Virginia Beach has a reputation as a place where you spend all day paying for things — parking, boardwalk food, tourist attractions. The truth is the best family experiences here are mostly free. Pack a cooler, grab a fishing net, and you can run a full two-day family trip without spending more than what you'd burn on hotel snacks.
Completely Free Activities in Virginia Beach
These are $0 to enter. No membership, no coupon, no catch.
Little Island Park is the best free family destination in Virginia Beach. The park sits directly on Sandbridge Beach — playground equipment right next to the sand, so kids can switch between swings and ocean waves without walking more than 30 seconds. The fishing pier is open to the public and free. Crabbing works great here: bring a chicken neck and a dip net and kids will catch something. Pelicans swoop past close enough to feel wild. $0 admission. Sandbridge is significantly less crowded than the main Virginia Beach strip — that's the local knowledge worth having. Arrive before 9am on summer weekends to guarantee parking. Plan 2–4 hours.
Beach Park gives families Atlantic Ocean access without the boardwalk crowds. Grassy areas for picnics and frisbee, open beach, and a low-key atmosphere that feels like Virginia Beach used to feel before the high-rises arrived. $0 admission. Pack your own picnic — no vendors here. Sunrise visits are genuinely worthwhile: fewer crowds, dramatic light over the water. The 63rd–79th Street corridor has multiple access points and free street parking on weekdays. Note: no lifeguards on duty, so supervise young swimmers. Plan 1–3 hours.
Loch Haven Park is a spacious neighborhood park in northwest Virginia Beach built around a lake. Kids are drawn immediately to the ducks and turtles at the water's edge. Open fields for soccer, frisbee, and the kind of unstructured running around that kids need after sitting in a car. $0. Extended hours (6am to 8pm) make it work for morning or early evening. It's crowd-free because it's a neighborhood park, not a tourist destination — that's the point. Pack snacks and water; no vendors. Plan 1–2 hours.
Princess Anne Commons Gateway Park is a clean, well-maintained open green space in the Virginia Beach inland area. Good for families staying away from the oceanfront who need outdoor time without a 20-minute drive. $0. Closes at 5:30pm — morning and early afternoon are the best windows. The surrounding Princess Anne Commons area has trails connecting to other parks if you want more distance. Pack snacks. Plan 1–2 hours.
Under $50 for a Family of 4
This is where Munden Point Park belongs.
Munden Point Park sits at the convergence of the North Landing River and open water in the southern tip of Virginia Beach. The park itself is free — the only costs are the boat launch fee (modest; check current rates on the Virginia Beach Parks website) and optional kayak/canoe rentals. Bring your own kayak and you spend nothing at all beyond the launch fee. The river is calm and protected, making it genuinely accessible for first-time paddlers. The fishing is excellent — largemouth bass, catfish, and perch. Birdwatching is exceptional: this is a designated Important Bird Area where ospreys and great blue herons are routine. For a family of 4, the total spend is $0–$50 depending on rentals. Plan 2–3 hours.
The drive matters: Munden Point is in the far southern tip of Virginia Beach near the North Carolina border. Allow 30–40 minutes from the main hotel areas. Make it a dedicated half-day trip.
Worth Paying For
Honestly? All five Virginia Beach listings in our database are free or nearly free. The city's best family experiences are outdoor and public. This is good news for your budget.
The one partially paid experience, Munden Point Park with kayak rental, is the best-value paid experience in Virginia Beach. Kayaking a protected river in a designated Important Bird Area with a 4.8 Google rating, for $0–$50 for a family of 4, is simply hard to beat. It delivers more experience per dollar than almost any attraction in the region.
If you need paid indoor options for rainy days or young children, you'll need to look at indoor play venues or the Virginia Aquarium (not in this dataset but nearby) — Virginia Beach's public park system doesn't include much paid indoor programming.
Money-Saving Strategies for Virginia Beach Families
- Pack a cooler every single day. None of these parks have food vendors. A family of 4 eating from a cooler instead of buying lunch saves $30–$60 per day. Do this.
- Arrive at Sandbridge before 9am on summer weekends. Parking at Little Island Park fills up fast. Early arrival is free; late arrival means circling or leaving.
- Bring your own fishing gear to Little Island Park. A chicken neck from the grocery store costs almost nothing; a dip net is under $10. This beats any rental.
- Bring your own kayak or canoe to Munden Point. The launch fee is modest; you eliminate the rental cost entirely. If you have a roof rack, load the kayak before you leave home.
- Loch Haven Park is open 6am to 8pm. That's one of the widest operating windows of any Virginia Beach park. Use morning or evening visits to avoid the hottest part of the day.
- Princess Anne Commons closes at 5:30pm. Plan this one for morning; the early closure rules out afternoon visits.
- Street parking near Beach Park (63rd–79th Street corridor) is free on weekdays. Save the metered spots for days when you have no choice.
Seasonal Free Events to Watch For
Virginia Beach hosts several recurring free family events worth knowing about:
- Neptune Festival (late September) — beachfront festival on the oceanfront with free admission and concerts.
- First Landing State Park events — the state park regularly runs free or low-cost nature programs for families. Check the VA state parks calendar.
- Sandbridge Beach community events — the Sandbridge area near Little Island Park sometimes hosts informal community gatherings, especially in shoulder season when crowds are lighter.
- Sunrise over the Atlantic — technically free every morning. Beach Park and Little Island Park face east. Show up before sunrise, bring coffee, let kids see the sun come up over the ocean. It costs nothing and kids remember it.
Virginia Beach's event calendar is worth checking before your trip at visitvirginiabeach.com — free concerts, fireworks, and waterfront events happen regularly, especially in summer.
Bottom Line
Virginia Beach's best family experiences don't cost money. Little Island Park gives you beach, playground, and fishing pier for $0. Munden Point Park gives you kayaking, fishing, and exceptional wildlife for $0–$50. Loch Haven Park and Beach Park are both $0 and both legitimately good. Pack coolers, arrive early, bring your own gear, and a family of 4 can have a full two-day trip at Virginia Beach's best spots for under $100 including food.