Wintertime means whale-watching time at Virginia Beach. The mercury may be dropping, but the whales are rising...to the surface that is, as they make their winter migration trek to warmer waters.
Only three weeks remain in the whale-watching season...a time-of-your-life chance to see rare fin and humpback whales-- some up to 85 feet long and weighing 70 tons.
The Virginia Beach area is helping visitors enjoy this magical whale-watching experience by offering fantastic Whale Watching Packages starting at $72. Packages include:
- Two nights accommodations
- Two-hour Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Whale Watching Excursion
- Admission to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, including the 3D IMAX® Theater
- Daily breakfast (available at some hotels)
Whale Watching packages are available until March 18, and start at $72. Price is based on availability and double occupancy, and rates are per person (taxes excluded).
For more information, call the Virginia Beach Whale Watching Information Hotline, toll free, at 1-866-59 WHALE (866-599-4253). Or go to www.vbfun.com.
For reviews of Virginia Beach attractions and restaurants, plus money-saving tips, go to www.virginia-beach-family-fun.com.
To paraphrase the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, "It was fifty years ago today...the Queen came to stay..."Fifty years ago, in 1957, England's Queen Elizabeth II visited Jamestown to celebrate its 350th anniversary. In May, she'll do it again, this time celebrating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, America's first permanent English settlement.
But when? Rumors have been circulating for months as to when the Queen will make her appearance. The latest rumor is that she'll make an appearance a day or so before the May 5 Kentucky Derby.
The ongoing mystery has provided added interest in an event that travel giant Orbitz recently named one of the seven vacation hot spots for 2007.
Virginia Governor Tim Kaine went to London's Docklands Museum December 19 to commemorate the anniversary of the launch of the settlers' three ships bound for Virginia.
The Docklands Museum has opened an exhibit chronicling the original settlers' motivation and planning for their voyage. A recreation of the Discovery, the smallest of the settlers' three ships, is moored outside the museum, and will later tour Britain's coast.
For its part, America is planning an extensive list of Jamestown-related events the next few months. The major event, "America's Anniversary Weekend," will be held May 11-13 at Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne, the site of the settlers' original fort. The three-day event is expected to draw 90,000 people.
Single-day tickets ($30 for adults, $15 for children) can be purchased at Colonial Williamsburg's visitor center and online at Americas400thAnniversary.com.
For tips on planning a visit to Jamestown, go to www.virginia-beach-family-fun.com.
Source: The Associated Press.
