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https://www.adambgarrett.com/post/things-to-do-in-se-va-locations

 

 

 

Things to Do in SE VA Locations

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Area Guide (separate document)

Below you'll find:

Things to Do (Tripadvisor)
SE VA:

1. Eastern Shore

2. Greater Richmond

3. Middle Peninsula

4. Northern Neck

5. Peninsula

6. South Side

7. To do outside SE VA within 7 hr driving distance

8. To do beyond 7 hr driving distance w/ direct flights

Things to Do (Tripadvisor)
SE VA:

6.25.21 in TA #'d order for traveler favorites in VA.

On the left is the "traveler favorites" rating for VA.

On the right is the "Traveler Favorite" for the city/county.

I am excluding some items that wouldn't be considered attractions by most, i.e. the Bay Bridge tunnel and anything rated <4/5.

Cities/Counties are listed in alphabetical order within region.

For cities/counties listed by region go to the bottom of my SE VA page.

(Ranks as of 6.25.21; by their mention I am not endorsing visits to all areas below for all people, but many have had positive experiences; for instance, you won't find me at the White House for the Confederacy, while someone that is really into history, a civil war reenactor, or otherwise might like it):

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Peninsula

Hampton:

#24 Fort Monroe's Casemate Museum #1

#46 Virginia Air & Space Science Center #2 (pictured above)

#49 Bluebird Gap Farm #3

#57 Fort Monroe National Monument #4

#83 Buckroe Beach & Park #5

#127 Sandy Bottom Nature Park #6

#243. Hampton Coliseum #9 4/5 Arena

Newport News (Peninsula):

#32 The Mariners' Museum & Park #1 5/5

#48 Virginia Living Museum #2 4.5/5

#62 The Noland Trail #3 5/5

#162 Newport News Park #4 4.5/5

#226 U.S. Army Transportation Museum #5 4.5/5

Poquoson

Mission Escape Virginia #1

Chesapeake Bay Adventures #2

Messick Point Public Boat Ramp (4.8/5 on Google Maps)

Williamsburg (Peninsula):

#2 Colonial Williamsburg

#5 Historic Jamestowne

#13 Jamestown Settlement

#22 Jamestown-Scotland Ferry (free)

#27 Governor's Palace

#28 Busch Gardens Williamsburg

#36 Water Country USA

#78 Jamestown Glasshouse

#80 Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center

#96 Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum

#98 Bruton Parish Episcopal Church

#100 Williamsburg Winery

#102 The College of William and Mary

#136 Public Hospital Museum

#166 Colonial Williamsburg Capitol Building #10

#167 Merchants Square #20

#174 Bassett Hall #2 5/5

#181 Williamsburg Premium Outlets #23 4/5

#209 George Wythe House #8 5/5

#219 Waller Mill Park #22 4.5/5

#220 Alewerks Brewing Company #16 4.5/5

#236. DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum #7 4.5/5

#241. Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg #37 4/5   Water Park

Yorktown (Peninsula):

#51 American Revolution Museum at Yorktown #1

#106 Yorktown Battlefield #2

#122 York River State Park

#133 Colonial National Historic Park #6

#199 Yorktown Beach #3 4.5/5

Colonial Parkway #4

Riverwalk Landing #5

Yorktown Victory Monument #7

Yorktown Farmers Market #8

Yorktown National Cemetery #9

The Watermen's Museum #10

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South Side

Chesapeake:

#69 Oak Grove Lake Park #1

Dismal Swamp Canal Trail #2

Hickory Ridge Farm #3

Northwest River Park #4

Chesapeake Arboretum #5

Great Bridge Lock Park #6

Isle of Wight County (includes Smithfield)

St. Luke's Historic Church & Museum #1

Windsor Castle Park #2

Isle of Wight County Museum #3

Smithfield Farmers Market #4

Smithfield and Isle of Wight Visitor Center #5

Norfolk:

