Question 1

Norfolk on Your Own

Accepted Answer

Downtown Norfolk is walkable from the cruise terminal, and a battleship, a free memorial museum and a colonial church make a full morning without a car. The art museum and the ferry to Portsmouth add an afternoon. Nauticus and the Wisconsin: The maritime center and the battleship are next to the terminal. In October 2026 Nauticus opened Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; check before you go. MacArthur Memorial: General Douglas MacArthur and his wife are buried in the rotunda of Norfolk's 19th-century former courthouse and city hall at 198 Bank Street, which now houses a museum about his life. Admission is free. St. Paul's Church: The nave of 1739 is the only colonial-era building left in Norfolk, and a cannonball said to date from the attack of 1776 is set in its wall. Chrysler Museum of Art: At One Memorial Place, where the Ghent, Freemason and NEON districts meet, with free admission. In October 2026 the museum was closed on Mondays, and a free glassmaking demonstration ran at noon from Tuesday to Sunday. Across the river: The Hampton Roads Transit ferry crosses the Elizabeth River from downtown Norfolk to Portsmouth; check the transit agency's service notices for your day. Before or after the cruise: The Tide light rail runs through downtown, which helps if you stay a night in the city. Getting back on time: If you are on a port call, all-aboard is usually about 30 minutes before sailing, and your ship posts the exact time. A ship will not wait for passengers touring on their own. All-aboard is given in ship's time, which may not match the local clocks or your phone.

Question 2

Getting Around Norfolk

Accepted Answer

Hampton Roads Transit runs Norfolk's buses, The Tide light rail and the ferry to Portsmouth, and a ride on any of the three costs the same. In October 2026, a single ride cost $2 and a one-day GoPass $4.50; check before you go. Fare boxes on HRT vehicles other than the light rail take cash, coins and GoPasses but give no change, so carry the exact fare. The Tide is a 7.4-mile light rail line from the medical center through downtown to Newtown Road. The Elizabeth River Trail, a 10.5-mile path for walkers and cyclists, links many of the city's waterfront sights. Victory Rover boats from Nauticus cruise past Naval Station Norfolk and the Port of Virginia, and Nauticus also runs bus tours of the naval base. Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown Settlement, two living history museums, are elsewhere in Hampton Roads.

Question 3

What to Eat in Norfolk

Accepted Answer

Norfolk sits on Chesapeake Bay, home to eastern oysters and blue crabs, and the Hampton Roads region has its own cured ham from Smithfield. Smithfield ham: A country ham given its final cure in the town of Smithfield, in Hampton Roads. Virginia law has regulated the name since 1926. From the bay: Eastern oysters and blue crabs are among the bay's shellfish, though catches have fallen since the mid-20th century. At the art museum: In October 2026, Zinnia, the café at the Chrysler Museum, served lunch from Tuesday to Sunday; check before you go.

Question 4

Tipping in the United States

Accepted Answer

Tipping is expected in the United States, and at a sit-down restaurant a tip worked out as a percentage of the bill is customary. Some restaurants add an automatic gratuity or service charge, so look at the bill before you add more. Taxi drivers are usually tipped a share of the fare. Tour and activity guides are commonly tipped about $5 to $10 per person for a day's outing. The currency is the US dollar, and foreign currencies are almost never accepted.

Question 5

Museums and Local Culture

Accepted Answer

Norfolk's culture is built around the sea and the Navy, but the city also has the region's most comprehensive art museum, an opera company founded here in 1974 and a downtown dotted with mermaid statues. Much of it is free or close to the waterfront. Chrysler Museum of Art: Open since 1933 and expanded six times, it has large glass galleries and its own glass studio. Admission is always free. Moses Myers House: Run by the Chrysler Museum, this house of 1792 was the home of Norfolk's first Jewish family, and most of the objects inside are original to them. Mermaids on Parade: Since 2002 the city has placed mermaid statues around town, and a walking tour downtown finds 17 of them. Music and stage: The Virginia Symphony Orchestra dates from 1920, and the Virginia Opera's main stage is the Harrison Opera House in Ghent. Festivals: Harborfest, the region's largest annual festival, fills Town Point Park on the first weekend in June with a parade of tall ships, music and fireworks. The Virginia Arts Festival, with its Virginia International Tattoo, is also based in Norfolk.

