Norfolk, VA

A Norfolk institution since 1904 — Abe Doumar invented the waffle cone at the 1904 World's Fair and his family has been making them fresh at this Ghent drive-in ever since. The North Carolina-style barbecue is the savory main event; the original cone-making machine is still on display and running.

Ghent's Italian-leaning small-plates spot — raw preparations, handmade pastas, and a menu built for grazing and sharing. The pasta program is the reason locals come back: tagliatelle, pappardelle, and seasonal fills change with what the kitchen is excited about.

Texas-style barbecue in Ghent with proper post oak-smoked brisket, burnt ends, and house-made sausage — the best barbecue in Hampton Roads and a serious contender in any Mid-Atlantic comparison. Lines form early; the brisket and the fatty beef ribs are the two things not to leave without.

Ghent's neighborhood bar-and-sandwich staple — gourmet sandwiches, solid salads, and a patio that fills every warm evening with the kind of regulars who've been eating here for 20 years. The Monte Cristo and the club are the sandwiches people defend loudest.

Ghent's Asian small-plates and ramen spot — Korean, Japanese, and Southeast Asian influences combined in a tight menu with real depth. The ramen is the headliner but the small plates (gyoza, bao, Korean fried chicken) are what make the regulars order too much.

Ghent bistro with a French-American menu and a patio that spills onto Colley Avenue — lobster rolls, croque monsieur, and a burger that's been a neighborhood staple longer than most restaurants around it. A reliable, comfortable choice when you don't want to think too hard.

Traditional Japanese ramen and small plates in Ghent — the tonkotsu is cooked for 12+ hours, the gyoza are made in-house, and the entire operation takes the Japanese kitchen tradition seriously without any East-West crossover. The quieter alternative to Alkaline for those who want the real thing.

Latin American restaurant in Ghent with a menu that moves across Central and South American cuisines — empanadas, ceviche, mole-braised meats, and a margarita program that takes the tequila seriously. Strong vegetarian and vegan options make it the go-to for mixed-diet groups.

Ghent wine bar and café with a European-accented menu of small plates, charcuterie, and seasonal cheese boards — the kind of place that's appropriate at any point of the evening, from pre-dinner drinks to a late-night cheese plate. One of the better wine-by-the-glass lists in Norfolk.

Ghent gourmet sandwich and soup lunch spot with an emphasis on locally sourced and seasonal ingredients — the kind of counter that makes you feel good about your lunch choice. The daily soups and the hot pressed sandwiches are the regulars' orders.

Ghent's Indian standard-bearer — biryani, tandoori preparations, and a vegetarian thali that's one of the better Indian meatless spreads in Hampton Roads. The lunch buffet is the hidden value that downtown workers have been quietly exploiting for years.

Ghent gastropub with Southern comfort food and craft cocktails — shrimp and grits, fried chicken, collard greens, and a mac and cheese that has made converts of people who don't usually order it. Warm room, good bar, and one of the more reliable dinner picks in the neighborhood.

Ghent's elevated breakfast and Neapolitan pizza hybrid — mornings bring farm-fresh egg dishes and house-baked breads, afternoons bring wood-fired pizzas and big salads. One of the most popular brunch spots in Norfolk with a patio that fills up every weekend.

Ghent burger spot since 2011 built around grass-fed Virginia beef ground to an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio — a detail that produces a noticeably juicier burger. The owners are often at the bar or patio; craft beer list rotates and skews Virginia local.

The signature trail of Virginia's most-visited state park — 1.8 miles of boardwalk through a rare coastal bald cypress swamp, one of the northernmost cypress swamp ecosystems on the East Coast. The trail passes over the water directly through the cypress canopy; osprey, great blue herons, and river otters are regular sightings.

A 7-mile out-and-back through the varied ecosystems of First Landing State Park — dune forests, freshwater ponds, marsh habitat, and eventually the Chesapeake Bay beachfront at Cape Henry. The best long trail option in the Hampton Roads area for those who want genuine forest immersion near the coast.

A 10.5-mile paved urban trail along the Elizabeth River connecting downtown Norfolk to Portsmouth via the Berkley Bridge and Midtown Tunnel corridor — the city's recreational spine along the working waterfront. Passing tugboats, naval vessels, and the downtown skyline make this a uniquely industrial-scenic urban trail.

