We have driven all over and around Norfolk since we arrived but we hadn’t explored the downtown area which has a lot to see and do. It is very compact and best explored by foot so we opted to take the ferry from Portsmouth to Downtown Norfolk. The ferry is an easy walk from our marina in Portsmouth and delivered us right to the Waterside area which is a great place to start exploring.

This great walking map is posted at the Waterside Park and the signage along the walk is great. We followed the waterfront trail to the left and headed towards the Naval Museum. We have toured several aircraft carriers and battleships so we opted to just explore around the area and not tour the ship.

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an official museum of the United States Navy and reports to the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C. This free museum interprets the history of the U.S. Navy in and around Hampton Roads, Virginia from the Revolutionary War to the present day for service members and the general public. It is very well done and is well worth a visit.

There are several really pretty small parks along the walk as you head towards Freemason Street.

Freemason Street was perhaps the prettiest part of the walk and is part of the city’s oldest freestanding neighborhood, featuring tree-lined cobblestone streets filled with old, historical homes. It was a cool respite on a very hot day. Some of the wrought iron gates and iron fences were really beautiful. Freemason Street derived its name from the location of the original Norfolk Masonic Lodge (just east of the neighborhood).

From Freemason Street we opted to take Grandby Street back towards the waterfront. Grandby Street was named in 1769 to honor Englishman John Manners (1721 – 1770), Marquess of Granby. The original street ran three blocks from Bute Street south to Town Back Creek, a semi-navigable stretch of marshland running the length of today’s City Hall Avenue. I am happy to report we did not have to navigate thru swampy marshland to get back to the waterfront!!

Honestly, sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when we decided to spend the summer in this part of the country. Yep, it’s hot and humid most days which makes exploring by foot not as exciting but what the heck, we gotta get out and do it anyway!

We found a really cute coffee shop along our walk to cool off in. Wally had a good laugh with the barista… unbeknownst to him, he had a nice size spider riding on his shoulder. While he was ordering, apparently the barista was staring at it and Wally asked her if something was wrong. She nervously told him about the spider, which Wally quickly brushed off and dispatched. Aww, poor spider… Seems this barista has seen a few interesting pets come in with customers … like snakes, tarantulas… ugh, so she thought maybe it was Wally’s pet spider – HAHAHA!!!!! We had a cold brew iced coffee to jump start us to go back outside and walk some more!

The mermaid has been the signature symbol of the City of Norfolk since 2002.   The idea of a “Mermaid Parade” came up in 1999, and was implemented with local bronze sculptor Kevin Gallup mass-producing 130 mermaid castings for local businesses, artists and homeowners to sponsor and decorate.   To this day the mermaid is the symbol of the city, and is part of the official city logo, its website and social media sites, and it now has this much larger mermaid fountain in Town Point Park on the edge of Elizabeth River, next to the Nauticus maritime museum.

The result has mermaids all over the city, and enthusiastic support for the city adopting the mermaid as its symbol.  At least 80 mermaids have been customized and placed around the city. It was fun to look for them as they are each uniquely different and quite the work of art.

Norfolk has no shortage of art … everything from beautiful museums to outdoor murals. We made a beeline to the Glass Light Hotel and Gallery. Inside the hotel is the Perry Glass Art Collection featuring beautiful glass pieces from local and internationally renowned artists. The featured art includes a rotating selection of pieces, which guests will find throughout the gallery as well as the hotel.

This private collection encompasses two floors of over 65 glass art pieces from world renowned artists.  Some currently being featuring are Dale Chihuly, Stephen Rolfe Powell, Nancy Callan, Karen Lamonte, Peter Bremers, Katherine Gray and Lucy Lyon. The Gallery is free to hotel guests and the public to enjoy. 

All that exploring had us hungry and I knew just the place that Wally would love – The Grilled Cheese Bistro!!! I had read about this restaurant and knew it got rave reviews.

What happens when you combine two pieces of bread, slice of cheese, and a frying pan? The answer — a winning business model. The Grilled Cheese Bistro is a cozy downtown restaurant that launched in 2015, and has quickly become a staple for both foodies and novices alike. 

Even though the concept of a grilled cheese seems rather simple, the culinary combinations that the chefs make are truly remarkable. The menu includes names like; Sam I Am, Gooey, Hangover, Dreamin’ of Reuben, and Guiseppe (Melon, Prosciutto, Basil, with Local Wild Flower Honey, Balsamic, Mozzarella & Fontina), so I was all in to try it! Damn, it was good… sooooo many delicious calories in those huge sammie’s. They were so big that we ended up each taking half of our sammie’s home. Dinner was recreated with a fresh garden salad …. Does that help reduce the overall calories??

After that delicious gut bomb lunch we were definitely walking a bit slower… or maybe it was hotter?? We headed back towards the waterfront and made a last stop at Slover Library and Selden Market Shops. The Slover Library blends traditional library functions with the best of contemporary library resources and services. The beautiful, innovative space design creates a vital and dynamic center for the community and is also known as an attraction for visitors. It’s welcoming spaces make it a great place to spend sometime reading.

Selden Market is Norfolk’s first retail incubator. They supposedly offer a mix up-and-coming concepts in retail, food and more from local, small businesses. They market the shops as the perfect place to shop for unique gifts offering products from home decor, jewelry, wallets, skateboards, apparel and more! The Selden Market is a great concept but it was disappointing as there were hardly any shops open and many of the spaces had no vendors occupying them.

We had a great day exploring downtown Norfolk but now we were ready to take our buddha belly’s back to the boat and plop down or have a nap!