Travel the Hampton Roads to Adventure

Hampton Roads offers more fun than you should have in one vacation. The great attractions have people coming back again and again to soak up the sun and scenery of this historic area.

 

The Great Outdoors
Virginia Beach boasts 35 miles of pristine ocean and bay beaches and its signature Oceanfront Boardwalk, offering unlimited enjoyment possibilities.  Back Bay features large sand dunes and kayaking, bikes and hiking tours are available.  First Landing State Park offers more than 19 miles of hiking trails that wind through the natural area along Shore Drive.

 

Norfolk Botanical Gardens has 155 beautiful acres and one of the largest collections of roses, azaleas, camellias, and hollies on the East Coast with 12 miles of pedestrian trails while Norfolk’s Virginia Zoological Park is home to over 350 animals ranging from elephants, Siberian tigers, and monkeys to reptiles and birds.

 

Hampton offers many parks to enjoy including Sandy Bottom Nature Park with 456 acres of environmental education and wildlife management.  Bluebird Gap is a 60 acre farm featuring a variety of farm animals, wild animals, and fowl while Grandview Nature Preserve covers over 475 acres of salt marsh, tidal creeks, and Chesapeake Bay beachfront.

 

Discover the great outdoors in Newport News with more than 30 miles of biking and hiking trails throughout Newport News Park, a four-star Golf Digest-rated 18 hole championship golf course ith a 5 star archery range and aeromodel flying field. 

 

Arts and Culture
The downtown area of Norfolk is considered by many to be the heart of arts in Hampton Roads.  The renovated Harrison Opera House is right next to the Chrysler Museum of Art.  Wells Theater, home to professional theater in Hampton Roads is close by the D’Art Center where you can watch as artists develop their creations. 

 

Virginia Beach has added many fine venues for both performing and fine arts including the Contemporary Art Center with its regularly changing exhibits and the new Convention Center which hosts many concerts and performances.  Virginia Beach is also host to the Boardwalk Art Show and Festival, one of the oldest on the Eastern Seaboard with arts and crafters lining the Boardwalk every June.

 

Willett Hall in Portsmouth is one of the area’s outstanding performance spots while the InTelos Pavilion Harbor Center, an outdoor amphitheatre, is becoming a very hot spot for concerts.

 

Hampton has the American Theater, a restored landmark with an intimate performance setting, and the Charles H. Taylor Arts Center which hosts changing exhibits.

 

Newport News is has an emerging performing and fine arts scene with the Peninsula Fine Arts Center and the Historic Yoder Barn.

 

Museums and Attractions
The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is an incredible facility with a 300,000-gallon aquarium plus a 1/3-mile nature trail and and IMAX® theater. 

 

Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, on the waterfront in Norfolk, is a spectacular maritime-themed science center.  You can also tour the Battleship Wisconsin, berthed at Nauticus and visit the Hampton Roads Naval Museum. 

 

Portsmouth offers many exciting exhibits including The Children’s Museum of Virginia presents over 90 hands-on exhibits for kids of all ages and is close to the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, one of only 16 official state sports halls of fame in the country.  Just down the street explore the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum covering over 250 years of Portsmouth’s history including America’s oldest and largest naval shipyard. 

 

Hampton is the birthplace of America’s space program and the Virginia Air & Space Center features dozens of hands-on air and space exhibits.  An interactive aviation gallery exhibits more than 30 historic aircraft and a 3D IMAX® film.  The Hampton Carousel, a restored, turn-of-the-century carousel is adjacent to the Virginia Air & Space Center.

 

In Newport News you’ll find a true gem at the Virginia Living Museum showcasing living exhibits of Virginia’s natural history from the mountains to the sea.  Enjoy hands-on activities, stroll the 3/4-mile elevated boardwalk or travel the universe in a planetarium show. Just a few miles away is the Mariner’s Museum with prized artifacts that celebrate the spirit of seafaring adventure.

 

Hampton Roads has a lot to offer for educational, artistic, creative and just plain fun folks.  No matter what your interest, discover a world of history, arts, science and more during your visit to Hampton Roads.