Harbor Seal Splash: The Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center's Harbor Seal Splash is the only program in the United States that allows visitors to interact with harbor seals.
Seals Behind the Scenes Program
A variation of Seal Splash, this program is one hour long, available to children ages 3 and up, and offers an up-close opportunity to touch the seals.
Ask us about reserving your own Seal Splash experience!
- Available Memorial Day through Labor Day every day except Thursday
- Available after Labor Day through October, Saturday and Sunday only
- Available two times each day: 10:30am-12pm and 2-3:30pm
- Cost is normally $125 per person - get the Oceanfront Inn guest price of $110.
- Reservations can be made as early as 30 days prior or up to 24 hours in advance.
- Guests must be at least 8 years old and 48 inches tall.
See our other discount attractions.
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Year-Round
Calendar of Events
There's something going on all the livelong day! Not to mention all year long. From fabulous festivals to wonderful music, parades, marathons, surfing championships and sandcastle contests, you'll find something to tickle your fancy. See what special activities are happening during your visit: BeachEvents | HamptonRoads.com
Broadway Across America
Enjoy Broadway shows locally at Norfolk's Chrysler Hall just 20 miles away from the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. Check-out their updated show schedule.
Casual Gourmet Cooking Classes at The Culinary Institute of Virginia
Experience a gourmet cooking class designed for the home cook and taught by an industry seasoned chef. More info.
Contemporary Art Center
Regularly changing exhibitions from painting and sculpture to photography and video plus special fundraising events. Learn more.
Edgar Cayce A.R.E. Center
This unique attraction in Virginia Beach explores subjects such as holistic health, spirituality and dreams. See what's happening in their events calendar.
Hurrah Players
A locally based production company providing the opportunity to experience musical theatre classics throughout the Hampton Roads area. Learn more.
Jewish Mother Restaurant
Located just a few short blocks from The Oceanfront Inn, this Virginia Beach icon is rated by Hampton Roads magazine as one of the top 50 restaurants and a locals' favorite for great food and music. Check out their events calendar.
Military Aviation Museum
Situated within the green belt area in Virginia Beach, this museum houses restored WWII planes featuring military speakers and unique events from wine tastings and a hangar dance to an air show. Learn more.
Neptune Festival
The Neptune Festival produces multiple venue events throughout the year. Learn more.
Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
Located just a 15 minute drive from the Oceanfront in the thriving Town Center area, Sandler Center is the finest venue in the area offering a broad range of entertainment. See their entertainment calendar.
Town Center in Virginia Beach
Located just 10 miles away from the Oceanfront, our thriving shopping, dining and entertainment complex features a variety of events from free entertainment on the plaza to comedy, theatre and music. Learn more.
Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
Located just over 11 miles away from the resort area, this 20,000 seat outdoor concert venue has hosted a variety of performances including Jonas Brothers, Dave Matthews Band, Kenny Chesney, Jimmy Buffet, Aerosmith, Mary J. Blige and No Doubt just to name a few. Covered and lawn area seating available. Check-out their concert schedule.
Virginia Aquarium Special Exhibits and Events
Learn more about exciting changing exhibits, IMAX® movies and special seasonal events to enhance your Aquarium experience.
Virginia Beach Convention Center
A Virginia Green certified and beautifully designed facility just blocks from the beach, the Virginia Beach Convention Center is host to many popular public trade shows from auto, boat and home shows to bridal shows. Learn more.
Virginia Beach Parks and Recreation
Our local parks, natural areas and recreation centers feature a variety of free events from family fun, concerts and art festivals. Learn more.
Young Chef's Academy
Young Chefs Academy offers weekly cooking classes, birthday parties, educational field trips, cooking camps, and themed special events to children in a safe environment that encourages discovery and creativity. Adult cooking classes on select dates are available also. See event schedule.
Virginia Beach Restaurant Week
Annually in January, to celebrate Virginia Beach's rich culinary choices, local restaurants offer specially created menus of their most scrumptious recipes. More info...
Mid-Atlantic Rockfish Shootout
This annual "rockfish" fishing tournament takes place in early January where
the tournament payout has been as high as $200,000 or more. We are a proud
hotel sponsor since 2009. Learn more about the tournament. Check out our special rates for visiting anglers for this tournament and throughout the year.
Polar Plunge
Over 2,000 thrill seekers hit the icy waters for this annual fundraising event every February. Learn more.
Military Aviation Museum Valentines Hangar Dance
This memorable event takes place annually on Valentine's Weekend featuring music, romance, dance and history. Learn more.
