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Welcome to
COASTAL VIRGINIA ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST SCENIC AND HISTORIC TRAVEL DESTINATIONS.
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SAILING HARBOR CRUISES 2 Hour Narrated Harbor Tours & Sunset Cruises Depart from Waterside Marina.
Since 1986
(757) 627-7245
Group Rates, Special Events and Private Parties Available.
www.americanrover.com
N O R F O L K ' S D O W N TO W N WAT E R F R O N T
NAVAL BASE CRUISES “Your Front Row Seat To The Naval Fleet”
#1 on TripAdvisor
(757) 627-7406
www.navalbasecruises.com
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2 Hour Narrated Cruises Depart from Nauticus, home of the Battleship Wisconsin.
Coastal Virginia
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The Coastal Virginia Tourism Alliance welcomes you to one of America’s most scenic and historic travel destinations. The Coastal Virginia region is comprised of the cities of Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Smithfield/Isle of Wight, Suffolk, Yorktown, Virginia Beach, Williamsburg, and Virginia’s Eastern Shore. All are accessible by major interstate highway systems, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel and two major airports in Norfolk and Newport News both served by low fare airlines. Coastal Virginia makes a perfect vacation destination for those seeking clean beaches, outdoor recreation, fascinating history, fine arts culture, thrilling events and festivals, exciting theme parks, abundant shopping, world-class fishing and coastal cuisine. We offer an experience for every kind of traveler. Beach lovers revel on the Virginia Beach oceanfront. History buffs are inspired by the past in Williamsburg, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News and Smithfield/Isle of Wight. Chesapeake and Suffolk are both entry points to the vast nature of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. Virginia’s Eastern Shore offers pristine coastal plains perfect for bird watching as well as NASA rocket launches. In addition, museums and the arts abound throughout the region and it is home to the world renowned Virginia Arts Festival. You’ll also have a chance to “salute” our military. We are the home to the world’s largest naval base! This just touches on what you can see and do in Coastal Virginia. We hope you get a chance to experience it all. We are glad you are here to “Sea Our History”! Continued on page A4
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Explore-Live-Enlighten at Edgar Cayce's A.R.E. Association for Research and Enlightenment
Tools for Wellness, Spiritual Growth, and Personal Empowerment for more than 100 years! Metaphysical Library • Bookstore and Gift Shop • Holistic Health Center & Spa Cayce/Miller Café • Free Daily Lecture, Tour, and Film • ESP Testing • Meditation Garden Stone Labyrinth • Conferences • Weekend Workshops • Psychic Fairs
215 67th St. and Atlantic Avenue Virginia Beach, VA 23451 757-428-3588 • 800-333-4499 • Spa: 757-457-7202 EdgarCayce.org • AREHealth.org
10% OFF
Our area’s major attractions listings are presented on the following pages.
your total purchase at the A.R.E. Bookstore. Valid through 5/31/18
$10 OFF 1-hour massage at the A.R.E. Spa. Valid through 5/31/18 May not be combined with any other discount.
Ask for your FREE BOOK at the Visitor Center desk!
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AMERICAN ROVER
Norfolk Harbor Sailing Cruises Set Sail aboard this 125 passenger Sailing Schooner. Offering daytime and sunset harbor cruises on the smooth waters of the Elizabeth River and the Port of Virginia. Help hoist the sails, take a turn at the helm, or just relax and enjoy the Captain’s tour. Seating is available on the shaded upper deck. Our air-conditioned below deck area has ship store, bar and restrooms. Private charters and special event cruises available. Departing Waterside Marina in Downtown Norfolk. Call (757) 627-7245 or visit www.AmericanRover.com. Sailing April through October.
Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va. Photo by Ed Pollard, CMA Photographer
THE CHRYSLER MUSEUM OF ART
One Memorial Place • Norfolk, VA 23510 (757) 664-6200 | chrysler.org
The Chrysler Museum of Art is the crown jewel of the visual arts in Norfolk, combining a nationally renowned art museum, a state-of-the-art glass studio, and two nearby historic houses. We host a variety of changing exhibitions, and our extensive permanent collection includes 30,000 works that span more than 5,000 years, from ancient Egypt to 21st-century art. We are home to one of America’s finest glass collections, and our adjacent Perry Glass Studio’s daily demos show how these masterpieces were created. We’re open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m. Best of all, admission is free!
EDGAR CAYCE’S A.R.E.
Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E.– Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc. Come explore the fascinating work of famed psychic Edgar Cayce, the “sleeping prophet” and “father of holistic medicine.” Free daily film, tour, and lecture on dreams, intuition, holistic health and more. Our campus includes a metaphysical library, Bookstore & Gift Shop, meditation garden, stone labyrinth, Health Center & Spa, and an onsite café. The renovated Health Center & Spa has treatment rooms overlooking the ocean offering holistic services including the Cayce/Reilly® massage, chiropractic services, and hydrotherapy sessions. We also offer ESP testing, astrology charts, psychic fairs, and conferences with world-renowned presenters. Learn more at EdgarCayce.org. Continued on page A6
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THIS IS HAMPTON
Hampton, the 400-year old city located in the heart of Coastal Virginia, is multi-faceted; rich in Civil War history, African American heritage, water recreation, and abundant shopping and dining opportunities. The Hampton History Museum is a great place to begin your explorations. The museum introduces Hampton’s 400-year history in its galleries, interpreting the city’s role in pivotal American decisions and milestones. The Hampton Visitor Center shares this location so you can gather great information on the sites you wish to explore and purchase money-saving admission tickets. The Sea to Stars Ticket combines admission to the Virginia Air & Space Center, an IMAX film, a ride on the Hampton Carousel, a cruise aboard the Miss Hampton II and admission to the Hampton History Museum for one low price. Buy adult tickets for $39 and youth tickets for $25. The Virginia Air & Space Center, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2017, features a space and aviation gallery, as well as over 100 exhibits, many hands-on. The Riverside 3D IMAX Theater presents space-related digital feature films and documentaries on a five-story screen. Next door, the Hampton Carousel, one of only 70 antique carousels left in the U.S., spins visitors on hand-carved horses and chariots built in 1920 by European artisans. Fort Monroe visitors are encouraged to cross the moat encircling the stone fort to explore the Casemate Museum and many historic landmarks, including The Alegernourne Oak and Quarters 1. See the cell where Jefferson Davis was held at the conclusion of the Civil War. A tour aboard the Miss Hampton II reveals Fort Monroe’s companion fortification, Fort Wool, located across the channel at Hampton Roads’ entrance. The Miss Hampton II harbor tour boat and the Ocean Eagle fishing boat are located nearby along the Hampton waterfront. Hampton University Museum, the oldest African American museum in the country, has a collection of more than 9,000 works of contemporary art and artifacts spanning African, African-American, Native-American cultures, and more. You can explore the campus with one of several Smartphone tours available at VisitHampton.com or learn about the campus’ and city’s remarkable past through interpretive historic markers located on the campus and throughout the city. You are also sure to enjoy the exceptional dining and shopping in Downtown Hampton, Phoebus and Coliseum Central. There’s no shortage of fun and adventure. After all, This is Hampton! For visitor information dial (800) 800-2202, (757) 727-1102 or check out VisitHampton.com.
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iFLY VA BEACH
iFLY Va Beach is an indoor skydiving experience that creates true free fall conditions, just like skydiving, without having to jump out of an airplane. iFLY’s vertical wind tunnel generates 1400 horse power from 4 powerful fans, creating a wall-to-wall cushion of air on which you can safely float. There’s no parachute, no jumping, and nothing attaching you to planet Earth. It’s just you and the air, and it’s the most incredible adrenaline rush. iFLY Va Beach is located at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront on 25th and Pacific Avenue. Indoor skydiving at iFLY Va Beach is a great activity for entertainment and recreation seekers out for a day of fun with family and friends, corporate customers looking for a unique team outing, educators interested in innovative science field trips for students and competitive skydiving athletes. No experience is necessary. Just about anyone can fly, including those with physical disabilities. Children as young as 3 to adults as young as 103 have flown with us. iFLY offers group rates for 8 or more as well as Student, Senior Citizen, Military & First Responder discounts. Watch our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3c-ak1IjhY iFLY Va Beach Indoor Skydiving is located at 2412 Pacific Ave. Virginia Beach, VA 23451. For more information or to make reservations, call (757) 754-4359 or email info@iflyvabeach.com.
JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT, AMERICAN REVOLUTION MUSEUM AT YORKTOWN
Sphere, a six-foot globe displaying weather phenomena around the world. Don’t leave without a visit to Dockside Café or the Banana Pier Gift Shop for great nautical gifts. Call (757) 664-1000 or visit Nauticus.org for hours and admission fees.