Question 6

Hampton Roads: Where American Naval History Was Made

Accepted Answer

Norfolk was founded in 1682 where the Elizabeth River meets Chesapeake Bay, was almost entirely burned on New Year's Day 1776, and grew in the 20th century around what became the world's largest naval installation. The cruise terminal stands on the site of a fort of 1673. 1673: A fort shaped like a half-moon was built on the waterfront to protect the town's shipping. The cruise terminal takes its name, Half Moone, from it. 1682 to 1736: Norfolk was established as a colonial seaport in 1682, incorporated in 1705 and made a royal borough by George II in 1736. January 1, 1776: The fleeing royal governor, Lord Dunmore, attacked the town from the water. Fires set by patriots ran out of control and destroyed nearly the whole town; St. Paul's Church was the only major building to escape heavy damage, though a cannonball struck its wall. 1855: A ship from the West Indies, where yellow fever had broken out, put in for repairs in June, and within weeks the first cases were found in Norfolk. March 8 and 9, 1862: The Battle of Hampton Roads, off Sewell's Point in today's Norfolk, was the first fight between ironclad warships, the USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia. 1907: The Jamestown Exposition at Sewell's Point, with its great naval review, laid the groundwork for the naval base that grew there. 1983 to 2007: The waterfront was rebuilt, with Waterside Festival Marketplace opening in 1983, Nauticus in 1994, the battleship Wisconsin arriving on December 7, 2000, and the Half Moone cruise terminal in 2007. To learn more ashore: The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is on the second floor of Nauticus, next to the cruise terminal, and the MacArthur Memorial is at 198 Bank Street.

Question 7

Norfolk with Children and Families

Accepted Answer

Norfolk is a good city for a family day before or after a cruise, with a walk-aboard battleship, a children's play area at Nauticus and a zoo. Younger children: Aquaticus, on the third floor of Nauticus, is a play space with a slide, next to the Nautical Neighborhood Aquarium. School age: The battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest battleships the US Navy built, served in World War II, Korea and the 1991 Gulf War, and you walk its teak decks from Nauticus. Teenagers: A Victory Rover boat trip past Naval Station Norfolk shows the scale of the Navy's presence, and the Chrysler Museum's noon glassmaking demonstration is free. Animals: The Virginia Zoo, open since 1900, has hundreds of animals on 65 acres, including Siberian tigers and white rhinos. The Norfolk Botanical Garden, 155 acres near the airport, is open year-round.

Question 8

Accessibility in Norfolk

Accepted Answer

The Half Moone terminal connects to the ship by an enclosed, raised gangway, and Nauticus and the battleship are right next door. Ask the cruise line about wheelchair assistance through the terminal. The Chrysler Museum is wheelchair accessible, lends wheelchairs and strollers free of charge, has an induction loop in its theater and offers large-print labels. Hampton Roads Transit sells discounted fares, half the regular price, to holders of its Discounted Fare ID; ask HRT who qualifies. Certified paratransit users ride HRT buses, the light rail and the ferry free. Ask Nauticus before you go which parts of the battleship you can reach without stairs.

Question 9

Shopping in Norfolk

Accepted Answer

Downtown Norfolk's shopping centers on Granby Street, a few blocks inland from the waterfront. The Visitor Information Center on East Main Street has its own shop, the Mermaid Market. Granby Street was long the region's main shopping street, and the city has worked since the 1990s to bring it back. The Chrysler Museum's shop opens during museum hours.

Question 10

Virginia Beach and the Atlantic Shore

Accepted Answer

Norfolk has its own beaches on Chesapeake Bay, and Virginia Beach, on the Atlantic next door, has the long ocean beach. Norfolk itself has three city beaches in the Ocean View area, on its north shore facing the bay. At Virginia Beach, a beach about 300 feet (91 meters) wide runs beside a 3-mile (4.8 km) concrete boardwalk, with bike and surrey rentals along it. First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach, the most-visited state park in Virginia, protects salt marsh, maritime forest and freshwater ponds. The First Landing Cross, also in Virginia Beach, marks where English settlers landed in 1607. The Cape Henry Lighthouse, completed in 1792, was the first lighthouse built by the federal government.

Norfolk, Virginia, US

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What Cruise Travelers Should Know About Norfolk