Chesapeake Outdoor Activities

Guarded by pirate statues perched atop treasure chests, gripping pistols, and wielding hooks instead of hands, the 18-hole course at Pirate's Paradise Miniature Golf challenges players with rolling greens and winding waterways. In addition to a bounty of buccaneers, the mini-golf course is decorated with flowering plants, waterfalls, and tranquil ponds. After rounds of mini golf, players can reenergize with hot dogs, funnel cakes, and milk shakes whipped up at the snack bar. Elsewhere, youngsters can celebrate birthdays with two hours of unlimited golfing followed by two hours on the pirate ship, where they can feast with friends and force piñatas that won't break to walk the plank.

The team of dedicated instructors at Titus International Surf School follow two passions: surfing and making art. They generate all of the company’s graphics, and also design clothing and decorate surfboards. They spend even more of their time on the water, training students of all ages in the basics of surfing and longboarding. At the Virginia Beach oceanfront, the instructors conduct private and group surf lessons, as well as children’s summer surf camps. They begin each lesson with land instruction, and then lead students out to water to help them hone their balance, practice paddling, and develop basic techniques such as making turns and high-fiving dolphins. Though Titus International Surf School’s staff often travels to international waters to surf, they also keep local communities in mind. They donate 15% of all proceeds to nonprofits, such as outreach organizations in Virginia Beach and Costa Rica and an orphanage in Mexico.

Inside a spacious playing field you sit with your back against a wall, acutely aware of all movement around as you take a breath with finger resting on trigger. It’s been a clean fight so far—you’ve climbed over towers, passed submarines and helicopters, and sought refuge inside bunkers—and you have the flag in sight. You make a run for it but you feel something crash into your leg as red residue spills onto your clothing. Another shot is fired, and a blue blotch explodes across your protective eyewear. The entire experience disproves the fallacy that paint can't get more exciting than when a grandmother has you cover her walls with it and rewards you with sugarless candy.

On the woodsball field, games of capture the flag, attack-and-defend, and elimination allow for entertainment and strategic planning. Over at the Sup’Air field, speed is key as the speedball field accommodates any format including three man, five man, and one man with four invisible friends. The paintball park also hosts parties on the woodsball field during the week and a smaller, private field during normal business hours.

The experienced guides at Ocean Eagle Kayak Adventures maintain a thorough knowledge of their local waters, allowing them to usher visitors through the Atlantic surf or secluded groves of shady water plants. On tours, they guide their participants to get up close with local wildlife and navigate alongside dolphin pods. On kayak fishing trips they help anglers ensnare a roster of seasonal fish. Groups paddle aboard sit-on-top ocean kayaks, and guides always prep them with ample paddling training and advice on how to recognize a fish's turn signal in heavy traffic. When not leading tours, staffers conduct fitness training atop the same kayaks, helping guests during interval training to build paddling power, sweep, and maneuvering skills.

All year long the crashing sounds of waves beckon VB Surf Sessions' staff to the water, where they teach students to paddle and shred across the ocean. The CPR-certified instructors maintain a 1:4 instructor to student ratio during their surf lessons, allowing them to steady the wobbly legs of pupils as they conquer Virginia Beach. For less intense excursions, groups dip their paddles into the wave-free waters of nearby inlets and human-sized fishbowls during stand up paddleboarding lessons and tours.

Great White Water Sports creates a harmony with the gentle crash of waves, the powerful growls of jet skis, and the excited yelps of families as they launch a variety of jet-ski rentals right from the sands of Chesapeake Bay. Backed by favorable attention from USA Today, their lifeguard-trained team also saddles up jet skis. In waters warmer than the Atlantic and with smaller waves, they bring people right alongside the porpoises as they leap from the bay during slam-dunk contests. Their jet skis are not equipped with any speed-restriction devices, allowing guests to rev up their engines and feel the wind hit their faces as they send wake waves rolling shoreward.