Norfolk Things to Do

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The Ocean View section of Norfolk was once home to the Ocean View Amusement park and an amazing wooden rollercoaster which, sadly, met its demise in the filming of the late 70's film, "Death of Ocean View Park." The coaster named, "Skyrocket," or "The Rocket" in the movie, was as fast and head jarring as any modern day amusement park ride! Owners of the Ocean View Amusement Park tried to justify its real-life destruction in the movie by saying that it was structurally unsafe. However, it took multiple attempts with explosives to end the life of this local, cultural gem of amusements.

There had been an amusement park facing the Chesapeake Bay in this section of Norfolk since the turn of the century, and at one time a short railroad line brought visitors from the center of the land-rich town of Norfolk to the seaside for its beach, waterviews and amusements. My vintage postcards of Ocean View picture manicured grounds and amusement rides, etc., bound by the sea wall and north of the Willoughby Spit.

The Ocean View Amusement Park of the mid-20th century featured rides including " The Skyrocket" rollercoaster, a petting zoo, and even live performance acts. But we always came for the rollercoaster!!

After the coaster was destroyed for the movie, the land was sold to developers. It's always a shame to see a local icon disappear, as if it never existed. The amusement park land was sold to developers and now it is as if the park never existed.

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Gardens are invariably a joy for us, and this one was no exception. The time you can spend here is limited only by the stamina of your feet; there is a LOT of beauty to enjoy. There are gardens for sculpture, children, roses, camellias, butterflies, rhododendrons, smells, hydrangeas, healing, conifers -- if it can be grown into something beautiful, there is probably some of it here on display.

If your young children don't enjoy gardens because you have to constantly say, "Don't touch! Don't run around! Don't make noise!"; then this garden has an area they will LOVE. It is DESIGNED for children to run around in, to make noise, to have FUN. They can even touch the sculptures!

Garden is open 9-7 from April to mid-October; 9-5 rest of year. Tram rides are included in the admission. Boat tours along the canal are at an additional cost.

In 2003, a bald eagle pair decided this garden was perfect place to raise a family, and began to build their nest. Altogether, they hatched 21 eggs over the years. Sadly, the mother was killed in an accident this spring after bearing three more eaglets. These children are presently being raised in captivity and will be released into the wild when they can survive there.

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It was no shock to us when the art collections in cities like Paris, New York, Rome, Madrid, etc were spectacular. As lovers of paintings and sculpture, we're always willing to make a visit to an art museum when in a city. Given that quality art collections provide prestige to a city but also require a large amount of resources from that community, some large cities have disappointed us with their collection, and some cities have a collection in keeping with their apparent level of resources.

And some cities, like Norfolk, have been an amazing surprise at the depth and breadth of their collection. Walter Chrysler, heir to the automotive fortune, was also an art collector with a good eye, a large variety of loves, and a deep pocket. This museum has quality art from all parts of the world and from all eras in history. It is both easy to get to and the main galleries are always FREE (special exhibits are extra). Those who share our love of art should NOT miss it.

When we went there, even though it was during the evening, we felt like we had the place to ourselves. Try having THAT experience during an evening of free admission at other museums! Apparently, not enough people are aware at how good this collection is. Maybe I should keep this a secret -- hmm...

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The museum which I enjoyed most during my visit to Norfolk was the MacArthur Memorial. As the final resting place of 5-Star General Douglas MacArthur and his wife, it is justifiably called a memorial. However, it is also one of the finest museums of its type that I have ever visited. Through this museum you discover the character, the intellect, the steadfast conviction and courage of this man----a great man. He was someone I wish I could have known personally.