NEWPORT NEWS
Discover the Treasures of Newport News Trendy restaurants, unique shopping opportunities and world-class attractions are just a few of the many reasons to visit Newport News.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park Water Connects Us All The Mariners’ Museum and Park connects people to the world’s waterways through exploration and engaging experiences. The stories we tell through our world class collection are your stories and your history. Discover small craft from around the world. Explore the USS Monitor Center, home of the Civil War ironclad’s iconic gun turret, where the incredible story of her creation, battle, sinking, and recovery are told in vivid detail. View maritime art, handcrafted ship models, and rare figureheads. Experience a 3D film in the Explorers Theater. Located in a 550-acre park, guests can hike the award-winning, 5-mile Noland Continued on page A8
Living-History Museums Chronicle Nation’s Beginnings A hands-on history experience awaits visitors at two Williamsburg area museums that explore the nation’s beginnings. At Jamestown Settlement, gallery exhibits chronicle 1600s Virginia in the context of its Powhatan Indian, English and African cultures, complementing historical interpretation at outdoor recreations of a Powhatan Indian village, the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists in 1607, and colonial fort. The story of the American Revolution, from the beginnings of colonial unrest to the formation of the new nation, unfolds at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown through indoor exhibits and outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-period farm. The museums are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except Christmas and New Year’s days. For more information call (888) 593-4682 or visit www.historyisfun.org.
NAUTICUS
This maritime-themed science museum, on the downtown Norfolk waterfront, offers a fun and exciting educational experience for visitors of all ages. In addition to its largest artifact—The Battleship Wisconsin—unique features of this 120,000-square-foot facility include hands-on exhibits, touch tanks, 3D movies, and more. Plus, walk the decks of history with a self-guided deck tour of the Battleship Wisconsin—one of the largest and last battleships built by the U.S. Navy—and see the wardroom, and officers’ quarters, berthing units, chapel and other areas. Guided tours of additional ship areas are available for an additional fee. While onsite at Nauticus, be sure to check out Our Mighty Seaport, an exhibit exploring maritime commerce as well as Guns, Sweat, and Gears: Anatomy of a Battleship, with its enormous gun devices, tools, and personal mementos from the Battleship Wisconsin. Step inside the Clelia, an underwater exploration submersible, and control an actual 9-foot long robotic arm to collect samples and artifacts from the seabed and examine Science on a
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Set Sail for a bygone era aboard The Yorktown Schooners
Serenity & Alliance
Pirate Adventure Cruises April to September $37 Adults, $22 kids
Trail or picnic at Lions Bridge overlooking the tranquil James River. For information on exhibitions, events, programs, and hours of operation, visit MarinersMuseum.org or call (800) 581-7245.
Virginia Living Museum
Connecting people to nature for more than 50 years! View endangered red wolves. Get close to a loggerhead turtle and jellyfish. Touch live horseshoe crabs. Relive the age of the dinosaurs. Living exhibits depict Virginia’s natural heritage from the mountains to the sea. Discover animals living in a cypress swamp, mountain cove and beneath the Chesapeake Bay. Touch famous Bay creatures. Travel the
Daily Sightseeing Cruises
Late March thru Early November Morning, Afternoon and Sunset Sails
Departing from Riverwalk Landing, Yorktown. Call 888.316.6422 or visit www.sailyorktown.com
galaxies in the planetarium theater. Outdoors, stroll the boardwalk to view animals in naturalized habitats. Explore outdoor Dinosaur Discovery Trail with 16 life-like dinosaurs, paleo camp, dig pits and dinosaur and ice age fossils. See an extensive collection of native plants and green living exhibits. Young kids enjoy indoor role play as an animal keeper/vet and the outdoor playground. Let the travel counselors at the Newport News Visitor Center help plan your stay. Ask them about our money-saving Combination Ticket! Call (888) 493-7386, (757) 886-7777, or visit www.newport-news.org for more information.
NORFOLK VISITNORFOLK
With 144 miles of shoreline, there’s so much to do while visiting Norfolk, Virginia. Take a tour of the Elizabeth River harbor on a majestic tall ship, sip on some of the best wines around at Mermaid Winery, Virginia’s very first urban winery, try delicious beers at local breweries or watch world-renowned artists blow glass at the Chrysler Museum Glass Studio. Hungry? Norfolk has become well-known for its wide variety of cuisine and is home to more than 80 chef-owned restaurants in the downtown area, many featuring Virginia wine and Virginia-grown produce and meat. Downtown isn’t the only place to find eclectic entrees. A host
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SCHOONERS ALLIANCE AND SERENITY Scan to Save!