Virginia is for Lovers 14K & 1.4 Mile
An annual event since 2009 commemorating the award-winning slogan takes place over Valentine’s Weekend…the perfect fitness activity for couples! Learn more.
Wine by Design
This annual February event hosted by The Contemporary Art Center celebrates fine wine and cuisine from around the world. Learn more.
Shamrock Marathon & 8K
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, this annual festive weekend event since 1973 draws over an estimated 18,000 people. Learn more.
Virginia Arts Festival
Considered one of the premiere cultural events in the Mid-Atlantic during April and May, this annual festival showcases performing artists and companies from around the world, presenting more than 80 performances and education programs. Learn more.
Historic Garden Week in Virginia
This week-long event every April highlights historic gardens throughout Virginia and features several gardens in the Hampton Roads area. Learn more.
Cruisin’ Wild Wheels Weekend
Formerly called The Cruisin Virginia Beach Car show, this annual car show in April features hot rods, classic cars and more. Learn more.
Gospel Fest
This event every April features inspiring sounds of contemporary gospel music. Learn more.
International Azalea/Norfolk NATO Festival
The longest continuously running Festival in the Hampton Roads region, and the only one of its kind in the United States which honors the NATO Alliance and its member nations. Learn more.
Atlantic Coast Kite Festival sponsored by The Oceanfront Inn
Kite fliers and spectators of all ages experience a visual feast at the Atlantic Coast Kite Festival! This popular annual event features a variety of activities appropriate for all ages. Learn more.
PANorama Caribbean Music Festival
This annual event is a musical adventure set to the soothing sounds of steel pan music. Learn more.
Monsters on the Beach
This family-targeted annual event is a course built right on the beach at 6th Street, with bleachers overlooking from the boardwalk. This is a ticketed event, with prices designed to fit the family budget. Learn more.
Beach Music Weekend hosted by The Oceanfront Inn
The annual Beach Music Weekend blends the best of the “oldies” with dancing under the stars in a jam-packed blast to the past! Settle into the sand as the top Beach Music bands descend on the Virginia Beach oceanfront. Learn more.
Warbirds over the Beach Show at the Military Aviation Museum
During this annual air show, you will have a chance to see airplanes used to train Army Air Corps and Navy pilots in the Second World War and experience what this was really like. Learn more.
Remember the Music/Remember the Heroes
This annual event honors and reminds us of the price that has been paid and is still being paid today by the United States military and presents live bands representing different musical genres on three stages. Learn more.
Annual North American Sand Soccer Championships
This annual event in June combines sun, sand and surf with your soccer! Learn more.
Boardwalk Art Show Festival
Enjoy one of the oldest and best outdoor fine art shows on the Eastern Seaboard every June featuring fine art, great shopping, and live entertainment. Learn more.
Sandstock (Viva Elvis is now a part of this event)
This annual Beach-inspired variation on “Woodstock” event in June is a tribute to the music of the '60s, '70s, and '80s that “rocked our world!” Learn more.
Four hundred years ago on April 26, 1607, the English settlers who would go on to found Jamestown made their First Landing at Cape Henry. The Historic Villages at Cape Henry have been carefully recreated on Fort Story and you are invited to travel back in time and watch history come alive.
A Native American village welcomes you as you travel through beautiful wooded, winding paths full of cultural history. On trails amid live oak trees, journey into the past as tribal members build canoes, cure meats, and share stories of ancestral history. As you complete your journey through the village, a clearing reveals a 17th century colonial outpost. History truly comes alive in this village. Open dates are from May to September annually.
Enjoy a live outdoor theater production "1607: First Landing" by local playwright, Chip Fortier. See site for times.
Join in as puppets, bands, jugglers, magicians, and others entertain you on the sidewalks of Atlantic Avenue!
Beach Street USA is comprised of an amazing array of talented street performers along the sidewalks of Atlantic Avenue, 17th to 25th Streets, from 8pm to 11:30pm nightly (midnight on weekends). Live concerts and theatrical productions take place seven nights a week from 6pm to 11pm on stages at 7th, 13th, 17th, 24th, and 25th Streets along the oceanfront. See the year-round Beach Events schedule...
The Great American Backyard BBQ is an unabashed “Star-Spangled” salute to good music and great food! Live country and blues music on three outdoor stages includes regional blues acts and “up-and-coming” country music artists to entertain thousands of residents and visitors to the Virginia Beach resort. More info...
Situated in Pungo, the countryside of Virginia Beach, this annual festival every Memorial Day Weekend celebrates strawberry season complete with a pie eating contest, carnival, and pig races. More info...
