Ah, Tidewater!
Encompassing Hampton, Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, Chesapeake and other growing communities, this sprawling section of Virginia is filled with gorgeous beaches (some not yet over-developed-- take the Willoughby Spit exit to Norfolk's Grand View and see for yourself), a bawdy history and an erratic-but-bustling night life in certain patches.
An hour and a half from Richmond, the Hampton Roads area has grown up in recent years and there's more than enough to keep you occupied during your stay. Hopefully you'll have transportation. Depending on your perspective toward tourist-y beach towns, Virginia Beach is either summer heaven or a congested Hell on earth.
Lots of Official Virginia tourism-- Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William & Mary are halfway between Richmond and Tidewater-- and Norfolk has a wonderful, criticially-revered museum called the Chrysler (at Olney & Virginia Beach Blvd. in Norfolk, 757-622-1211) that's worth all the hype.
Galleries & Museums
ARTIST'S GALLERY (24th Street and Pacific in Va. Beach)
BLUE SKIES GALLERY (26 S. King St in Hampton; 757-727-0028)
CHARLES TAYLOR ART CENTER (4205 Victoria Blvd. in Hampton;
757-722-ARTS)
CHRYSLER MUSEUM (at Olney and Mobray Arch. in Norfolk;
757-622-1211)
D'ART CENTER (125 College Place in Newport News; 757-625-4211)
409 GALLERY (757-567-1837)
HUNTINGTON MEMORIAL MUSEUM (a.k.a. HAMPTON UNIVERSITY
MUSEUM, the Huntington is a a part of Hampton University in Hampton;
757-727-5308)
MARINERS MUSEUM (100 Museum Dr. in Newport News; 757-596-2222)
MUSCARELLE MUSEUM OF ART (Jamestown Road at W&M;
757-221-2700)
PENINSULA FINE ARTS CENTER (100 Museum Dr. in Newport News
next to the Mariners)
VIRGINIA LIVING MUSEUM (in Newport News; 757-595-1900)
WONDERGALLERY (in Norfolk; 757-489-8809)
Theatre
ACTORS THEATRE (Pembroke Mall in Va. Beach; 757-557-0397)
DOMINION THEATRE (5641 Indian River Rd. in Va. Beach; 757-366-5749)
GENERIC THEATER (912 W. 21st St.in Norfolk; 757-441-2729)
LITTLE THEATRE (24th St. and Barberton in Va. Beach; 757-428-9233)
LODGE AUDITORIUM S. ENGLAND STREET (in Williamsburg;
757-220-7645 or 1-800-HISTORY)
2ND STORY THEATRE (in the Blair Building, 809 Brandon Ave. in Norfolk)
WELLS THEATRE (Norfolk; 757-627-6988 ext 315)
ZWG REPERTORY THEATRE (810 Granby St. in Norfolk; 757-627-1568)
Selected Retail shops and places of interest
BENDERS (In the Phoebus section of Hampton.) Loads of new and used comics,
used books, collectibles and sci-fi and pop culture paraphenalia.
THE EDGE (at 1900 Colley Ave. in Norfolk; 757-625-0909) Crazed, eclectic
men's fashion store.
TENTH INNING (3324 W. Mercury Blvd. in Hampton; 757-827-1667) One of
the largest selections of sports cards on the East Coast. Lots of collectibles, used
comics, sports and sci-fi paraphelia. Also does mail order . www.10thinning.com
NARO EXPANDED VIDEO (Located in Ghent at 802 Spotswood Ave.;
757-622-3738). Large selection of indie, obscure and foreign films.
SCOOTER STOP (612 E. Pembroke Ave. in Hampton; 757-723-4000) A
biker's paradise shop, owned and operated by rock 'n' roller Joe Valardi. Features
accessories, parts, leathers, chrome. . . the works
Food
To start with, if you are heading to or from Tidewater, and like good BBQ, might
we suggest PIERCE'S BAR-B-Q, near WIlliamsburg at 137 Rochambeau Dr. in
Toano. A bit hard to get to (you can actually see it from I-64 as you pass it), but
well worth it. Also worthwhile, if on the pricier side, is the prime italian dishes
prepared at RISTORANTE PRIMO (1325 Jamestown Rd. in Williamsburg).
