Virginia – Old Dominion

Virginia is a wonderful place to live as well as to vacation. Museums, gardens, fishing, and excellent sightseeing will keep the tourist busy from sunup to sundown and the residents proud enough to invite people to come. Sip award-winning beers and wines on lazy spring weekends. Follow the trails to rushing waterfalls and abundant wildflowers. If that is not enough to whet your appetite, try the spring festivals, where music lovers can listen to their favorite artists.

VIRGINIA BEACH

Virginia Beach is an archetypal seaside resort city with boardwalks, beautiful beaches, gregarious night life, an abundance of dining options, and all types of fun rides for the kids. In addition, many popular golf courses beacon golfing aficionados to bring out their competitive spirits. Miles of hiking paths and plenty of kayaking are also available for the local and the vacationer. The town is very crowded during the peak season; many visitors prefer to wait for the off-season.

Choose from myriad outdoor exploits, such as horseback riding along the beach and kayaking along with the dolphins. What could be more thrilling? If you really want to get the adrenaline rushing, try indoor skydiving, where wind reaches speeds of up to 180 miles per hour in a wind tunnel. The instructor provides the appropriate gear and gives each diver a quick lesson on what to expect. So, if jumping out of an airplane does not really appeal to you, this is the next best thing.

Kids will love Hunt Club Farm Petting Farm, where they can ride ponies and pet the animals at the zoo. Children get the chance to experience llamas, alpacas, sheep, chickens, pigs, donkeys, and much more. This self-guided tour offers a shaded playground and snack area.

A safari-style tour to North Carolina lets you experience the wild horses that roam free across the plains of the Outer Banks area. The astonishing views and wildlife sightings will surely be an adventure of a lifetime.

Norfolk and Portsmouth are close enough to enjoy day trips to round out your visit to Virginia Beach. In Portsmouth, you can watch Navy ships going between there and the Norfolk Naval Station. Stroll Portsmouth’s historic “Olde Towne,” and enjoy the many art galleries, restaurants and museums. A concert pavilion is located right on the river for music lovers. The Elizabeth River Ferry travels between Portsmouth and Norfolk. The short ride allows you to enjoy the Norfolk waterfront with its many shops and restaurants.

For vacationers, the day has come to an end, and you are dead on your feet. One way to find relief is to enjoy all that Dish Network has to offer on the television screen back at the hotel. With more than 200 national HD channels, you are likely to find enough for a quiet respite from the day’s trekking.

NORFOLK

Norfolk features 144 miles of shoreline. It is a Navy town with a population of 245,700; the harbor is its biggest economical asset. The Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and numerous rivers allow proximity to a body of water at every turn. The city offers traditional Southern cuisine as well as world-class fare that will please all gastronomic appetites. Vacationers can hike, sail, kayak, visit world-class museums, dine in fabulous restaurants, and shop until they drop. When all of the walking, sailing and golfing have exhausted you, cruise around the harbor on the American Rover or hop on a train to transport you from one location to another.

Families with children will be very happy with the many options for kids. Both indoor and outdoor interactive pleasures will keep them occupied for hours. The Virginia Zoo and Nauticus will thrill them beyond belief. Although it is a museum, Nauticus showcases today’s nautical commerce and the Battleship Wisconsin with its historical references to its operation during World War II. A self-guided tour of the deck and the Topside Tour will allow experiences that are far beyond their imagination.

The many free points of interest will certainly help the pocketbook. Watch glass-blowing demonstrations at the Glass Studio, or stroll along the Cannonball Trail, where the city’s rich history is re-lived. The historic Ghent Neighborhood is a hipster haven – covered with unique shops, antique stores, diverse eateries, and art galleries. Experience the classic drive-in at Doumar’s Cones and BBQ, whose proprietor conceived the idea of the first waffle cone.

The city is no slouch when it comes to nightlife. Beer bars, tasting rooms, nightclubs, breweries, and chef-owned restaurants can provide plenty of venues to hang out. Whatever strikes your fancy can be found in Norfolk. Listen to live music at the NorVA or amble along the waterfront. You may run into a food and music festival.

The cities of Hampton and Newport News are north of Norfolk and connected by a long bridge-tunnel. Hampton is on the end of the Virginia Peninsula and is the home of Langley Air Force Base. It has a population of more than 137,000 and is only 16 miles from Norfolk. Newport News is 32 miles from Norfolk. Learn about the history of the United States – from a model of a Civil War ship to former plantations. Zoos, parks, art galleries and museums provide the visitor with an authentic educational visit.

Dish Network awaits you with its award-winning HD DVR technology after a long day on the move. Watch one show while you record another that perhaps only you want to see. On Demand library has enough TV shows and movies to appeal to everyone in the family. With over 20,000 different diversions, everyone is likely to find something they enjoy.

CHESAPEAKE

The city of Chesapeake is nice sized, with over 222,000 people. It became an incorporated city in 1963, but parts of the annexed portion dates back to 1691. It is well positioned on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway with miles of residential, commercial and industrial properties.

Chesapeake is perfect for all sorts of outdoor adventures, and its proximity to nearby Portsmouth, Williamsburg, and Norfolk give it even more of a presence in the area. Enjoy hiking, biking, bird watching, golfing, kayaking, fishing, and so much more. Many historic sites are ready to be explored, such as the re-enactment of the Revolutionary War every December. Travel the Virginia Civil War Trails, which is a succession of Civil War battle sites.