This annual event celebrates THE MILITARY at The Virginia Beach Oceanfront featuring national recording artists, military displays, demos and a live Air and Sea Show. More info...
Naval Air Station Oceana Tours
Visit the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base, home to almost 300 jets. Lunch at the Officer's Club can be arranged for an additional fee on your own. Advance reservations suggested. Learn more...
First Landing Foundation (see description above)
Beach Street USA (see description above)
Stars & Stripes Explosion
This annual “star-spangled” event salutes to this great country of ours and features live performances on oceanfront stages and a spectacular fireworks show that explodes over the ocean in a burst of colors and patterns! Learn more.
Mid Atlantic Hermit Crab Challenge
This annual one-of-a-kind event that’s fun for the whole family features a Crustacean 500 race and the Miss Curvaceous Crustacean Beauty Pageant. Learn more.
Chalk the Walk ARTsplosion
This annual July event features distinct art events along the beautiful Virginia Beach Oceanfront featuring participants’ four by four foot chalk drawings right on the boardwalk! Learn more.
Funk Fest
This annual event celebrates the music generated over the years by influential legends such as James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, George Clinton, and The Ohio Players. Learn more.
Verizon Wireless American Music Festival
The largest outdoor music event on the East coast featuring the sounds of rock, jazz, country, blues, R&B, and more flood the Virginia Beach oceanfront for three sun-filled days over Labor Day. Learn more.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon
This annual event on Labor Day weekend combines fitness, fun and rock ‘n’ roll. Learn more.
Blues at the Beach
This annual event in September celebrates one of the most cherished musical genres of all time featuring three days of free concerts on an outdoor stage. Learn more.
NAS Oceana Airshow
The annual event, hosted by the NAS Oceana Master Jet Base, takes place in September or October. Guests will thrill at stunning performances by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the GEICO Skytypers and more. The skies will be filled with thunder from F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets, the E-2C Hawkeye, the F-22 Raptor, a large-formation "Fleet Flyby" and the dramatic Air Power Demonstration. Learn more.
The Neptune Festival
The Annual Neptune Festival has vast geographic coverage and is well respected in the special events industry, as demonstrated by the consistent recognition of its flagship event, the Virginia Beach Neptune Festival Boardwalk Weekend, as one of the Top 100 Events in North America by the ABA and among the Top 20 Events in the Southeastern US by the Southeast Tourism Society. Boardwalk Weekend occurs during the last weekend of September and is the largest annual special event in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Pre-Festival events are held at various locations throughout the city of Virginia Beach, with Boardwalk Weekend taking place along 30 blocks at the oceanfront. Learn more.
Naval Air Station Oceana Tours
Visit the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base, home to almost 300 jets. Lunch at the Officer's Club can be arranged for an additional fee on your own. Advance reservations suggested. Learn more.
East Coast Surfing Championships
North America's oldest running premier annual surfing championship held in Virginia Beach each August featuring the world's top professional surfers and amateur surfers alike. Learn more.
Virginia Wine Week
This annual week-long celebration in September toasts Virginia Wines in participating Virginia Beach restaurants. Learn more.
A little bit of Italy comes to the Virginia Beach oceanfront for two days of pasta, Italian wine and more annually every September. Learn more.
Wild Wheels Weekend
This annual event in October is designed for both the classic hot rod enthusiast and the younger generation of import car owners. Learn more.
Oktober Brewfest & Craft Beer Festival
This annual event held every October, celebrates German food, beer and dance. Learn more.
Race for the Cure
This annual event in October supports the promise to end breast cancer whether you run, walk or stroll, discover your power to change the world. Learn more.
Halloween Festival and Haunted Hayride at Hunt Club Farm
Enjoy this popular local annual, chilling Halloween Festival featuring carnival rides, Haunted Hayrides, Village of the Dead walk-through, and Field of Screams corn field. Learn more.
Blue Moon Wicked 10K
This annual festive event on Halloween weekend combines fitness, fun and scary creatures! Learn more.
Holidays Lights at the Beach & Parade
Every year starting in mid-November through New Years Day, the Virginia Beach boardwalk is transformed into a fantasy of lights. Enjoy this magical journey right from the comfort of your own car! In addition, enjoy the sights and sounds of the annual Holiday Parade at the Beach in December. Learn more.
Winter Wonderland at Hunt Club Farm
Enjoy the magic of the season at this once a year jubilation featuring a spectacular display of over 100,000 lights and animated figures. Learn more.