The 175-acre botanical garden's internal trail network covers nearly 12 miles of walking paths through themed garden rooms, lakeside corridors, and forest sections — a gentler outdoor option than the state park with the added advantage of the garden programming.

A 8.5-mile flat trail along the historic Dismal Swamp Canal in Chesapeake — one of the oldest working canals in America (1805), now a quiet path through the western edge of the Great Dismal Swamp with black bear, river otter, and prothonotary warblers. A genuinely unusual natural experience within the Hampton Roads area.

A quieter 3.5-mile trail through the interior of First Landing State Park following Long Creek through sandy-bottomed forest with loblolly pine, live oak, and saltmarsh habitat — the park's least crowded option for a forested walk away from the boardwalk crowds.

The only glass studio of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic — a 33,200-square-foot working facility adjacent to the Chrysler Museum where visitors can watch live glassblowing demos at noon daily for free. The studio also offers hands-on glassblowing classes ranging from 90-minute beginner sessions to multi-day workshops.

Virginia Opera's home venue — a 1945 WWII-era USO theater lavishly renovated in 1993 into a 1,600-seat opera house. The Virginia Opera season runs fall through spring with productions ranging from classic works to American opera. The building is also used by the Norfolk Symphony and for touring musicals.

Norfolk's revitalized downtown waterfront entertainment complex along the Elizabeth River — multiple restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues in a festival-market format with river views and a lively outdoor area. Best in warm weather when the waterfront promenade comes alive; the nightly live music program runs year-round.

Norfolk's community art center in the NEON district — 40+ studio spaces rented by local working artists who open their doors to visitors. The rotating gallery space in front hosts regular exhibitions, and the artist-in-residence program means there's always someone creating something worth watching.

Downtown Norfolk's main waterfront park hosting some of the city's largest festivals — Norfolk Jazz Festival, Harborfest, and the weekly Farmers Market. On non-event weekdays it's a park with great Elizabeth River views and tugboat traffic.

Norfolk's annual light arts festival in the NEON District — large-scale light installations, projection mapping, illuminated art, and live performances throughout the streets of the arts district over two October nights. Attendance has grown to 30,000+ in recent years, making it one of Virginia's signature arts events.

One of the finest regional art museums in the South — 30,000+ works spanning Egyptian antiquities through contemporary American art, with a particularly remarkable glass collection. The adjacent Perry Glass Studio is the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic, offering free noon glassblowing demos every day.

Downtown Norfolk's maritime discovery center anchored by the USS Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships built by the US Navy (BB-64) — you can walk the deck of this WWII and Korean War veteran at the city's waterfront. The museum itself covers maritime science, naval history, and Chesapeake Bay ecology.

175 acres of cultivated gardens adjacent to Norfolk International Airport — the largest collection of azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias on the East Coast, plus Japanese gardens, a fragrance garden, and canal boat tours through the garden's waterways. Peak season is March through May but the garden is worth visiting year-round.

Norfolk's New Energy of Norfolk arts district — the streets and alleyways surrounding the Chrysler Museum are painted with murals, punctuated with sculpture installations, and home to working galleries including the d'ART Center where local artists rent studio space and welcome visitors. The city's most concentrated pocket of creative energy.

Norfolk's most walkable and architecturally rich neighborhood — Victorian, Queen Anne, and Tudor homes on tree-lined streets surrounding the Chrysler Museum. Colley Avenue is the commercial spine, with independent restaurants, coffee shops, and the relaxed energy of a neighborhood that has resisted being gentrified into blandness.

General Douglas MacArthur's memorial and tomb in Norfolk's 1850 courthouse — a free museum covering his role in WWII and the Korean War with original jeep, aircraft, and documents. MacArthur was born in Little Rock but chose Norfolk as his burial site because his mother's family was from the city.

Virginia's most-visited state park at the Virginia Beach end of Norfolk — 20 miles of trails through rare bald cypress swamps, dune forests, and beach habitat on the Chesapeake Bay. The 1.8-mile Bald Cypress Trail boardwalk through the cypress swamp is the most distinctive natural area in the Hampton Roads region.