Join the Yorktown Schooners Alliance and Serenity and step back into history as you sail the York River past the battlefield where our country won its independence. Lend a hand at setting sail, look for dolphins and osprey, or relax with a beverage from our ship’s galley. For families, try the Pirate Adventure Cruise. Kids will join the pirate crew and help raise the sails, steer the schooner, tie a knot and fire the cannon. Both ships also available for private charters and special events. Sailing daily late March to early November. Advance reservations recommended. For schedule and tickets, visit www.sailyorktown.com. (888) 316-6422.
SPIRIT OF NORFOLK Memorable Exhibits. Interactive Fun.
Cruising Year-Round From Downtown Get ready for the time of your life. Step aboard the Spirit of Norfolk and come alive for an afternoon or evening cruise on the water. You’ll dine and dance to live DJ entertainment while being dazzled by skyline views and a close-up look at the Navy’s Atlantic Fleet. Choose from fun-filled lunches, dinners or midnight party cruises. For reservations, specialty cruise schedule, visit www.spiritofnorfolk.com or (866) 211-3803.
SUFFOLK
Small town charm and big city amenities converge in Suffolk, Virginia. Our historic downtown blends unique shops with award-winning restaurants. Anchored by the Suffolk Visitor Center, Main Street is lined with historic homes and churches. Suffolk boasts year-round family-friendly events. Discover the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge—112,000 acres of untouched wilderness. You’ll love our swamp safaris, guided cemetery strolls, ghost walks and lantern tours. Kayak or fish in 8,000 acres of lakes and rivers. Golf one of our five championship golf courses. Take the plunge and skydive! Explore Riddick’s Folly House Museum where Union Army officers left behind penciled graffiti that is still legible today. Our 1885 passenger station is now Seaboard Station Railroad Museum. Visit the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, a professional performing arts theater. (757) 514-4130. VisitSuffolkVa.com
VICTORY ROVER
NAVAL BASE CRUISES ABOARD THE VICTORY ROVER Your front row seat to the Naval Fleet. Two Hour Narrated Cruises depart daily from Nauticus, home of the Battleship Wisconsin in Downtown Norfolk. The Captain provides a fascinating commentary as passengers cruise the smooth waters of the Elizabeth River. See one of the world’s busiest sea ports including the world’s largest naval base, home of the Atlantic Fleet: Destroyers, Cruisers, Submarines, Aircraft Carriers and more. Up to 150 guests enjoy comfortable seating, air conditioned enclosed deck, shaded upper deck, and snack bar. Call (757) 627-7406 or www.navalbasecruises.com. Cruising March - December.
VIRGINIA SPORTS HALL OF FAME
Whether it is with a large school group or a family visit, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame & Museum is home to many memorable exhibits and full of interactive fun. A basketball court,
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THE VIRGINIA ZOO
Journey to mysterious places inhabited by exotic animals from around the world–without leaving Hampton Roads! Discover lions, bears, cheetahs, orangutans, giraffes, colorful birds and more! Watch the red panda climb through the trees just above your head. Meet the animals in the ZooFarm. Enjoy a stroll or ride the Zoo train among the themed gardens and beautiful landscaping. The Virginia Zoo provides education and entertainment for people of all ages, and the Zoo is home to more than 500 animals on 53 beautifully landscaped acres. Exhibits encourage the animals’ natural behavior, provide information about their habitats, what they eat and their worldwide conservation status. Visiting the Virginia Zoo is a fantastic thing to do with family and friends, and it’s a terrific value! Admission is $14.95 for adults, $11.95 for children (ages 2-11) and $12.95 for seniors (62+). Children under two get in FREE! The Zoo is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., except major winter holidays. For more information, visit www.virginiazoo.org.
HISTORIC YORKTOWN
Travel back in time, then savor the present at this year-round destination for history, shopping, outdoor recreation, fine dining and special events. Relive the pivotal battle of the Revolutionary War. Visit historic homes, museums, and battlefields by foot or enjoy a guided Segway tour through town. Set sail on Yorktown’s Schooners Alliance and Serenity. Shop in specialty stores, enjoy a wine or beer dinner, play on the riverfront, and dine in one-of-a-kind restaurants. Come for a day, a weekend or longer. (757) 890-3300 or www.visityorktown.org.
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