Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, May 15, 1994 TAG: 9405170010
SECTION: TRAVEL PAGE: F8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ELISA FINNERAN
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long
With its gray hull jutting out over the Elizabeth River like a 21st century command center, Nauticus is Norfolk's latest addition to the downtown renaissance that began nearly 20 years ago. Dilapidated warehouses and wharves have been transformed into a potpourri of special events and sightseeing wonders.
Inside Nauticus, you'll board the world's longest people-mover and go on a wavy ride to the main exhibit floor to see a complete ship's bridge, operating radar, telescopes and "marine exploratorium" games for young seafaring explorers. More daring adults can land a Navy jet on a nuclear aircraft carrier's pitching deck. There's a live shark to pet and a jellyfish that has ridden a NASA space shuttle. You can also catch a "dive-in" movie and feel the ocean surround you without getting your feet wet.
Adjacent to Nauticus is Town Point Park, offering grassy grounds to enjoy a picnic lunch and seaside breezes, and the Waterside Festival Marketplace. The Waterside offers an international smorgasbord of fast-food vendors and restaurants.
There's Il Porto Ristorante, the Shine Shine Palace and Reggie's Pub, where you can enjoy Welsh Rarebit, Shepherd's Pie or Bangers and Mash. For a lighter bite, Schooner's Waterfront Cafe offers a crispy crabcake sandwich as part of its full menu and apple-sausage crepes during its Jazz Brunch
Brimming with unique shops, the Waterside is the place to find everything from souvenirs to exotic stuffed animals to antique furniture. Colorful kiosks sell specialty clothing and handcrafted jewelry. And local performing arts groups frequent the Waterside's Center Stage.
This summer heralds the addition of "Waterside Live," an entertainment center filled with the live sounds of jazz and rhythm-and-blues. Waterside Live features the All-Star Bar and Grill as well as Legends of Norfolk, Waterside's latest dancing hot spot, which pays tribute to many of Hampton Roads' home-grown celebrities including Ella Fitzgerald and Bruce Hornsby.
Outside the marketplace is the Waterside Marina for boaters, many traveling the Intracoastal Waterway. Outlined by a brick promenade, the Waterside-Town Point Park waterfront is also a regular stop for tall ships from around the world and has been a port of call to Donald Trump's yacht.
If you happen to stroll the waterfront in the spring, summer or fall, chances are you'll run into one of the more than 100 free special events held each year in Town Point Park. Weekly TGIF concerts are a favorite among the locals as thousands flock to the park to kick off summer weekends. There are weekend art shows, concerts, boat shows and parades.
One of the most popular events is the Town Point Virginia Wine Festival, held each October. An Elizabeth River sunset provides the perfect backdrop to sample the products of Virginia's wineries and even pick up a red rose or loaf of fresh-baked French bread.
But the granddaddy of them all is Harborfest. Held in June, the event turns downtown Norfolk's streets and waterways into a playground. National entertainers, fireworks, the Navy's Blue Angels, Chesapeake Bay seafood, a tugboat parade, sailboat races and a parade of visiting tall sailing ships create a three-day maritime festival unmatched in the mid-Atlantic region. Run by volunteers, Harborfest usually draws more than 250,000 people each year.
So if you plan to attend, make hotel reservations far in advance. Norfolk's newest hotel is the Waterside Marriott. And along the water sits the Omni International Hotel offering rooms with balcony views of the harbor.
If you prefer a more homey experience, Norfolk's first bed and breakfast is less than a mile from downtown. The Page House Inn is a three-story, 19th-century Georgian Revival. With the sweet scent of homemade apple-carrot muffins and scones wafting through the formal dining room and parlor, you would never know the house had suffered years of neglect and decay. Meticulously refurbished, the once-boarded-up brick house is now a spacious inn with 10-foot-wide hallways and filled with antiques, canopy and pineapple poster beds, and 20th century artwork - including paintings and a Bible from the home's original family.
