OTHER PLACES YOU COULD VISIT
in the Tidewater of Virginia
South Hampton Roads |
Western Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads Penninsula |
Northern Virginia
Northern Neck & Middle Penninsula |
Eastern Shore
* * * SOUTH HAMPTON ROADS * * *
NAUTICUS - The National Maritime Center
Waterside Drive, Norfolk (downtown)
Admission is charged.
Battleship USS Wisconsin
Waterside Drive, Norfolk (at Nauticus)
Sponsored by Nauticus and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum (on the
2nd floor of Nauticus). Free admission to the ship and the Naval Museum.
Tugboat Museum
Waterside Drive, Norfolk (at Nauticus) (757) 627-4TUG
Tour the fully restored tug "Huntington", built in 1933 in Newport News.
Fort Norfolk
Front Street, Norfolk (near downtown)
Located off Colley Ave near Sentara Norfolk Hospital - EVMS. Open weekdays only.
Naval Tour & Info Center
Hampton Blvd, Norfolk (near gates 1, 2 & 5 of Naval Base Norfolk)
Spirit Cruises - The Spirit of Norfolk
Waterside Drive, Norfolk (downtown)
Carrie-B Harbor Tours
From Portside in Portsmouth, and from Waterside in Norfolk.
Offering an hour and a half cruise of the Elizabeth River and the Norfolk Naval
Shipyard and a two and a half hour cruise of Hampton Roads and the Norfolk Naval
Base. Call (757) 393-4735 for information, schedules, and rates.
American Rover Tall Ship Harbor Cruises
From Waterside in Norfolk (downtown).
Offering two and three hour cruises. Call (757) 627-SAIL (7245)
for information, schedules and rates.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Museum
General Booth Blvd, Virginia Beach (south of Rudee Inlet bridge)
Naval Shipyard Museum
2 High Street, Portsmouth (downtown) (757) 393-8591/8741
Yacht Bianca Boat & Breakfast
Portsmouth (downtown)
Located at the Tidewater Yacht Agency in Olde Towne.
Part of the Page House Inn Bed & Breakfast in nearby Norfolk.
* * * WESTERN HAMPTON ROADS * * *
Smithfield Station
415 West Church Street, Smithfield (757) 357-7700
Located on the Pagan River in Isle of Wight County, this place offers
a restaurant, hotel, and marina. The hotel features two of its 20 rooms
in a facsimile screwpile lighthouse. The main building is designed like
an oversized Coast Guard life-saving station (hence the name "Smithfield
Station"). My photo.
Fort Boykins Historic Park
7410 Fort Boykin Trail, Smithfield (757) 357-2291
Located on the James River in Isle of Wight County, this earthworks fort
dates back to 1623 and lasted until 1862.
* * * HAMPTON ROADS PENINSULA * * *
Virginia Air & Space Center
Settlers Landing Road, Hampton (downtown)
Official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center.
Casemate Museum / Fort Monroe
Bernard Road, Fort Monroe, Hampton
(757) 727-3391
The fortress at Fort Monroe is a National Historic Landmark.
Free Admission.
Air Power Park
413 West Mercury Blvd, Hampton (757) 727-1163
An outdoor self-guided tour of rockets, missiles, and jet aircraft. Inside
the museum is an extensive collection of model planes, and photos of military
airbases in the area. Open daily. Free admission and parking.
Hampton History Museum
120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton (757) 727-1610
Learn about the Kecoughtan Tribe, the English settlers, Blackbeard, the
Civil War, the beginnings of Hampton University and NASA Langley. Now
the new city Visitor Center.
Cousteau Society
710 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton (757) 722-6111.
U.S. headquarters for the Cousteau Society located at the former city
Visitor Center. See the artifacts from Jacques Cousteau's expeditions.
Features the Waterfront Gallery, tools and vehicles of the trade, models
of the research vessels and a gift shop. M-F 10-4; Sat 10-3. The first
floor is free.
