Virginia Beach for Foodies and Families

Peanuts come to mind when I think of Virginia. I figured that Virginia Beach food would also center around peanuts, maybe with a fudge store or two thrown in.

But it turns out that Virginia Beach is so much more.

The area has become a foodie destination, so much so that Coastal Food Tours of Virginia offers a Virginia Beach Boardwalk Food Tour and a Farmers Market Food Tour.

When you look at Virginia Beach closely, this attention to food makes sense. The area is on the Atlantic ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, so fresh seafood is a given. Blue crab, rockfish, flounder and mackerel are some of the local seafood.

Virginia Beach for vegetarians
The year round Virginia Beach Farmers market sells seasonal, fresh vegetables and fruit as well as organic groceries, local dairy and ice cream and candy. When our kids were little, we gave them money to spend at farmers’ markets, and they usually chose unique, healthy foods they wanted to try: purple carrots or a whole grain bun studded with pumpkin seeds.

Virginia Beach for families
If you are traveling with young children, be sure to check out the Rural Education Center at the Farmers Market, which offers Rural Heritage Tours. Kids can milk a fake cow (that produces real milk), churn cream into butter and feed pigs.

Virginia Beach is also famous for its ham, not too appealing to my vegetarian family, but the pigs are adorable.

At Brookdale Farm, you can pick your own strawberries and shop from a small farm stand. Even if you are staying at a hotel with no cooking facilities, fresh corn from the farm should not be missed. You can actually eat it raw, bursting with juice and flavor.

Family activities in Virginia Beach
In between eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, and thinking about food, there is plenty to fill your day. The salt air at the free ocean beaches whets your appetite for the meals to come. If you overindulge, work off a meal by strolling the three mile boardwalk, or riding a bike.

Families with young children should head to the protected waters of the Chesapeake Bay Beaches. The gentle waves are perfect for kids and swimmers can also enjoy the water.

Hike almost 20 miles of trails at First Landing State Park, where English settlers arrived on April 26, 1607. The park also offers kayak rentals and guided kayak eco tours, bike paths, picnic areas and campgrounds.

And if you want some Virginia peanuts, get the Virginia Beach caramel apple version at The Royal Chocolate, an apple dipped in caramel, then rolled in peanuts and chocolate.



I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Virginia Beach blogging program. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Ordering In

Here is the usual scenario when we want to order food. We poll family members (up to 5) to see who wants what cuisine. Then we look for menus. Usually, we don’t have a menu for the kind of food we want, or we only find an old menu for a Chinese place that closed.

We have been saved by Allmenus.com. This nationwide service lets you search nearby restaurants, narrow them down by cuisine (e.g. Thai, vegetarian, Mexican) then read menus and Yelp reviews and order your food. You can even find deals and specials on the site.

You don’t pay any extra for this - places that don’t charge for delivery don’t charge when you order through Allmenus.com.

Another cool feature - if you are on vacation and have a hankering for Indian food or pizza, you can find a place.

Now if we could only all agree on what to order...

Veggie Hummus

Baby food is designed for babies, of course, but the purees can be great additions to soups and stews. I sneak a jar of squash puree into pnacake batter and give my kids an extra dose of vitamin A for brunch.

Actually, Gerber’s new line of organic, “Smart Nourish” baby food, with DHA and choline to support brain & eye development, is sold in little plastic containers, lighter for toting home, but no more handy little jars for spices. But the lighter material also reduces the carbon footprint, so even better.

The farmer’s market vegetable blend, with carrots and tomoatoes, adds undetectable Vitamins A and E to hummus. Just throw a package into any hummus recipe.

Veggie Hummus

2 cans (15 oz. each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
One 2 pack of Gerber SmartNourish Farmer’s Market Blend with Mixed Grains
1/2 cup tahini
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Fresh chopped parsley


Blend or puree all ingredients except parsley in blender or food processor. Add a little water if too dry.

Garnish with parsley.

Serve with raw vegetables and get your kids to eat even more veggies. Try carrot sticks, string beans, red pepper strips, cucumber spears and broccoli florets.