Rent one of the awesome camping sites, where you can loll in acres of verdant nature and enjoy many recreational activities. Whether you prefer tents, cabins, or RVs with full hookups, the campgrounds can accommodate you. Offerings of horseshoes, games rooms, pony rides, fishing, hayrides, and many other activities will make your camping experience memorable. Roasting marshmallows over a campfire while you tell classic stories is always a great pastime on a camping trip.

Chesapeake is only five miles to Norfolk and 18 miles to Virginia Beach. That makes it close enough to other cities to expand the offerings to create a well-rounded vacation. This opens up the number of possibilities for adults and children to have the best vacation experience.

Sports fans, who are bored with shopping or sightseeing, can slip away unobtrusively to the joys of any type of sports because Dish Network has a multi-sport package with 24/7 coverage. Of course, this may not play well with the rest of the family, but you can always plead a headache.

ARLINGTON

Arlington is a city of 230,000 residents. Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, and its proximity to Washington, D. C. are some of its claims to fame. The location just across the Potomac River from Washington D. C. gives it the recognition as being with the 10 miles square that is considered to be the United States capital. It offers visitors a myriad of things to do. Top attractions include the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, U. S. Marine Corps War Memorial, Pentagon Memorial, John F. Kennedy Grave Site, Mt. Vernon Trail, and so many others that it is nearly impossible to name. It is steeped in history. Day trips and excursions proliferate as well as much shopping, concerts, shows, nature and parks.

The train is the best mode of transportation. The many different metro stops make it very easy to visit the various historical locales in the Washington D. C. metro area. Regardless of the time of year you visit, there are always plenty of activities for you to enjoy. It is so close to the nation’s capital that many consider it an extension of Washington D. C.

You cannot visit Arlington without seeing the Arlington National Cemetery, where 400,000 servicemen are interred. Watching the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is heart wrenching. Bike along the scenic 18-mile Mount Vernon Trail to George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate. Along the way, various points of interest, including the Lyndon B. Johnson Memorial Grove, will occupy more of your history- loving journey. Another site along the trail is the Navy-Marine Memorial pays tribute to Americans who served this country at sea. Hop on over to Washington D. C. to see the Capitol. Do not go home without seeing it.

Nearby cities include Alexandria, only 3.5 miles away, Seven Corners – three miles away, Washington D. C. – 3.5 miles, and Bethesda – 7.5 miles away. Many of the residents of these cities commute into Washington D. C. for jobs and entertainment.

Because Dish Network is ranked number one nationally in customer service, it is one of the most popular satellite companies; their TV and high-speed internet bundles help keep the cost low enough so that the average resident can enjoy the ability to pause, rewind and record live TV in any room in the house. The great thing is that it can be paired with any Amazon Alexa-enabled device.

HIGH COST OF LIVING

While Virginia has many wonderful attributes, such as low crime rate, quality health care, and nice weather, it has one of the highest costs of living. That is due primarily to its proximity to Washington D. C. and the expensive properties along the Atlantic coast. It also has one of the highest state and local tax rates.

SERVICES IN VIRGINIA

Disabled and Senior Citizen Advocacy

Virginia’s Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services advocates for its disabled and senior citizens by providing services to improve their quality of life so that they can lead more independent lives. They promote partnerships with families and communities at large to enhance dignity and security for a population that may be forsaken if it were not for their recognition of the problem and their resolve to provide assistance.

Captioned Telephone Service

An important service for the hearing impaired is the captioned telephone, or CapTel, which displays the words of a conversation on a screen. Voice recognition software makes this a reality for thousands of residents, and there is no charge to the consumer. Available in both English and Spanish, residents can listen to conversation on the telephone while it is shown on the screen.

The state also provides a public service called Virginia Relay, where a deaf or blind person’s conversation is relayed between two people by a specially trained assistant. There is no limit to the number of calls made, and users can talk as long as they want.

Dish Network

Residents of Virginia, as well as other states, are privy to some of the most remarkable technology and offers from Dish Network.

• No long term contracts allow customers the freedom to make changes at will.
• Outstanding customer service provides consumers with quick help.
• Enticing offers keep customers happy.
• Top-of-the-line equipment meets the service needs of their customers.

CONCLUSION

Virginia is pretty hard to beat when it comes to historical sites that are educational as well as humbling. Its citizens enjoy much of the lifestyles that depict the American dream. Visitors are exposed to awesome vacations that run the gamut from camping to symphony orchestras.

For those who enjoy a more at-home style, they can be assured of the highly popular Dish Network service to see them through. HBO, Cinemax and Showtime are premium channels that new customers can have free for the first three months. That is the perfect gift for home bodies as well as weary travelers.

Come to Virginia; you will be mighty glad you did.

Dish Network is an extremely popular direct broadcast satellite home television and internet service. Dish Network provides customers with over 200 HD national and international channels. Not to mention, their on-demand library includes over 20,000 television shows and movies. On top of that, the company offers 24/7 customer support.

Not only does Dish Network have state-of-the-art award-winning HD and DVR technologies, but they offer several unique programming bundles that set them a bar above the competition. A few of Dish Network’s countless customer benefits include:

• 24/7 sports coverage with the Multi-Sport Pack
• DishLATINO Spanish and English programming
• 24/7 customer support
• Award-winning HD DVR compatible with Alexa-enabled devices