volume of US Life-Saving and Coast Guard services, shipwrecks off Virginia coast. The shipwreck gallery with close to 600 artifacts of shipwreck tells the innumerable ship wreck stories.

It is better to move along with volunteer docent, who will tell you the story behind every artifacts and shipwrecks. There are ship wreck maps, inscription about the value of boats and cargo along with surfmen’s handwritten logs from the shipwrecks, metal ID tags of surfmen’s and much more.

Another brick to the wall is the Towercam which enables visitor to take the sight of the passing ships on the horizon. This is not all; the high powered camera transmits the pictures to the computer for the visitors to view.

The museum store is the new wine in old bottle, featuring amazing books, jewelry, clocks, toys, barometers, nautical gifts and Pirate Gear. The

museum store is one effort to make this place interesting and the other one is Story Time for children which are held every Wednesday in summers.

For many it may not sound that attractive but museums of paintings, decorative arts and relics are many but museums like Old Coast Guard Station are rare and one of its kind.

“Success You Still Entice

To Get the Pearl and Gold

And Ours to Hold

Virginia

Earth’s Only Paradise”

These were the words of the British Poet Micheal Drayton, when the British army successfully colonized the American territory in 1607, which found place in the book, ‘Virginia Beach: A History of Virginia’s Golden Shore’ by ‘Amy Waters Yarsinke.’

Virginia Beach has every reason to attract tourists from all over the world. It would not be too difficult to corroborate the attractive and awe inspiring aura of the entire place. The weather is pleasant and welcoming with mild summers and winters. The favorable climatic conditions with long springs make it the most happening place.

The sprawling golden beaches and the hordes of activities is what make it popular. Oflate the cities growth has been tremendous from a small beach town charm to buzzing city, but still clings to its unspoiled natural beauty and squeaky clean beaches.

It is said that the off season time is more enjoyable with less crowd when the climate is still mild. This has totally changed the definition of more crowded in peak season; the tourists throng this place and make it crowded even in off season- truly a tourist’s Mecca.

Virginia Beach has all the elements of family-friendly vacation, amazing beaches, innumerable restaurants, sea side resorts, museums, historical sites, water sports, hunting, fishing, surfing, kayaking, hiking trails, shopping and fun filled activities.

For children, there are amusement rides, and long stretch of sand to play in and build castles and off course no one will resist them to play in the cool ocean water. The museums and the theaters are the legendary pillars that still restore and continue with the past legacy with the sole aim of passing it to the coming generations.

The performing center keeps entertaining with plays, concerts, ballet, opera and symphonies. People get to experience every definition of happiness when indulged in every activity which Virginia Beach offers, Believe me!