norfolk

Norfolk, VA

THe Port City of Norfolk is a great spot to spend a weekend!

NFK Tips: 

  • Norfolk is a bit spread out so be sure to plan your travels out ahead of time to avoid backtracking across the area.

  • Virginia Beach neighbors Norfolk, check out a couple of top recommendations for the city at the bottom of this guide.

  • Visit hungry. Everything we ate in Norfolk was extraordinarily good!

  • Norfolk is just 1.5 hours from both The Outer Banks and Richmond—check out my guide to OBX here and RVA here.

Adventures & Ales Top Norfolk Recommendations:

  • Codex: A wildly delicious restaurant in the heart of downtown Norfolk. I cannot emphasize enough how great everything was—the food was superb and portions were large, the cocktails were fantastic, and the team was super nice. Highly recommend!

  • The Veil Brewing Company: The Norfolk taproom of Richmond’s hype brewery The Veil has great beers and a ton of space. Lil Za Pizza is inside making delicious ‘za and they have a small patio out front that is dog-friendly. Stouts, Barleywines and Sours are what they do best here.

  • Explore the Chelsea District:

    • Benchtop Brewing: A nice spot with a wide variety of beers. They have indoor and outdoor seating at this taproom and a location in Richmond.

    • Smartmouth Brewing Company: A popular brewery with solid beers and frequent events. Ghost Kitchen food truck lives onsite for eats and they also have a taproom in Virginia Beach.

    • The Birch: A great spot for craft beer, cider, mead, grilled cheese and charcuterie. They have a beautiful space and a small front patio.

    • Grandiflora Wine Garden: A wine bar at an inn with a vegetarian food menu. The use of the word “garden” feels a bit strong here and the wine is very pricey.

  • Commune: A great spot for breakfast, lunch, coffee, or happy hour. The food here is fantastic and the team is very nice. They have indoor seating with coffee shop vibes and a small front patio. Commune also has a location in Virginia Beach right next to Esoteric.

    • This is located in Norfolk’s NEON District, an area with street art and shops.

  • Handsome Biscuit: A fun old school style spot for sweet potato biscuits that are delicious.

  • Cure Coffeehouse: A cute spot downtown for coffee with a small food menu.

  • Reaver Beach Brewing: A solid brewery with a nice team. They have frequent food trucks and events and are dog-friendly inside and out. IPAs are what they do best here! They’re Norfolk taproom is a 3 minute drive from The Veil and they also have a space in Virginia Beach.

The Veil Brewing

norfolk Tourist Spots Actually Worth Visiting:

  • Norfolk Botanical Gardens: Beautiful gardens to explore! Tickets are $16 and on Sundays they are dog friendly! They have a massive layout and it is fun to explore.

  • Check out the Elizabeth River Trail: This is a 10.5 mile long trail along the waterfront that is great for walking, running and biking.

  • American Rover Sunset Cruise: These daily sunset river cruises offer a relaxing journey down the Elizabeth River. The schooner operates via wind on the way out of the harbor and motor on the way back. There is a bar and a bathroom onboard plus a musician. Tickets are $40 Sunday-Thursday and $45 on Fridays and Saturdays. There are a few other companies offering various versions of river cruises as well.

  • Town Point Park: A waterfront park with frequent live music and events.

Norfolk Botanical Gardens

recommendations for Virginia Beach & The Surrounding ARea:

  • Esoteric: A delightful beer bar and restaurant located in the Vibe Creative District. They have a great tap list, cocktails, and wine along with delicious food. This is a very cute spot with a great back patio as well.

  • Commonwealth Brewing Company: A fantastic brewery specializing in IPAs and Sours. They are just north of the airport and worth detouring for. Commonwealth also has coffee and tea in the morning and a pizza kitchen. Their taproom is a popular spot and they have a nice large outdoor space too.

  • Oozlefinch Beers and Blending: A Sour-focused brewery in Fort Monroe. Their taproom is right off Fort Monroe National Monument and the outside seating has some water views.

  • Coastal Fermentory: A great brewery in The Yard District of Newport News. Their Hazy IPAs are delicious and they have a nice taproom and small patio. A second taproom will be opening in Newport News soon.