In Podcast #25 the Trekkers visit Virginia Beach in the Coastal Plain Region.  Explore the Cape Henry Lighthouse (est.1792), the oldest lighthouse in Virginia; see the First Landing Park where the Jamestown settlers first landed after their long trip across the Atlantic Ocean; learn about some important industries of this region (military, fishing, and tourism); find out how waves form, and watch surfers riding the waves! Come on, let's go trekkin'! (Trouble viewing the YouTube video? Try Vimeo or direct link)

Virginia Beach is the largest city in Virginia, and it is listed in the Guiness Book of World Records for having the longest pleasure beach in the world (source)!  Each year it hosts the Neptune Festival, which is one of the top ten festivals on the east coast (source).  In 2005, a 35-foot statue of King Neptune, the Roman god of the sea, was set up on the boardwalk to honor the festival.  Have you seen it?  It was created by Paul DiPasquale, a sculptor living in Richmond, Virginia.  He also created the statue of Arthur Ashe which is on Monument Avenue in Richmond (Source). (Image credit)


Here is a Google map of Cape Henry (at the top of the map) and Virginia Beach.

Use the +/- buttons to zoom in or out. Can  you find the places we visited?



This is a 360 view of the Cape Henry Lighthouse. Use the arrows to take a look inside!



This is a 360 view of Virginia Beach and the Neptune statue. Click and drag to look around.



Social Studies

1.3 (2015) The student will describe the stories of influential people in the history of Virginia and their contributions to our Commonwealth, with emphasis on

c) Christopher Newport;


1.5 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to describe contributions of Virginia’s diverse people and the stories of changemakers in the history of Virginia and their contributions to our Commonwealth, including but not limited to

b. Explorers: John Smith and Christopher Newport;


2.6 (2023) The student will use history and social science skills to identify the geographic location, use of resources, and identify the contributions of European explorers, and their influence on the development of North America, including but not limited to the English, French, and Spanish.


VS.2 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between physical geography and the lives of the native peoples, past and present, of Virginia by

b) locating and describing Virginia’s Coastal Plain (Tidewater), Piedmont, Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, and Appalachian Plateau;

c) locating and identifying water features important to the early history of Virginia (Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, James River, York River, Potomac River, Rappahannock River, and Lake Drummond and the Dismal Swamp);

g) describing the lives of American Indians in Virginia today.


VS.3 (2015) The student will demonstrate an understanding of the first permanent English settlement in America by

b) describing the economic and geographic influences on the decision to settle at Jamestown;


VS.1 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the relationship between physical geography and the lives of Virginia’s peoples, past and present by

b. locating and describing the relative location and physical characteristics of Virginia's five geographic regions on a map; and

c. locating, identifying, and describing the impact of Virginia’s bodies of water on its history, economy, and culture.


VS.3 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain the causes and effects of events associated with the first permanent English settlement in North America by

b. describing the economic and geographic influences on the decision to settle at Jamestown;


VS.13 (2023) The student will apply history and social science skills to explain Virginia’s role in the global economy in the 21st Century by

a. examining major products and industries important to Virginia;


Science

4.7 (2018) The student will investigate and understand that the ocean environment has characteristics. Key characteristics include

a) geology of the ocean floor;

b) physical properties and movement of ocean water; and

c) interaction of organisms in the ocean.