Nauticus, the National Maritime Center, is a must see. The Nauticus museum complex is located on the Norfolk downtown waterfront, adjacent to Waterside and Town Point Park. Nauticus includes the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration exhibits, and the historic Battleship Wisconsin docked alongside. Exhibits at Nauticus include touch tanks, shark petting lagoon, weather deck, and an Aegis-class destroyer battle simulation. You can take a self guided tour of the Wisconsin's main deck Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Victory Rover offers daily two hour cruises of the Norfolk Navy Base from the Nauticus pier.
A couple blocks away, the new MacArthur Center Mall offers upscale shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. The historic Ghent district has many interesting boutiques, cafes, and galleries. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Norfolk Trolley Tours provides transportation to these areas plus the Chrysler Museum of Art and the Norfolk Naval Base. The Trolley Tours are operated by Hampton Roads Transit and tickets are available at any of their information kiosks, including the one in Waterside.
The NorVA theater and Backstage Cafe are located at 317 Montecello Avenue, right across the street from McArthur Mall and a few blocks from Waterside. The NorVa features a state-of-the-art sound system, hardwood floors, balconies, walls of exposed brick, and an eclectic mix of musical acts. Past performers have included James Brown, Matchbox 20, Little Feat, Ringo Starr, Stone Temple Pilots, Brian McKnight, and Tracy Chapman. NorVa concert schedule. The adjacent Backstage Cafe features rock and roll memorabilia. Open Mon-Fri 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m, & Sat 4:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. Norfolk visitors will notice the mermaid statues scattered throughout the town. The fanciful mermaids were designed by local artists and auctioned off to raise funds for Hampton Roads arts organizations. The mermaids are now located at buinesses and public spaces throughout the area. Downtown Norfolk mermaids list. The city has established a story trail from mermaid to mermaid downtown, where each mermaid is one page of a new mermaid story. To read each tale you must complete each walking trail. www.mermaidsonparade.com Norfolk Scope and Chrysler Hall are the home of Norfolk's major sporting and concert events. Scope's domed roof and distinctive support structure is a well known downtown Norfolk landmark. Scope is the home of the Norfolk Admirals Hockey team and the Norfolk Nighthawks arena football team. Scope is also the venue for many concerts and events throughout the year. Scope schedule of events. Chrysler Hall, located adjacent to Scope, is Norfolk's fine arts venue. Chrysler Hall is the home of the Virginia Symphony, and hosts traveling Broadway shows and other concert events.  The Harrison Opera House, located in the Ghent area of Norfolk, is the home productions of the Virginia Opera and other live performances. The historic Ghent area also offers a variety of restaurants and shops, and venerable Naro movie theater, which shows a selection consisting primarily of independent and documentary films.
The AAA Norfolk Tides baseball team plays in downtown Norfolk at Harbor Park. You can see ships coming and going beyond the outfield wall at this excellent ballpark. The Norfolk Tides are the AAA affiliate of the New York Mets. The Norfolk Admirals are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate for the National Hockey League's (NHL) Chicago Blackhawks. The Admirals play a 40 home game schedule from October to April. Home games are held at Scope, in downtown Norfolk. Games usually begin at 7:15 p.m. on weeknights and 7:30 p.m. on weekends. You can explore downtown Norfolk and the Elizabeth River via a number of cruise offerings. The tall ship Amercian Rover sails daily April through October from Waterside. The paddle wheeler Carrie B takes you on a tour of the Norfolk Harbor, including a ride amongst the Navy ships. The Spirit of Norfolk, is the largest ship cruising the harbor and has two climate controlled decks, open strolling decks and lounge seating, dance floors, and buffet dining. The Spirit of Norfolk offers daily lunch and dinner cruises. The Victory Rover sails daily from the Nauticus Pier on tours of the Navy Shipyard. You can also board the Elizabeth River Ferry to visit Olde Towne Portsmouth, which is located right across the river from Norfolk, or travel via HarborLink to downtown Hampton. Sites worth seeing beyond the downtown district include the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, the Virginia Zoo, and the beaches of the Ocean View area. Return to Norfolk, Virginia Guide....
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