Atlantic Park surf lagoon makes waves in Virginia Beach

For decades, the waters off Virginia Beach have been a proving ground for East Coast surfers. Now, just a short stroll from the ocean, the new Wavegarden lagoon provides wave breaks that don’t depend on the weather.

Seven years after Virginia Beach-raised music and fashion superstar Pharrell Williams first introduced the idea of building a man-made surf lagoon on the Oceanfront, Atlantic Park Surf opened in August as the centerpiece of the $350 million entertainment project known as Atlantic Park.

The park’s year-round technology, developed by Spain-based Wavegarden Cove, can generate up to 1,000 waves an hour, with 20 different wave types for all skill levels. Wavegarden operates nine parks on five continents and lists 70 more in development. At Atlantic Park Surf, a 55-minute surfing session costs between $90 and $161, depending on wave level and season.

The 2.67-acre lagoon, which started filling with water in June, is about the size of two football fields.

The Virginia Beach site is Wavegarden’s first venture on the East Coast and the closest of its parks to an actual ocean, a fitting location for a city with a long surfing heritage.

“With a strong surf community and high visitation, the only thing missing was consistent waves,” Wavegarden COO Fernando Odriozola said in a statement. “With Atlantic Park Surf, that’s now covered.”

In addition to the surf lagoon and The Dome, Atlantic Park features shopping, restaurants, a 309-unit apartment complex and 20 luxury lodges near the lagoon, and lead developer Venture Realty Group says that other retail and dining options will open through the end of the year.

The Dome, a new 70,000-square-foot indoor-outdoor concert venue with 3,500 capacity, revives the name of the venue that closed in 1994 and hosted Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones, among many others. In May, Three Dog Night played the first show, a suitable choice since the rock band was the final act to perform at the old Dome. Alison Krauss, Maren Morris, Diana Krall, Shaboozey and many others were on the 2025 schedule, set by Live Nation and OVG360, which operate and book the venue.

“Atlantic Park is unlike any other development of its kind in the world,” says Donna MacMillan-Whitaker, managing partner of Venture Realty Group.

“Its conception and final execution is the direct result of pure determination and persistence among the 40 consulting firms and more than 250 individuals who have diligently worked on creating this amazing project.”

Although Atlantic Park is by far the biggest star among the region’s new entertainment venues, there are plenty of others on their way.

Casino action

As of mid-August, Norfolk’s temporary casino is still on track to open in November on the Elizabeth River waterfront next to Harbor Park, according to vice president and general manager Ron Bailey. Named The Interim Gaming Hall, the casino will have 130 slot machines and be open 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily.

Meanwhile, construction is simultaneously underway on the permanent, $750 million casino developed by Boyd Gaming and the Pamunkey Indian Tribe. Site work started in February, and the developers expect to complete the project in late 2027. The resort, which will be the state’s fourth casino, will include 13,000 square feet of meeting space, a 65,000-square-foot casino, a 200-room hotel and 1,500 slot machines and 50 table games.

The Interim will be on a smaller scale and employ about 75 people, says Bailey, who began his career as a bellman in San Antonio, Texas, and most recently led Boyd Gaming’s Valley Forge Casino Resort outside of Philadelphia.

The temporary casino will be inside a tent structure, not unlike the facilities you might see at a professional sporting event or concert. Local chef Blake Sehestedt and his Ghost Kitchen brand will operate a food truck nearby.

“We are focused on hiring from the local area,” Bailey says. “With the unique timeframe we have for this, we have the ability to train people over time. There are specialties out there that are opportunity positions like slot techs, where we’ll have the opportunity to get some training and maybe certificates.”

The casino has partnered with Norfolk State University, Old Dominion University and Tidewater Community College for a task force that can develop job pipelines to the casino, which will eventually have about 850 positions when the full casino opens in 2027.

One of Bailey’s biggest challenges, he says, is drumming up support for the casino when delays have slowed the development over the years. Norfolk city voters approved the casino by referendum in 2020, but it took four years and a change in developers for the building to be approved by city leaders late last year.

“There was a lot of skepticism that this project was going to happen,” Bailey says. “My job is to show folks that this is really happening. I’m not here if this isn’t really happening.”

Across the water, Rivers Casino Portsmouth is set to start construction late this year on a $65 million hotel adjacent to its casino on Victory Boulevard. The Landing Hotel will offer 106 rooms and suites, as well as conference space. Developer Rush Street Gaming has hired S.B. Ballard Construction to build the hotel, which is expected to open in early 2027.

In partnership with Yates Construction, Virginia Beach-based S.B. Ballard developed and built the 270,000-square-foot Rivers Casino Portsmouth, which opened in January 2023 as Virginia’s first permanent casino, and the firms are also building Norfolk’s casino.

“We are proud to continue our investment in Portsmouth and to be working again with a local company to expand our offerings for the Hampton Roads community and the commonwealth of Virginia,” says Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming and Rivers Casino Portsmouth.

Sporting life

Meanwhile, Williamsburg’s new regional indoor sports center is on schedule to open by early summer 2026, says city spokesperson Nicole Trifone. As of August, construction was about 65% complete on the 200,000-square-foot facility, which will include 12 basketball courts that can be converted to volleyball and pickleball courts, plus three indoor soccer fields, a climbing wall and facilities for meetings.

Trifone anticipates the complex will bring in 200,000 visitors in its first year, generating $17 million in direct spending and nearly $900,000 in tax revenue.

The center has already booked several events through the end of 2027, including multiple youth basketball and volleyball tournaments. Large brands like USA Basketball and Adidas have secured dates in 2027, and the biggest commitment has come from North Carolina-based Phenom Hoops, which is set to hold youth basketball events over seven weekends in 2027. They’re designed to give youth athletes exposure to college coaches.

“Larger sports tournaments often look to secure space over a year in advance,” Trifone notes. “Securing long-term commitments from respected event operators like Phenom Hoops helps establish the standard and reputation of the facility from day one.”

Other non-sports events familiar to Williamsburg are scheduled to shift to the center, like the BurgQuest tabletop gaming festival and the Virginia Cat Festival. There’s also a holiday craft show and a Pancake and Bourbon Festival scheduled for the second half of 2026.