Miss Hampton II Harbor Cruises (Harbor/Naval Base Cruise)
Adjacent to the Cousteau Society, 710 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton
(757) 727-1102, or 1-800-244-1040.
Includes a walking tour of Fort Wool. Other cruises also available, such as
the James River Cruise and the Intracoastal Waterway Cruise.
The Mariners' Museum
Museum Drive, Newport News
Located at the intersection of J. Clyde Morris Blvd (US 17) and Warwick
Blvd (US 60).
Virginia War Museum
9285 Warwick Blvd., Newport News (757) 247-8523
U.S. Army Transportation Museum
Bldg. 300, Besson Hall, Fort Eustis, Newport News (757) 878-1115
"Nothing happens until something moves." Free Admission.
Watermen's
Museum
309 Water Street, Yorktown (757) 887-2641
Admission is charged.
Colonial
Williamsburg
Williamsburg, the capital of the Virginia Colony.
Jamestown Settlement &
Yorktown Victory Center
and
Colonial National Historic Park
Jamestown, in James City County, and Yorktown, in York County.
An excellent collection of Fresnel lenses.
* * * NORTHERN NECK & MIDDLE PENINSULA * * *
Reedville Fisherman's Museum
Route 360 (Main Street), Reedville, in Northumberland
County. (804) 453-6529
Visit the Walker House, a restored 1875 waterman's home, and
the Covington Building Galleries. Also tour the Main Street
Historic District of Victorian mansions (a self-guided
walking / driving tour).
Tangier Island & Chesapeake Cruises
Cruises from Reedville to Tangier Island, from Tappahannock
to Leedstown, and in Fredericksburg. The Rappahannock cruise
includes a visit to Ingleside Plantation (winery).
Smith Island (Maryland) cruise from Smith Point.
Reservations required. Call (804) 453-3430.
George Washington's Birthplace National
Monument
1732 Popes Creek Road, off Route 3 near Montross, in Westmoreland
County. (804) 224-1732
Located 38 miles east of Fredericksburg.
* * * NORTHERN VIRGINIA * * *
Ferry Farm - George Washington's Boyhood Home
Kings Highway (Route 3), just outside Fredericksburg, in Stafford
County.
(540) 373-3381 ext.28
Self-guided walking tour of where, according to legend, young George
chopped down a cherry tree and threw a coin across the river. Free
admission.
Authors Note: This area was also my boyhood home.
Mount Vernon
George Washington Pkwy, in Fairfax County.
George Washington's adult home located on the Potomac River.
Open daily. Admission is charged.
Fort Hunt
George Washington Pkwy, in Fairfax County.
Operated by the National Parks System from Fort Washington (directly across the river
in Maryland). Located between Mount Vernon and Alexandria. Free admission.
* * * EASTERN SHORE * * *
Tangier Island Cruises
From Onancock June 1 through September 15. For tickets and
information: Tangier Mail & Freight Service, PO Box 27, Tangier, VA 23440.
(804) 891-2240.
Barrier Islands Center
Route 13, Machipongo, in Northampton County (757) 678-5514
Museum, gift shop and cultural education center.
Cape Charles Museum and Welcome Center
Route 184, Cape Charles, in Northampton County (757) 331-1008
Built in the town's former power plant, this museum features
ship models and exhibits depicting life on the barrier islands.
Open Thursday through Sunday. Free Admission but
donations are accepted.
Oyster and Maritime
Museum
7125 Maddox Blvd, Chincoteague, in Accomack County (near the Assateague
bridge)
Featuring oyster harvesting exhibits, sea shells, fossils, and the
Assateague lighthouse first-order Fresnel lens. Open daily May through
September. Admission is charged.
NASA Visitor Center at Wallops Flight Facility
Route 175, near Chincoteague, in Accomack County
Dubbed "Virginia's Spaceport", nearby Wallops Island has launched rockets
and placed satellites into orbit since 1945. Free Admission.
Island House Restaurant and Marina
17 Atlantic Avenue, Wachapreague in Accomack County (757) 787-4242
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