The four-building memorial complex consists of the main, domed building which houses the tombs of the MacArthur's and the museum, a theater, exhibition galleries, and archives. The heart of the museum is located in the imposing domed, 1850 building which originally served as Norfolk's City Hall. Within its walls lies an extensive collection of Gen. MacArthur's personal effects, including photos, paintings, medals, his West Point cadet uniform, flags, historical documents and even the gold record recording of Gen. MacArthur's congressional speech. ( His 1950 Chrysler Imperial car is housed in a separate building which also includes a gift shop.) Through these numerous exhibits and sound recordings the visitor is able to discover the life of the man, his military career but also the story of Americans who served our nation during the Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, the Occupation of Japan and the Korean War (undeclared). There are 9 separate galleries on two levels which circle the rotunda and "portray the principal periods of the General's life...."

The 25-minute film on Gen. MacArthur was very well done and quite revealing. I spent several hours here and only scratched the surface; I was not able to visit the library & archive which is said to contain 5,000 volumes plus all types of correspondence, photos, media, etc.

Interestingly, most of the people employed at the Memorial were Filippino --- Gen. MacArthur liberated the Philippines in WWII.

Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted.
Museum & giftshop are open Monday - Saturday: 10:00am - 5pm. Sunday - 11:00am - 5pm
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.
Library and research centeropen 8:30am - 5pm on weekdays except holidays.

still constructing

The Norfolk Naval Station in association with the Transportation Department provides limited access tours into and around the Norfolk Naval Base. (see the website below for schedules).

You park your car and get onto the official bus (which you are not allowed to leave until the tour is complete). They unlock the base gates and the bus drives from one pier and drydock to another while a Navy host gives a spiel about the vessel you are seeing. They drive fairly slow at each pier so that you can take pictures (we did this before 2001.... since then they may have restrictions on bringing cameras).

The tour takes about an hour and they offer three or four tours per day.

The cost was $5 in 1996 (probably double that now).
We got our tickets and directions packages for this tour at the Norfolk Visitors Center.

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#1 on the map is Waterside Festival Market (photo 4) developed by James W. Rouse in 1983 (after our time in Norfolk). There is an information center there and they show the movie "Reflections" (admission) on Norfolk history.

From here you can take a sightseeing bus to visit the Norfolk Naval Base (photo 2 which shows one of the buildings that was built for the 1906 Jamestown Exposition and is now used as senior officer's quarters), or a hop on/hop off trolley, or a ferry (#6 - photo 5) over to Portsmouth (photo 3) to do their walking tour.

On the edge of the park (#18) is Nauticus which is designed to resemble a ship. The battle ship Wisconsin is also here. Or you can visit the Chrysler Museum (#13) or the MacArthur Memorial (#8).

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This historic lighthouse was originally constructed by Alexander Hamilton in 1791 and finished in 1792. In 1881, a newer lighthouse was built on the site. The site sits on an Army base --- Fort Story, east of Norfolk and North of Virginia Beach.

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The "Cannonball Trail" leads visitors on an extensive, self-guided walk which winds along not only the Elizabeth Riverfront but a significant portion of the historic, downtown Norfolk area. There are over 40 separate sites on the trail which is marked by a series of granite & bronze medallions set in sidewalks at each site.

The trail is significant because it highlights Norfolk heritage sites from as early as the 17th century through the 20th century as exemplified by everything from churches & monuments, to early shopping arcades, to a Navy ship, to architecturally significant buildings and museums.

I tried to follow as much of the trail as possible, but I spread the walk over 3 days, a couple of hours per day. Sometimes the weather cooperated and sometimes it didn't, and sometimes the site I wanted to visit wasn't open at the time I was there, but I feel I saw some of the highlights: The MacArthur Memorial; the Confederate Monument; the cannonball embedded in the wall of St. Paul's Church; the Windows on History Sidewalk Museum (this will be expanded upon in a separate tip), etc. Of course, there was more to explore, much much more that I wish I could have seen, but that will have to be saved for the next trip!

That being said, next on my list are: the USS Wisconsin, an Iowa-class battleship which saw service in WWII, the Korean "Conflict", and other military battles; the Wells Theater; much, much more of the MacArthur Memorial; the Hampton Roads Naval Museum; McCullough Row, etc. If your interested in history, naval history, architecture, etc., this walking tour is worth your time and most sites are free of admission.