#8 Battleship Wisconsin at Nauticus #1

#20 Norfolk Botanical Garden #2

#75 Chrysler Museum of Art #3

#89 Nauticus #4

#121 Virginia Zoo #5

Naval Station Norfolk #6

Hampton Roads Naval Museum #7

MacArthur Memorial #8

Pagoda & Oriental Garden #9

Portsmouth

#212 Children's Museum of Virginia #1 4.5/5

Portsmouth City Park #2

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum #3

Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve #4

Lightship Portsmouth Museum #5

The Railroad Museum of Virginia #6

Suffolk

#198 Riddick's Folly House Museum #1 5/5

Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge #2

Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum #3

Suffolk Visitor Center #4

Sleepy Hole Park #5

Surry

#151 Bacon's Castle #2

Virginia Beach

#1 Virginia Beach Boardwalk #1 4.5/5

#18 Sandbridge Beach #2 4.5/5

#30 Military Aviation Museum #4 5/5

#47 Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center #5 4.5/5

#52 First Landing State Park #6 4.5/5

#77 Tarnished Truth Distilling Company #7 5/5

#91 Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge #8 4.5/5

#118 Neptune's Park #9 4.5/5

#134 Cape Henry Lighthouse  #10 4.5/5

#172 Mount Trashmore Park #11 4.5/5

#183. King Neptune Statue on the Boardwalk #12 4.5/5

#189 Chic's Beach #13 4.5/5

#191 False Cape State Park #14 4.5/5

#196. Hunt Club Farm #16 4.5/5

#206. Ocean Breeze Waterpark #18 4/5

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For more to do within 7.5 hr driving distance (apx hrs drive from Newport News):

Virginia

Delaware

Maryland

Baltimore (direct flights)

New Jersey

New York (7 hrs drive to NYC; direct flights available to EWR, LGA, & JFK)

#1 in US The National 9/11 Memorial & Museum #2 Historic Site/Museum 4.5/5 7 hrs

North Carolina

#37 in US Biltmore #1 in Asheville - Historic Site/Museum 6.5 hrs -

Closest direct flight is to CLT >2 hrs away

Pennsylvania 

#27.  in US Eastern State Penitentiary #1 in Philadelphia 4.5/5 History Site/Museum 5.5 hrs

Direct flights available

Pittsburgh - 7 hrs - direct flights available

South Carolina 

#24 in US Middleton Place #11 in Charleston (direct flights w/ Breeze) 4.5/5 7 hrs

#36 in US Broadway at the Beach (Myrtle Beach w/ indirect flights only #13) 4.5/5 5.5 hrs

Tennessee

#35 in US Titanic Museum Attraction 4.5/5 Specialty Museum 7.5 hrs

Washington DC 

#14 in US Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History #3 4.5/5 3 hrs; direct flights available from ORF

West Virginia - indirect flights only

For more to do beyond 7 hr driving distance (with direct flights from SE VA (updated 10/11/21) out of RIC (Richmond) &/or ORF (Norfolk); PHF (Newport News) direct flights to CLT, PHL on AA, formerly ATL on Delta):

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California:

Los Angeles

#4 The Getty Center 5/5 Specialty Museums

San Diego

#12 USS Midway Museum 5/5 Specialty Museums

Colorado:

Denver

Connecticut:

Hartford

Florida:

Fort Lauderdale

Jacksonville

Miami

#9 Wynwood Walls 4.5/5 Points of Interest/Art Museums

Orlando

#3 The Wizarding World of Harry Potter 5/5 Amusement & Theme Parks (see caveat above)

Sarasota

Tampa

Georgia:

Atlanta

Illinois:

Chicago

#5 The Art Institute of Chicago 5/5 Art Museums

Louisiana:

New Orleans (direct on Breeze Airways - not daily)

#7 The National WWII Museum 5/5 Military Museums

Massachusetts

Boston

#10 Fenway Park - 4.5/5 Arenas & Stadiums

Michigan:

Detroit

Minnesota:

Minneapolis

Nevada:

Las Vegas

#2 in US Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area 4.5/5 State Parks • National Parks

Ohio:

Cincinatti

Columbus (on Breeze)

Rhode Island:

Providence

Tenessee:

Nashville (direct on Southwest)

#8 Grand Ole Opry 4.5/5 Theaters

Texas:

Dallas/Fort Worth

Houston

No major direct flights from SE VA as of 10/11/21 from any international destination & the following major US cities:

Arizona:

no options (i.e. Phoenix which was an ORF-PHX route on Frontier & Tucson)

California:

Only direct options are Los Angeles & San Diego.

No direct options to:

San Francisco (or San Jose)

Kentucky:

Louisville

New Mexico:

no options (i.e. Albuquerque)

North Carolina:

Only direct option is Charlotte

Ohio:

Indianapolis

Oklahoma:

no options (i.e. Oklahoma City)

Oregon:

no options (i.e. Portland)

Tennessee:

Memphis

Texas:

Austin

El Paso

San Antonio

Washington:

no options (i.e. Seattle)

Wisconsin:

no options (i.e. Milwaukee)

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