Norfolk Waterside Town Point Park
Author: Amanda
Date: 2007-05-14 07:35:50
Country/State: Virginia, City: Norfolk
Category: Historical
If you are looking for a fun and educational outing for the whole family that won't put a huge dent in your wallet then this article is for you. My husband and I and our two small kids just spent the day at Norfolk's Town Point Park located in downtown Norfolk waterfront to the Elizabeth River. The park is nicely maintained. It has several monuments and memorials. One thing my kids really enjoyed was a huge Navy ship anchor that was removed from the USS Antietam CV-36, weighing 30,000 lbs! As you can see the kids can crawl around and play on it. There was also a Baltimore class ship propellar on display weighing 17,330 lbs.
Also in the park was an Armed Forces Memorial, which featured twenty inscriptions of letters written home by U.S. service members who lost their lives in battle.
Right off the park is the maritime-themed science center Nauticus which we did not visit on this trip but plan to. Tickets to the Nauticus cost: $9.95 for adults and $7.50 for kids (4-12), kids 3 and under are free. If you plan to visit, there is a $1.00 off coupon good for up to 4 people in the Norfolk Visitor Guide which can be found at www.norfolkcvb.com
Located on the 2nd floor of the Nauticus complex is the Hampton Roads Naval Museum and access to the USS Wisconsin BB-64, both are free. We really enjoyed the tour of the Battleship Wisconsin which is a self guided tour with markings to point you in the right direction so you get to see all of the main deck and three upper decks and learn some of the ship's history. I'm not much of a history buff but I really enjoyed this and the kids had a blast turning all the water valves, climbing ladders to the different levels, and sneaking peeks through the cabin windows. What made the ship feel more real to me was the fact that some of the actual sailors who worked on the ship were there to answer any questions you may have. The ship may be hard to tour if you have real small children or handicapped family members, but you don't have to go up all the ladders to get a good view of the ship. It took us about 20 minutes to tour the ship and it was well worth it, I highly recommend visiting it. Here is the USS Wisconsin's website for more information www.usswisconsin.org.
Attractions
Corresponding flags to the below map:
Orange - Nauticus and USS Wisconsin
Yellow - Memorials: Armed Forces and "The Homecoming"
Purple - US Custom House
Red - MacArthur Memorial
Pink - MacArthur Shopping Center
Ships/Boats
Orange - USS Wisconsin
Green - Paddleboat Ferry
Purple - Tickets for Spirit of Norfolk Harbor Cruises
Family Fav
Our family's favorite thing was to take the paddlewheel ferry across the Elizabeth River. The ferry only costs $1.00 per person but you do need exact change. The ferry operates every 30 mins and 15 mins on weekends and travels between the Norfolk Waterside Marketplace and the North Landing and High Street on the Portsmouth side. This is a great way to get to several attractions on the portsmouth side: The lighship museum, historic hill house, children's museum of Virginia, Museum of military history, and the Virginia sports hall of fame. Look here for more information on the paddlewheel ferry: gohrt.com/schedulesandservices/paddlewheelferry.html
Restaurants
Just on the otherside of the park is a Waterside Marketplace where ships and boats dock with restaurants and small speciality shops inside. For food selection there was Joe's Crab Shack, Hooters, Outback Steak House, and several sandwhich shops and ice cream stands. I thought next time we might bring brown bag lunches and eat in the park overlooking the river. That way we don't have to worry about carrying coolers around all day.
Corresponding to the below map:
Orange - Todd Jurich's Bistro
Green - Waterside Market Place
Purple - Blue Hippo
Brown - Freemason Abbey Restaurant
Facilities
We were able to park at one of several affordable parking garages a few streets down from the park: 2-3hrs $2.50, 3-4hrs $4.50, 4-5hrs $6.50.
Corresponding to the below map:
Red - MacArthur Shopping Center
Purple - Waterside Parking Garage
Orange - Public Parking
Accommodations
Corresponding to the below map:
Red - Courtyard by Marriott
Purple - Norfolk Marriott Waterside
Green - Sheraton Norfolk Waterside
Brown - Tazewell Hotel
The above map is courtesy of Google Maps
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