Four guest rooms, with private baths, are offered for $75 to $120. The Adella Suite comes with a fireplace, stocked refrigerator, whirlpool bath and sitting room and is $135 per night.
Within walking distance to several cultural attractions, the Page House Inn is in the heart of the Ghent historic district - a scenic escape in itself. Bordered by the Hague, a finger of the Elizabeth River, Ghent's turn-of-the-century restored residences range from Tudor-style homes to Romanesque Revival town houses to stately Victorian mansions.
The neighborhood's crown jewel is the Harrison Opera House, a World War II building constructed to host USO shows that received a $10 million face lift last year. Home of the Virginia Opera, it is also used by the Virginia Symphony.
Named in honor of the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in Belgium ending the War of 1812, Ghent is also home to the Chrysler Museum. Works by Picasso, Matisse and Warhol are part of extensive exhibits that also include artifacts from ancient Greece, Rome and the Orient as well as one of the world's most extensive glass collections. The museum's impressive Italianate architecture offers an elegant atmosphere in which to enjoy lunch at the Palettes Cafe at The Chrysler.
To experience the making of modern art, tour the nearby d'Art Center. A working studio for artists, d'Art allows visitors to watch sculptors, painters, jewelry makers and textile artisans create and sell their crafts.
To get to the d'Art Center or Chrysler Museum consider taking the Norfolk trolley which makes seven stops from the Waterside. You can also get off at the Douglas MacArthur Memorial (which houses the general's tomb, limousine and corncob pipe), the Willoughby-Baylor House, St. Paul's Church or the Hunter House Victorian Museum.
Nestled within the cobblestone streets of the Freemason neighborhood stands the Hunter House. Built in the 1890s by a dry-goods merchant, the home's weighty brick, granite and brownstone exterior was considered newfangled in its time. Exquisitely detailed oak woodwork, wrought-iron light fixtures and stained glass adorn the entrance hall. Featuring interpretive events, the home is now a museum where visitors can take a peek into the past lives of the original owners and their three children who kept the house until 1965. Victorian furnishings, a child's nursery and a collection of early 20th century medical equipment are among the treasures that fill one of Norfolk's most interesting historic homes.
The Moses Myers House, an elegant Federal Period home, is the country's only historic house interpreting the traditions of early Jewish immigrants. It was built in 1792 by the city's first permanent Jewish settler whose family hosted such dignitaries as Henry Clay, President Monroe and Daniel Webster.
While exploring Norfolk's past, be sure to see St. Paul's Church, the city's oldest building and only structure to survive the British destruction of Norfolk in 1776. A cannonball fired by Lord Dunmore remains lodged in the church's wall.
Peppered throughout the downtown area are more historic homes as well as a smattering of boutiques, antique shops and cafes. And a trip to downtown Norfolk would not be complete without a stop at Doumar's Drive-In featuring old-fashioned curb service and waffle-style ice-cream cones - invented by Abe Doumar in 1904.
Whether you're touring by foot, car or trolley, you'll find plenty to do in a weekend or week in downtown Norfolk. Catch a Tidewater Tides baseball game in Norfolk's new Harbor Park riverfront stadium. Take a ride to neighboring Portsmouth on the Elizabeth River Ferry. Or dine at the Freemason Abbey Restaurant, a former church in the historic district. Go to sea on the Carrie-B or the Spirit or Norfolk. Or indulge in a Kelly's hamburger across the street from the Naro Theater in Ghent, where the year's best foreign films appear.
Norfolk, known for centuries for its expanse of working harbors, has grown beyond its reputation as home to the world's largest naval base. A town once blanketed by the military, the city has awakened to find it has many other scenic riches to share. From restored Victorian homes to seaside celebrations, Norfolk boasts all the amenities of a graceful port city.
\ Elisa Finneran is a free-lance writer living in Newport News.|
by CNB