The best weekend getaways from Virginia Beach are the Outer Banks, Williamsburg, Richmond, Washington DC, Charlottesville, and the Blue Ridge, all within a 1 to 4 hour drive.
You do not need a flight for a great long weekend out of Virginia Beach. Within a four-hour drive you can hit beaches, mountains, history, and a capital city. Here are twelve worth the gas.
Outer Banks, North Carolina, about 1.5 hours, for wild beaches and lighthouses. Williamsburg, under an hour, for colonial history and Busch Gardens. Norfolk and the Eastern Shore for low-key waterfront.
Richmond for food and murals, Washington DC for museums and monuments, and the Northern Neck for quiet rivers and wineries.
Charlottesville and the Monticello wine country, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah for fall color and hikes, and the Outer Banks south to Ocracoke for a slower pace.
Beach lovers go south to the Outer Banks, history buffs go to Williamsburg and DC, and leaf peepers head west to the Blue Ridge in October.
Williamsburg is under an hour, and the Outer Banks are about 1.5 hours, making both easy one-tank trips.
Richmond, Washington DC, and the Northern Neck are all roughly 2 to 3 hours by car.
The Blue Ridge Parkway and Shenandoah National Park, about 3 to 4 hours west, peak for color in October.
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