Local Attractions

The Virginia Beach Boardwalk, at the Oceanfront, is a 28-feet wide marvel that stretches three miles from 2nd to 40th Street and features a separate bike path, ideal for strolling, rollerblading and biking. Entertainment is offered nightly during the summer months and four oceanfront stages at 7th, 17th, and 24th and 31st Streets provide live musical acts. Along the boardwalk, there’s a variety of quaint outdoor restaurants and vendors offering bike and surrey rentals. Nautical sculptures adorn many of the side streets which lead to Atlantic Avenue. While there, don’t forget to swing by and see King Neptune – a twenty-four foot, twelve-ton bronze statue that stands at the gateway to Neptune Festival Park on 31st Street. This is perhaps one of the most popular photo opportunities in the resort area.

Suffolk High School, built in 1922, has been restored and repurposed as the premier visual and performing arts venue for Suffolk.
In the heart of downtown Suffolk, the classic Greek-Revival structure houses a 500 seat theatre which is the stage for concerts, ballets, musicals, dramatic works, symphony performances, films, children’s plays, puppet shows and so much more.

The Great Dismal Swamp is anything but dismal. Despite its foreboding moniker, the Great Dismal Swamp is one of few remaining American wildernesses. It is the largest intact remnant of a vast habitat that once covered more than one million acres of southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina. Because of its geographic location and climate, the Great Dismal is known for its unique blending of northern and southern species. It is a haven for black bear, bobcats, river otters, rattlesnakes and many rare plants. Less fearsome creatures include 200 species of birds, yellow-bellied and spotted turtles, lizards, salamanders, frogs and toads.

On the first floor, rediscover some of the all-time Children’s Museum favorites. Stroll along the city streetscape with a grocery store, fire truck, pet park, and city bus. Go bonkers for bubbles, move cargo crates, board the tugboat, and track the model trains all over the state. The second floor showcases three all new distinct exhibit areas. In “My Backyard and Beyond” explore the inhabitants of your backyard, the wonders of water and weather, and the star-studded sky. “Dr. Forces Traveling Energy Extravaganza” brings you back to the days of a 3-ringed circus to discover forces, energy, and motion in all new ways. “CreArtivity” brings visual and performing arts to life by giving visitors an opportunity to create art while interacting with the exhibits.

Regularly changing exhibitions feature painting, sculpture, photography, glass, video and other visual media from internationally acclaimed artists, as well as artists of national and regional renown. By balancing its four primary activities–gallery exhibitions, studio art classes, educational outreach programs and outdoor art shows—the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia seeks to involve a diverse regional public in the rich and active language of contemporary visual art.

View endangered red wolves. Get up close to a loggerhead turtle and moon jellies. See fish with no eyes and frogs that change colors. Touch live spider crabs and fossilized dinosaur tracks. It’s all at the Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, where living exhibits depict Virginia’s natural heritage from the mountains to the sea. The Museum introduces visitors to more than 250 living species native to Virginia through exhibits, discovery centers and interactive hands-on exhibits.

From bow to stern, The Mariners’ Museum is filled with fascinating stories, captured in priceless artifacts that celebrate the spirit of the open sea. Explore over 120,000 square feet of gallery space with rare figureheads, handcrafted ship models, Civil War ironclad USS Monitor artifacts, paintings, small craft from around the world, navigational instruments, and so much more.

From mighty Monica, an African elephant, to their flock of small love birds, the Virginia Zoo is home to over 350 of our furry, feathered and scaly animal friends on 53 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds. Animals include exotic representatives from the African savannah, as well as friendly goats that you would find on a Virginia farm.

The City of Norfolk has assumed stewardship of the Battleship Wisconsin, which is now included in regular Nauticus admission. Admission fees help preserve and maintain the battleship for future generations. Berthed at Nauticus, the Battleship Wisconsin is one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy. Explore its deck through a self-guided or audio tour that will take you back in time to experience this majestic ship that earned five battle stars during World War II. The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is owned and operated by the United States Navy and located on level two of Nauticus. The museum houses a rich collection of authentic uniforms, weaponry, underwater artifacts, detailed ship models and artwork.

The Isle of Wight County Museum was founded in 1976 by a group of volunteers dedicated to the preservation of county history. Interpreting local history, the museum’s exhibits include prehistoric fossils, Native American and Colonial artifacts, a country store and displays regarding the ham industry and perhaps the museum’s most notable artifact: the world’s oldest, edible cured ham.

