East Beach is a planned community located off Shore Drive in the far eastern section of the Norfolk…read morebay front. The waterfronts it sits between are the Chesapeake Bay and Little Creek Inlet. The neighborhood has been in a continuous state of development since construction began in 2004. The City of Norfolk seized the land through Eminent Domain and demolished the existing houses in 1993. A beach replenishment was done in 2003 before construction began by the city's chosen developer. The "New Urbanist" style of the neighborhood is unique to the area. It's a beautiful neighborhood with a town square and walkway areas. The houses or cottages built in the central part of the neighborhood are on small urban style plots and are built close to the street with front porches and sidewalks. Many have detached garages with an apartment above. Alleys run behind the street for parking aesthetics. Golf Carts abound. There are larger stately houses and also houses closer to the Chesapeake Bay on larger plots of property with walking paths to the beach. My late husband and I were considering the purchase of one of the houses within a small number of steps from the Bay. It would have been the perfect location, since our boat was docked at Little Creek Marina along the Little Creek Inlet side of Pretty Lake Road,, the main entrance to the neighborhood. His cancer diagnosis immediately stopped that planned purchase. There has been continuous development since that time. High Rise Apartments/Condominiums with shops and restaurants were developed on the north side of Pretty Lake Road. After my husband's death I eventually sold the cabin cruiser, which was too large for me to get out of the slip. And boats should not have to be controlled by manipulating two engines. They're not like brakes. I loved sitting on the deck sipping wine and visiting with the fellow long time occupants of our pier, some of whom lived on their boats. But nor'easters and hurricanes terrified me since the area is prone to flooding. Wave action in one storm severed the dock line. I sold the boat. The memories of that time have been destroyed since East Beach bought and demolished most of the marinas on the Little Creek Inlet side of Pretty Lake Road. High Rise Condos with shops and restaurants on the ground floor are now being constructed. After eating at kSurf Rider East Beach I'll sometimes drive through the neighborhood remembering what might have been.

East Beach has quickly become one of my favorite spots, especially since it's so close to home. I…read moretake my dog, Lexi, here quite a bit, and it's the perfect place for long walks--especially now that the busy season is over. The beach is usually quiet with just a handful of people, which makes it such a peaceful escape. The views at sunset are beautiful, and it never feels crowded, which is a huge plus. It's also very clean and extremely dog-friendly, which makes it even better for us. Convenience is key, and being able to hop over here in just a few minutes is something I really appreciate. If you're looking for a calm, relaxing beach that's perfect for both people and pups, East Beach is definitely worth a

My friend rented kayaks before with this company. It was her idea to go kayaking and I am so glad…read morewe did! I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet and peaceful the area was where we kayaked. When my friend mentioned Back Bay I was thinking, oh snap. What did I commit myself to?? Kayaking where there might be cottonmouths??!! But I was thinking Back Bay Wildlife Refuge where I've seen lots of them. There were no cottonmouths. I promise you. Just lots of duck blinds and marsh areas that open into the bay. It was so serene. You get 2 hours, and rental includes the pfd and they loan you a waterproof phone case if needed which was nice. Because I was pretty dry until I got out of the kayak from our 2 hours. I landed in waist deep water, my feet sunk into the sand. I couldn't recover from the fall and face planted into the water - baseball hat, sunglasses and waterproof phone case and all. THAT waterproof phone case saved my phone and my key fob!! Don't do what I did Launch it parallel to the land so you don't end up in the water like I did. The young man that worked there was kind and genuinely concerned. When he arrived to pull the kayaks further up on land, he asked if I got hot. Because he saw I was soaking wet. I think he thought I took a dip in the water. But I told him, I actually fell in getting out of the kayak. (The older couple with their beach chairs outside Baja got quite a show of me splashing around. Haha. ) He made sure I was okay and asked if my phone was okay and to make sure since the waterproof phone cases aren't 100% waterproof. Thankfully, it was fine and so was my key fob. You can rent single or tandem kayaks and are free to roam the area. It's $35 plus tax but they offer military discounts 10% with ID so it came out to $33.39 for me. Staff was very nice the young man was the same person who checked us in and took our payments and the young ladies were friendly and kind as well. Kudos to the staff with their patience, because there was a large group (family) that was blocking the entrance to the shack. When it was time for them to gear up for their pfds, they ransacked the racks of life vests and staff had to politely inform them that they have it in order and will fit each of them individually properly. Therefore there's no need to take them off the rack. I looked it up on their website and if you have your own kayak you can pay a $15 launch fee so that's cool.

As Virginia Beach locals, we went to a secret spot called Virginia Beach Water Sports to try a…read morebanana boat ride. Some of the best-kept secrets are in our backyard. Today was my wife's birthday; she is very adventurous. The staff was amazing. They explained what to expect and provided the necessary safety equipment. The ride was fantastic. I am 50+, and I was holding on, with my eyes closed and a smile, to my two kids. The driver helped me adjust to changes in speed and water turbulence resulting from the boat ride. My kids and my wife were laughing. They helped us create a lasting family legacy moment we can cherish. I will come again and use them in the future. I highly recommend them for locals and out-of-town guests. Thank you, John, Cheyenne, Emily, and the rest of the staff.

Atmosphere has completely changed. Ran by teens, staff is rude. Lifeguards are either overbearing…read moreafter waiting an hour to watch something happen and then decide to enforce a rule. No one is on the same page when it comes to rules. Watched a life guard for a good 8 minutes have their head in their hands looking down not paying a bit of attention. It's Bad weather today, called to check about lost and found item, & phone off the hook. Drove up and walked right in. NOONE manning the front desk, could hear people upstairs giggling. Continued to concession where the lost and found is, found my item (no lifeguards out on the deck) one girl in concession looked to be cleaning. Didn't say a word. Let her know what I was doing and that no one was anywhere else to be found. That's a safety concern, any small child could have run in the establishment and jumped in and not a soul would have known until it was too late. Do better. July 22nd @3:30pm. Check who should be working, a discussion needs to happen

Nice place to come for the day and cool off. Like all pools, it has it's busy times, but also more…read morerelaxed down times. There's plenty of seating, both at tables and lounge chairs, and umbrellas, and even a picnic area you can rent for parties or get togethers. There are 2 diving boards, a slide, bathrooms/changing rooms/showers on site, plenty of lifeguards on duty, and the concession stand is reasonably priced with decent options. A good way to spend the day!

Absolutely love this place! It's the perfect place to go for a walk or run, there is plenty of…read morespace for walkers, runners and even bikers! ‍ There's a decent size playground. Oak Grove is definitely on the pretty side, and even if it's hot out, you are mostly in shade! There are smaller, shorter trails inside the woods you can walk through too if you'd like. Plenty of fishing spots!

Free Parking. Porta Potties available. This park has a cement walk way leading up to the…read moreplayground, porta potty, and a picnic area that would be great for wheelchairs. This park is great for adults, kids and dogs. The views are of a crystal clear lake NO swimming and NO boating. Plenty of trees. Great for bird watching. They have a nice size children's playground. Covered picnic tables throughout the park. a few fitness stations on the 1 1/2 mile hike. VERY easy loop hike. Starts out with a cement trail and turns into fine gravel trail around the lake. Lots of people running, kids playing and dogs walking. My favorite thing I found a bench dedicated to their sweet dog Savanna. And they offer doggy poop bags. Encouraging a nice clean park. Nice easy walk and if you time it right there are a lot of great places in that area to eat and a nice shopping area