While Virginia Beach is in one sense a resort city boasting a beautiful beach and great restaurants, it is also a city intensely interested in preserving history.  Surprisingly, this modern city is the backdrop for some of the oldest homes in the country representing a variety of architectural styles. 

Adam Thoroughgood Houseis an English-style cottage from 1680 and is one of the oldest brick homes in America. Listed as a National Historic Landmark, the home is owned by the city and is open for tours and special programs. 

The Lynnhaven House represents typical Tidewater architecture.  Built in 1725, it is one and a half stories with massive chimneys.  A garden is maintained by the Native Plant Society.  Costumed docents explain life of the early colonial planter.  There is also a small graveyard from the Revolutionary War.

Upper Wolfsnare is a Georgian home reflecting the gentry class lifestyle of 1759.  It is open on a limited basis. 

The Ferry Plantation dates from the early 1600s, but the current house was built in 1830 in the Federalist style. 

The Francis Land House is a brick Georgian plantation house from the early 1800s.  The house is owned by the city and operates as a house museum.

The DeWitt Cottage on Atlantic Avenue is the oldest structure on the oceanfront.  On the Virginia Landmarks Register, it showcases early beach house architecture while serving as the home of the Atlantic Wildlife Heritage Museum and Back Bay Wildlife Guild.

The Barclay Cottage on the corner of 16th Street and Arctic Avenue, also built in 1895, housed a school (preK-3rd grade) for 50 years. Today it is an upscale B&B that preserves its rich history through photographs, artifacts, and stories collected from former teachers and students.

The Cavalier Hotel built in 1927 stands prominently in the style of the grand hotel.