Explore over 800,000 gallons of one of the best aquariums and live animal habitats in the country at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Check out hundreds of hands-on exhibits, outdoor aviary, nature trail, and marshlands. Plus you won’t want to miss the 3D IMAX^® Theater.

Journey to the unexpected. Busch Gardens offers guests a line-up of events, concerts, a new Irish show and a brand new family thrill ride, “Europe in the Air,” a motion simulator ride that takes guests on an unforgettable journey through some of Europe’s most beautiful landscapes. And the fun doesn’t stop there. Summer, fall and winter are packed full of excitement with a nighttime light show production, “IllumiNights: A Busch Gardens Encore,” “Howl-O-Scream,” celebrating all things Halloween and “Christmas Town,” the newest holiday spectacular that transforms the European-themed park into winter wonderland.

The largest stone fort ever built in the U.S., Fort Monroe is headquarters for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Within the historic fort’s stone walls is the Casemate Museum, which chronicles the history of the fort and the Coast Artillery Corps. During the Civil War, more than 6,000 slaves escaped to Union-held Fort Monroe, earning it the nickname “Freedom’s Fortress.”

Colonial Williamsburg is the nation’s largest living history museum encompassing 301 acres including some 500 buildings, homes, stores and taverns reconstructed and restored to their 18th-century appearances; tradesmen practicing 30 historic trades and domestic crafts; historical interpreters and character actors; and 90 acres of gardens and greens, and now featuring the live action drama, Revolutionary City™, daily from mid-March to the holiday season.

The visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base. This world-class facility features the Space Quest and Adventures in Flight galleries, and more than 100 “hands-on” exhibits that tell the story of air and space exploration. See the Apollo 12 Command Module, a Mars meteorite and a three-billion year-old moon rock! Visit the technologically advanced Riverside 3D IMAX Theater and see a 3D IMAX film on a giant five-story screen with 16,000 watts of digital-sound.

Vintage Tavern Restaurant is located across from Cedar Point Country Club on Bridge Road at the entrance to Governor’s Pointe. With signature dishes featuring an appetizing Taste of Southern Goodness with home made biscuits, house made sausages, shaved Virginia ham, deviled eggs, house made spreads such as strawberry jam and seasonal entrees like oven-baked flounder, Vintage Tavern offers one of the best dining experiences in Virginia!

Hampton Roads’ premier chophouse which features steaks, seafood and a raw bar. Situated in the Harbour View area of northern Suffolk, River Stone Chophouse is the only restaurant using locally aged Hereford Beef with custom cutting for every steak which is sure to delight any kind of carnivore.

Specializing in a handsome selection of brick oven pizzas, large salads, and pastas and entrees to compliment any palate, Amicis Pizza Cafe is a family-friendly restaurant offering a kind selection of kid’s pastas and pizzas daily and also offer an extensive collection of beers and wines from around the world for adults!

Step back in time and enjoy the aroma of peanuts roasted in the shell daily by a 1936-model roaster. The retail store offers a wide variety of Planters Peanuts, candies and other snack products. Gift packs and shipping. Complimentary peanut recipes upon request.

Overlooking the Nansemond River, the provincial Roman Revival style structure with its very tall Tuscan columns was an impressive site for early travelers arriving on the river. Today the building retains its commanding presence and historical significance as the Suffolk Visitor Center. The first floor provides an exhibit gallery highlighting the history of Suffolk and the Great Dismal Swamp, a greeting and information area and a gift shop. The second floor houses municipal offices for the Department of Economic Development and Division of Tourism.

This 16-screen movie theater offers stadium seating, incredible sound, snacks, lobby area with arcade games and many nearby eateries and shops.

Harper’s Table opened July 2012 in Suffolk, VA aiming to create and provide an unforgettable hospitality and dining experience for their guests. Focusing on high quality cuisine, reasonable prices and exceptional service, they look forward to having you at our table!

Located on High Street in downtown Portsmouth, VA, Baron’s Pub offers a great atmosphere with a pleasant waitress and hostess staff for those looking to stop in for a meal and some drinks in Olde Towne Portsmouth!

Located at 115 North Main Street in Suffolk, VA – the Plaid Turnip offers Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and even Sunday Brunch menu options with breakfast is served from 7am to 11am daily, lunch from 7am to 4pm, and dinner 4pm to close.