Downtown Norfolk, VA, perhaps more than any other Chesapeake Bay port downtown, is a story of investment and rebirth. That investment and the resulting revitalization had many contributors, none more important than the boating public, who encouraged and latched on to the building of a downtown marina, Festival Marketplace, a seven-acre waterfront park and an outdoor festival program to activate that park (see “Harborfest” sidebar for more on this).
This city of 231,000, founded in 1682, is the cultural center of the larger six city region known as Hampton Roads that anchors the bottom of the Bay. Some casual visitors will label the region “Tidewater” but Norfolk (“Naw-fuk” as pronounced by the locals) residents will challenge that reference and suggest you stick with Hampton Roads, an appellation for the amazing natural harbor and anchorage where the James, Elizabeth, and Nansemond Rivers meet the Chesapeake Bay.
Norfolk is also the gateway to the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Mile Marker Zero is just off Hospital Point, practically a stone’s throw across the river from downtown Norfolk. It is here that many an ICW trek starts in earnest.
It is such an easy place to visit by boat. Head roughly south on the Bay. Turn smartly to starboard when you run out of water in front of you. Slide over the tunnel portion of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel. Leave the largest naval base in the world to port. Pass container piers on both sides and the amazing Lamberts Point Coal Terminal operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad (amazing because the coal never hits the ground for storage. It goes from train cars directly to the waiting ships). Leaving Lamberts Point behind, you will see downtown Norfolk beckoning in the distance.
The Waterside Marina will welcome you to downtown. This all-transient marina can manage 40 to 50 boats. Slips can be reserved on Dockwa. Immediately adjacent to Waterside is the Festival Marketplace now known as the Waterside District. Inside you will find any and all nourishment and libations you may require after the trip down the Bay.
Many great ports on the Bay are in smaller towns. While small towns are their own attraction, tying up in a larger city opens up many choices to occupy your time that you can come back again and again and not “cover the waterfront” as the saying goes. So, let’s talk about that.
After you have explored the Waterside District and presuming you are staying a bit to explore more, food and beverage will quickly pop up on your “must have” list. Take a walk down Granby Street, which runs perpendicular to the waterfront, and take your pick from a large and eclectic collection. In the first block there are several choices. Jack Brown’s Beer and Burger Joint almost always has a wait. That must mean something. In the third block consider Grace O’Malley’s, an old school Irish pub, or the 219 Bistro right next door.
In the fifth block you can go upscale or very casual. For the upscale choice try Luce, an Italian influenced restaurant and bar that features a very contemporary twist on classic Italian fare. Just across the street you can shift down a bit and visit Tap It Local Craft Beer for a burger and a wide selection of regionally produced craft beers.
After all that eating and drinking you will surely need some sort of a sweet treat to reward your exploration trek. So, on the way back to the boat you will have to think, is it ice cream or a cookie? If the choice is ice cream, head to Blyss Ice Cream and Desserts for the best selection. If your group is undecided, consider a stop in Insomnia Cookies. Here you will find a broad selection of baked treats, ice cream choices, and several cookie and ice cream combinations. I would like to note they are open until at least 1 a.m., true to their name, and will deliver, just in case you get that late night need for something sweet.
Okay, now that you are well fed you will need to walk off some of those calories. So, get your walking shoes on and consider the following.
Norfolk Festevents has been programming Town Point Park since it opened in 1983. The well-designed seven-acre public park is immediately adjacent to the Waterside Marina. If you picked the right days to visit, you could have live music, food and beverage vendors, interesting ships to visit, and so much more.
Not much further away you will find Nauticus, a very engaging mash up of maritime museum and entertainment. Part of Nauticus is the very last Battleship ever built for the US Navy, the USS Wisconsin. A walk on her over 900 feet of teak decks will have you recalling the glory days of “big iron” on the high seas.
For a different view of our military history take a short walk to the MacArthur Memorial, a museum, research center, and the final resting place for legendary US Army general Douglas MacArthur. Here you will see and learn about some of our 20th century military engagements including World Wars I and II along with the Korean War that spanned the general’s long career.
Shifting gears, the Chrysler Museum of Art is always worth a visit. Founded in 1933 the museum expanded dramatically in 1971 when Walter P. Chrysler Jr. brought his collection of more than 10,000 works of art to Norfolk. Over the years the museum has grown to five galleries holding over 35,000 objects of art.
So, when are you coming for a visit? Surely what has been described above only scratches the surface of the elements that have, could, or should prompt your planning a boat trip. Pick up the phone, it’s Norfolk calling.
The Roots of Norfolk’s Revitalization… Harborfest!
In 1976 Operation Sail, OpSail for short, put together an international fleet of tall ships to help America celebrate our bicentennial. Logically, Norfolk became a stop for the tall ships on their way to New York for our bicentennial celebration. That visit of tall ships sparked local leadership to “rinse and repeat” in 1977. With that first annual “Harborfest,” a dynasty was born, and the seeds of an urban revitalization were sown.
Like so many port cities, the industrial downtown port activities moved out as containerized shipping replaced break bulk cargo. The 1950s and 1960s saw a dramatic disinvestment in downtown Norfolk with degrading old port facilities no longer serving a purpose. By the 1970s the downtown waterfront was mostly cleared of buildings and serving as car parking for the downtown workforce.
It was OpSail and those first few Harborfests that sparked the downtown’s revitalization. With those experiences the city leadership began to realize that what was once abandoned and underutilized could become an entertainment draw for the region.
For the first few years, Harborfest was a one-off annual event. But it didn’t take long for the city leadership to see the future. Options were considered and plans were made. A public park and a waterfront entertainment venue began to take shape, covering the ground that was otherwise only serving downtown commuters.
Since that first OpSail stop in Norfolk in 1976, the city has seen a makeover that is nothing short of amazing. The virtually abandoned industrial downtown waterfront was sparked to life by the early Harborfests, and then reborn with promenades, parks, and people living downtown.
In a few short years the downtown waterfront was graced with the amazing seven-acre waterfront park known as Town Point Park and a Festival Marketplace developed by the legendary Jim Rouse. Following, not long after, was a modern take on a maritime museum, a cruise ship dock, and thousands and thousands of new residential units. This landmark urban revitalization has many mothers but only one true catalyst: Harborfest and the waterfront festivals that brought people to downtown for plain old fun.
In 1983 the success of Harborfest begat Norfolk Festevents Ltd., an organization focused on year-round festival events and activities for the evolving downtown waterfront. There is no question that the regular programming of Town Point Park, like so many “mini” Harborfests, cemented the revitalized future of the downtown.
It is hard to separate the success of Norfolk Festevents from that of founding chief executive Karen Scherberger. Her hand at the tiller over 43 years is unmistakable and thoroughly remarkable. Downtown Norfolk would not be what it is today without Festevents, and Festevents would not be the premier waterfront festival organization it is without Scherberger.
Over the years Scherberger’s work has spawned dozens of similar organizations. Up and down the Bay, many similar organizations can track their DNA to Norfolk Festevents. She is a teacher, an advocate, and a coach to so many of her peers. She has become the “Dean” of waterfront festival organizations, a title well-earned and well-deserved. Norfolk is a great place, in part thanks to Karen’s vision.
To learn more, visit festevents.org and visitnorfolk.com.
By Mike Pitchford