From the cobblestone streets, monuments and river walks of Richmond; to the broad, sandy beaches of the coast; to the awesome expanse of the Blue Ridge Mountains; to the eclectic theaters, fine restaurants and bohemian cafes of Arlington, Virginia has a lot to offer its residents. And now that summer is finally here, it�s the perfect time to get to know Virginia a little better. With a little online exploration, you�re sure to find something new to do that will pique your interest. Here are a few of the many sites to help you out in this summer-fun quest.

www.virginia.org/ThingsToDo/  

Outdoor sports, historic sites, dining, museums, shopping, spas, caverns, theme parks and zoos, state and national parks, and golf courses � this website has it all! It currently features more than 60 cool places to go with your kids, 25 Virginia hikes, and 12 historic Virginia music venues.

www.co-opliving.com/coopliving/sections/downhome.htm

Your very own Cooperative Living magazine has been featuring small towns for years. The Down Home series was an immensely popular staple of the magazine from January 1997 through December 2012. As of 2013, the column was discontinued and replaced with a fresh twist on the traveling-Virginia theme. Though the title has changed, the new column � Stories from the Road � maintains the same local flavor and feel as the series that preceded it. If you�re looking to go on a road trip to discover the small towns of Virginia and all the things they have to offer, check out the archived Down Home and Stories from the Road articles on www.co-opliving.com.

www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g28967-Virginia-Vacations

Trip Advisor breaks the Commonwealth�s activities down into Virginia�s most popular locations: Virginia Beach, Richmond, Arlington, Alexandria, Norfolk, Williamsburg, Charlottesville, Roanoke, Chesapeake and Fredericksburg. Whether you visit any of the many historical attractions in Fredericksburg or the gorgeous beaches and lively boardwalks of Virginia Beach, Virginia�s biggest cities have huge appeal to locals and travelers during summer and all year. 

www.adventurekayaktours.net

For those with adventurous spirits and a craving to see Virginia�s natural beauty in a different way, this is a great start. Explore Virginia�s natural diversity in a minimum-impact activity � kayaking. The tagline for this website is perfect:

�Life is Simple. Just Add Water.� Adventure Kayak Tours, a guided sea-kayaking outfitter, has earned the Virginia Green Travel Leader award. According to its site, �Leaving environments with nothing but our footprints and sometimes better than we find them is the best way to preserve these waterways rich with human history and natural beauty.� Without traveling far in southeastern Virginia, Adventure Kayak Tours gives you a lot of options. You can explore freshwater marshes in Virginia Beach, enter ancient cypress swamps in Chesapeake, or even set foot on pristine barrier islands on the Eastern Shore.

www.washingtonian.com/articles/food-dining/100-best-restaurants-in-virginia/

If the way to your heart is through your stomach, check out the 100 best restaurants in Virginia featured here. Isn�t Virginia for lovers? Washingtonian.com has compiled a thorough list of �vacation� spots for the food-lover. And if you don�t find what you�re looking for there, check out Cooperative Living magazine�s  Dining with Dan column archived on the website at www.co-opliving.com/coopliving/sections/dan.htm.

blog.virginia.org/2013/ 08/22-places-to-eat-like-a-local/    

Or, for a list of the best places to �eat like a local� in Virginia, check out this blog.