Save it for your one good sit-down. And for an exciting evening with knives and
beef, there's always NARU OF JAPAN (at 10608 Warwick Blvd. in Newport
News), featuring mid-priced Japanese grill work.
On the main Mercury Blvd. strip in Hampton, just a mile or two off of the
Hampton Coliseum exits, there's all kinds of restaurant options. For good inexpensive eats in a family-style diner, try SAMMY AND NICKS at 2718 W. Mercury Blvd. (there
are many other locations of this Peninsula-based family chain); and a little further
down the road next to West Mercury Shoppes is the Mexican fare of
Mi PASEO. If you are in Hampton about to take the 1-64 tunnel into
Norfolk, get off on exit 69 and visit the wonderful community of Phoebus. Cheap
and good eats (courtesy of AUNT SARAH'S Restaurant and CLYDE's, both on
E. Mellen Street). Also in Phoebus, at the end of E. Mellen Street, is SAM'S
SEAFOOD HOUSE, a fine seafood haunt with a delicious seafood buffet most
evenings and, personally, our favorite Tidewater seafood joint. It’s homey and the food is consistent and not at all too costly.
When in Norfolk, try the DUMBWAITER (housed in the revitalized Granby
Mall district) for a scrumptious Southern-styled meal complete with an oddball
decor of hillbilly folk art and rock artifacts (804-623-3663).
Near Ghent, try THE BIENVILLE GRILLE for a nice sitdown featuring acclaimed
Louisiana-flavored dishes. For Chinese, you've got HUNAN EXPRESS at 6586 Tidewater Drive (757-853-8187) and SZECHUAN IN GHENT at 1517 Colley Ave. (625-1551). For expensive, nationally-recognized seafood there's the SHIP'S CABIN (at 4110 Ocean View Ave; 362-2526)-- it'll break your wallet but we hear it’s worth it. Great wine list too. For a less expensive, and more evocative, meal, there's the equally world-famous AMORY'S SEAFOOD in the Churchland section of Norfolk at 5909 High St.
And, hey, for cheap, American-style eats, might we suggest the
DOWNTOWNER at 209 Granby St.? For Tex-mex, how about THE
COLLEY CANTINA in Ghent at 1316 Colley Ave.? Okay, we did. Of course,
you could just take the easy way out and hit Norfolk's sprawling WATERSIDE
complex and their downstairs food court-- italian, chinese and all-American
dining are available in a bustling marketplace-like atmosphere.
While in Virginia Beach, and actually NEAR the beach, avoid those cheap pizza
places and check out the JEWISH MOTHER (804- 422-5430), which hosts folk
shows and the odd rock 'n' roll outing while offering delicious deli concoctions.
Of course, if you do succumb to Italian, you should spend a little extra and hit
ALDO'S RISTORANTE at 1860 Laskin Rd. They've also got a piano bar,
which helps digestion. And if the hot sun makes you desire Mexican, go for
MAMASITA's at 5001 Va. Beach Blvd. in Virginia Beach. Good fajitas. And
fans of Tandoori Indian cooking should check out the aptly named INDIAN at
5760 Northhampton Blvd.-- it comes recommended to us by a fan of mint
chutney.
Of course, the Tidewater area does mean seafood.
Our vote is for Sam’s (see above) but you've got too many choices to
choose from, so let's just give a shout out to the affordable OYSTERETTE (at
3916 Portsmouth Blvd. in Portsmouth), THE HALF SHELL (2917 Shore Drive
in Virginia Beach), the BLUE CRAB BAR AND GRILL (at 4521 Pretty Lake
Ave. in Norfolk; 362-8000) and, yes, CROAKERS (3629 Shore Dr. in Virginia
Beach).
(Tell 'em you heard about it from Grip Monthly and the Virginia Music Flash web site)