While sun, sand and surf are qualities any destination would be proud to boast, Virginia Beach, Va., is adding arts and entertainment—with a constant of affordability—to its marquee of meetings lures. And one local pop phenom has showcased this evolution to an audience of millions.
American Idol season eight finalist Felicia Barton—who has called Virginia Beach home since moving there at age 3—is the perfect ambassador for a destination that is becoming much more than your typical beach resort town, boasting new performing arts venues and the meetings infrastructure to tie it all together.
“One of the things that I love about Virginia Beach is, first of all, all of the family atmosphere,” Barton says. “I feel completely safe walking up and down the strip and enjoy the entertainment the city provides during the summer season—there seems like there’s always something to do in this area.”
Barton, who credits her success to being brought up in a musical home, along with the many opportunities for local musicians to perform at venues throughout the city and the support of music programs in Virginia Beach’s schools, says the destination brims with entertainment offerings.
“There’s all these amazing concerts that they put on at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre or at the [Sandler] Center for the Performing Arts, and you can always take in the Virginia Symphony, which is amazing,” she says. “Or even taking in the Virginia Aquarium is always a blast—I have a 2-year-old boy myself.”
Barton also recommends visits to the different museums and historical attractions up and down the oceanfront in the Hampton Roads area, such as Norfolk’s Chrysler Museum of Art and Virginia Beach’s Old Coast Guard Station, First Landing State Park and Old Cape Henry Lighthouse.
For local restaurants, Barton mentions RockFish Bar and Grill, Rockafellers and Rudee’s on the Inlet as standouts, and if you crave some good Mexican food, “Guadalajara is the best Mexican around.”
With a long lineup of hotels on the beach, it’s hard to go wrong when selecting a great facility for a social event, but Barton calls out the historic Cavalier hotel, which dates to 1927 and is the grande dame of Virginia Beach, as boasting a one-of-a-kind reception area. And if a planner needs to hire some local high-energy talent for an event, Barton can be reached via her MySpace page at www.myspace.com/feliciabarton.
Mix in the many great golf courses in the area and the brand-new Virginia Beach Convention Center and groups will find plenty to do without having to venture far.
“It’s all very close and we have a great transit system here, too, so you can jump on the HRT [Hampton Roads Transit] busses and go anywhere you need to go, or hop on a trolley,” Barton offers.
Even after performing in front of 30 million people on American Idol, Barton remains true to her roots, and is all too willing to sing the praises of Virginia Beach.
“I am sure that in coming to Virginia Beach you will find the same love, acceptance and support that I have felt from this beautiful city,” she says, “throughout my journey on American Idol and into my career in the music industry. See ya at the beach!”
