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While in Norfolk... Check out these Interesting Places in Norfolk and Surrounding Areas
- Spirit of Norfolk: Enjoy an evening under the stars with wonderful food, lively entertainment and views on the Elizabeth River that will take your breath away; all aboard the Spirit of Norfolk! Join us Friday, March 28th from 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. AAPC Conference attendees receive $10 off per person! You must book by January 31, 2008. Please call Shelly Ernest to reserve you space today at 757-217-0614!
- Dining and Nightlife: Whatever your taste and budget, Norfolk has a restaurant for you. With a host of chef-owned and operated eateries, the city is culinary art personified. Be it crab cakes or tea cakes, you know it will be tasty! After dark, hit one of Norfolk’s many hot spots for fun and entertainment. Many of the city’s trendiest establishments are a short walk from downtown hotels. See the following website for more details: www.norfolkcvb.com/diningnightlife.cfm.
- Nauticus: A fun and exciting interactive science and technology center exploring the power of the sea. It features more than 150 exhibits including computer and interactive videos, films on a giant screen, exotic aquaria, touch pools, shark petting, national-caliber traveling exhibits, and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. The Battleship USS Wisconsin is berthed alongside.
- Chrysler Museum: Stroll through 5000 years of art history at the Chrysler Museum, home to Walter Chrysler Jr.’s world-class collection of more than 30,000 pieces of art. In addition to its envied collection, Chrysler Museum is filled with exciting free programs and activities, and Cuisine & Company Restaurant. The 300-seat theatre is host to many musical performances, children’s programs and lectures.
- St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: Built in 1739, St. Paul’s Church is Norfolk’s oldest structure, the sole survivor of local citizens’ destruction of the city on New Year’s Day 1776. A cannonball fired by Lord Dunmore of the British Fleet is lodged in the southeastern wall. The Church’s tree-lined cemetery is dotted with 17th, 18th, and 19thcentury tombstones. The church, which features a Tiffany stained-glass window, remains in use. Guided tours by reservation.
- Norfolk Botanical Garden: Started in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project, the labor to convert this one-time swamp into the beautiful gardens of today was provided by over 200 African-American women. Today, the Norfolk Botanical Garden contains 155 beautiful acres intertwined by bridges, coastal waterways, and 12 miles of pedestrian trails. With one of the largest collections of roses, azaleas, camellias and hollies on the East Coast, Garden guests are surrounded with year-round beauty.
- Basilica of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception: The parish of this beautifully renovated church dates back to 1791, with the arrival of the Catholic laity and priests, seeking refuge from the French Revolution. In 1961, St. Mary’s church experienced a grand influx of predominantly African-American parishioners, inspired by the new hopes and dreams that were sweeping across the country, and today remains a major African-American congregation. In 1991, the title of Minor Basilica was bestowed upon the church, making it the only one in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
- Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown: Three places in Virginia that lay claim to where America was born. The first permanent English settlers arrived at Jamestown in 1607. At Williamsburg, the ideas of independence and revolution took form. The siege of Yorktown in 1781 was the last major battle of the American Revolution. In this Historic Triangle, Europeans, Indians, and Africans came together, and the result was the United States of America. Experience the past and enjoy commemorative events, educational programming, and entertainment all in one place.
Interesting Norfolk Facts
- Norfolk is a 400-year-old seaport and is one of Virginia’s largest incorporated cities. The city boasts seven miles of Chesapeake Bay beachfront and a total of 144 miles of shoreline along our lakes, rivers and the Bay.
- Norfolk is home to the world’s largest Naval Base, Naval Station Norfolk, and homeport to more ships than any other to include aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, large amphibious ships, submarines and a variety of supply and logistics ships. Norfolk is also home to one of the largest battleships built by the U.S. Navy, USS Wisconsin. Visitors may stroll the decks of the Wisconsin.
- As a cultural center of the Commonwealth, Norfolk is home to the Chrysler Museum of Art, considered by The New York Times to be the finest in the entire State. Of particular note is the museum’s extensive Tiffany glass collection. Norfolk is also home to Virginia Symphony, Virginia Opera, Virginia Stage Company, Virginia Ballet Theater and Virginia Chorale.
- Along the sparkling waterfront, Norfolk’s cruise port sits in the center of a vibrant downtown and features harbor and luxury cruises. The newly constructed $36 million 80,000 SF Half Moone Cruise and Celebration Center, the first in the nation to fully comply with Homeland Security standards, sits on the picturesque Elizabeth River. Ocean-going cruise vessels of up to 3,000 passengers regularly dock at the downtown pier.
- The mermaid is the popular symbol of Norfolk and is on parade everywhere around the city. The mermaid was chosen to symbolize 300 years of maritime and naval heritage. The mermaid has been adopted enthusiastically by Norfolk and has even been carried off to our surrounding cities, across the nation from New Jersey to Florida, and as far off as Japan, so delightful is she.
- Norfolk has been recognized as a Tree City and its neighborhoods have extensive trees and flowers. It is home to the 155-acre Norfolk Botanical Garden, one of the premier examples of horticultural excellence in the country.
- Eastern Virginia Medical School and its four internationally recognized research institutes are located in Norfolk, as is Sentara Health System, DePaul Medical Center-Bon Secours and Virginia’s only free-standing, full-service pediatric hospital, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters. Norfolk is also the birth place of the nation’s first “test-tube” baby.
- Norfolk serves as the headquarters for a number of international organizations. The international headquarters of Operation Smile, a not-for-profit healthcare organization that is known for repairing facial deformities in children around the globe, calls Norfolk home. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are also headquartered in Norfolk.
- Norfolk is one of the top 10 markets for business relocation and expansion, according to Expansion Management Magazine. USA Today called Norfolk one of the Top 10 booming downtowns, recognizing a decades-long housing, retail and financial boom in Norfolk.
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