Norfolk featured in Washington Post Travel Section
HR Partnership | August 17, 2010
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| Mark Landers, in front, owner of Segway of Hampton Roads, wheels a group of tourists on a 90-minute tour through downtown. “Norfolk is a scenic and cultural gem,” Landers says. “Lately I’ve been following the light-rail trail, which really shows off some of Norfolk’s unique architecture.” (Photo credit: Segway of Hampton Roads) |
Escapes: Norfolk is more than just a Navy townBy Cindy Loose, Special Contributor to The Washington Post on August 13, 2010 (a former Travel writer for The Post, Loose now works in public relations) |
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Having lunch at Rowena’s Tea Shop in Norfolk is like dining inside a nursery rhyme. One wall features a garden mural with larger-than-life images of Mr. Jellyford Jam III and other whimsical characters that owner Rowena Fullinwider has created. Quiche, sandwiches and the desserts that have been featured in Gourmet and Bon Appetit are delivered on tiered silver platters.
Fullinwider began making cakes from her home to raise money for the Norfolk opera. Today, her shop ships tons of gourmet food across the country.
Her progress is emblematic of what has been happening in Norfolk the past decade or two, as government and private entrepreneurs have worked to transform a deteriorating Navy town into a thriving, attractive, fun city for residents and tourists alike.
A recent visit proved that the effort has paid off. Norfolk is ready for prime time. A long weekend provided art, history, gorging and an outdoor adventure.
It started with a Segway tour that begins and ends along the waterfront, where tall ships and tugboats, sailboats and barges traverse the Elizabeth River near the Chesapeake Bay. Until the city completes a tramway that will eventually run all the way to Virginia Beach, Segways and bikes can ride along the tracks through town.
The city has invested millions in its waterfront, including a recent renovation of Town Point Park, where kids run through water fountains and play on grassy fields in front of an outdoor concert stage.
Norfolk is a city of waterfront festivals: One of the biggest, the wine festival, comes to town Oct. 16-17. Vintners from 30 wineries will join restaurateurs and musicians and sailors who parade and race on the river.
The waterfront is dotted with outdoor sculptures. During the Segway tour, we stop to read the collection of bronzed letters sculpted to look as if they’re blowing in the wind. Each letter is the last written by an American serviceman or servicewoman killed in war. The dates range from 1777 to 1991.
On Aug. 29, 1862, Robert Henry Miller wrote to his mother: “War looks a great deal better in the newspapers than anywhere else.” On Oct. 21, 1944, a nurse named Frances Slager wrote: “They are brought in bloody, dirty, and most of them so tired. Somebody’s brothers. Somebody’s fathers. Somebody’s sons.”
I’ve been looking forward to renting a bike and riding a miles-long path along the water, through a park and a wildlife sanctuary….
The Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, with a rich heritage and much historical significance, invites Hampton Roads’ citizens to the Southampton County Fairgrounds on July 24th and 25th for the Ninth Annual Powwow and Gathering, i.e. the “Green Corn Dance Celebration.”
Among the attendees was former Virginia Beach Mayor Meyera Oberndorff who asked that arts organizations, programs and venues do their very best to make art affordable for young people to encourage attendance as “they are our future.”
The Virginia Living Museum (
Inside Rose Garden Hall the many guests, including some of the most prominent names in the Hampton Roads art community, were entertained by the smooth sounds of the Forte Jazz Band. They were served hors d’oeuvres and fine wine while surveying all of the marvelous items up for auction. The auctioned items ranged from oil paintings and Broadway tickets to golf packages, massages, and even a cooking class gift certificate.
