The Col. John D. Thorowgood Historical Marker sits near the site of the Revolutionary War leader's…read more840 acre plantation on Little Creek. The waterways have shifted over time due in major part to an early hurricane that changed the flow of the Lynnhaven River. The marker sits on Shell Road at its intersection with Northampton Boulevard. The Lake Smith/Lake Lawson Natural Area is now the waterway where it stands. Thorowgood was elected to the 1776 Virginia Convention which adopted the Virginia Declaration of Rights & the Colony's first Constitution. He was the Princess Ann County House of Delegates member in the inaugural session, serving for 6 terms. He commanded the county militia and was a prisoner of war by 1781. Col. John D. Thorowgood was a great grandson of Adam Thoroughgood, who received a land grant of 5,350 acres along the Lynnhaven River in 1635. The plantation site would have been his inheritance. I've passed the marker so many times over the years on busy Northampton Boulevard and wished there was a safe way to stop. It would also be difficult & dangerous to see from Lake Smith/Lake Lawson Natural Area because it sits so very close to Highway 13, which leads to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel then up the Eastern Shore to the North East. The perfect route was found by exiting a small shopping center on Diamond Springs Road onto the short segment of Shell Road that intersects with Northampton Boulevard exactly where the marker is placed. Thank you for your service Col, Thorowgood. You played an important part in the formation of our country by your service in the Revolutionary War. Your name should be as familiar to residents as your more well known ancestor.

Brenden(sp?) was a wonderful educator. Full of natural knowledge that you could tell he enjoyed…read moresharing. He was kind and soft spoken and his enthusiasm was contagious. He made the experience what it was and it was so refreshing to hear from someone with his passion for the subject. Your was partially self lead and paced which we enjoyed as we had several slower walkers. Walk way was clear and easy to navigate. We liked having the Audio options at our disposal as we went along. Peaceful and enjoyable experience. Once we entered the church Brenden helped our group inside and allowed us time to look around. He was eager to answer all of our questions and customized his talk to what we were interested in. The history here is incredible and we enjoyed learning about this piece of American history. Kudos to St. Luke's for finding Brenden our group agrees he's a gem. Gift shop was cute and offered affordable options in order to be able to take a little something with to remember your day. Affordable tour.

The tour of this small but elegant historical church was really interesting. Lots of details about…read morethe building, which dates back to 1637, and the people who conceived of it and had it built. Great details about its renovation and the original organ that is still in place. Toward the end of the tour, they play a recording of it in action, really amazing considering its age. St. Luke's is a national historic landmark, now surrounded by graves dating back centuries (but there's still room if you want in!) No longer an active church, it is a great setting for learning a bit more about the colonial era and how the local church centered the community (and how the building was designed to be bolder than every other colonial church of its time.) It's located in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, near Smithfield. Unless you are a history fanatic, it's not worth a long trip to get here just for this. But with everything that the surrounding area has to offer in the way of historical buildings, local hams, a few good restaurants, and the hint of salt in the air, this tour is a good way to top off a day trip to the area.

You will find this awesome monument right off of the Virginia Beach Boardwalk near the 25th street…read moreentrance. This monument is somewhat large and borders the street and the boardwalk. There is metered street parking and a few commercial lots within walking distance that you can park at to visit here. The meters cost about $2/ hour and the lots vary in price depending on what is going on and the season. It is one of the larger monuments of the boardwalk and consists of three statues, and a bunch of plaques mounted on granite structure. It is all located in an amazing plaza area that has a few places for visitors to sit and take a load off. The monument was dedicated in 2006 by the Hampton Roads Squadron of the Naval Aviation Foundation Association with the intent of show three eras of naval aviation, beginning with the early 20th century, to World War II and then to modern times (as depicted by the 3 sculptures) The monument was funded by private donations. The price tag for the monument was $1.5 million. It was designed by Army National Guard veteran and sculptor Michael Maiden. Maiden's 3 sculptures are amazing in itself as stand-alone feature. One statue depicts Eugene Ely, the first aviator to fly off a ship's deck (successfully, at least). Another is a of a WWII pilot and his wingman as they are exiting a hatch, on their way to their aircraft. The third sculpture depicts a modern-day male pilot, a maintenance man, and a female pilot with her foot on an empty cart interacting together. There are also laser etched photos and details on the granite base that statue is on. The detail on these sculptures are amazing. Maiden is very talented. My favorite has the be the wingman and pilot walking out of the hatch. You will also find a bunch of laser-etched granite storyboards, dedications, and sponsor acknowledgments along with a tribute to aviators past and present here. There is also a monument that includes the names of maintenance personnel and aircraft carriers. This is a very nice monument. I wish that people would respect it better. For example, even with posted signs saying not to do it, people were still riding bikes and scooters through the monument area, which is very disrespectful. This is a must see if you are walking along the boardwalk. There are a few other monuments in the area that you can add to an itinerary with this, including the King Neptune statue, and the Norwegian Lady. The Navy SEAL memorial is a little stroll down the board walk, but not too bad.

This monument park is at the 24th street intersection of Virginia Beach. There were several big…read morestatues dedicated to the Navy and the sailors. Each bases of the statues had plenty of details on war time battles and achievements of the US Navy. It was invaluable to learn a bit about the history of one of our military forces. I noticed most people treated this public park just as an entrance to the beach. A lot of homeless people built their tents in the corners of the park. But the statues and bases were mostly kept clean by the city staff.

JEB Little Creek-Fort Story has one of the strongest MWR's in the region, and families who aren't…read moreusing what's available here are honestly leaving value on the table. The Outdoor Recreation program alone is a major asset. Between equipment rentals, camping gear, kayaks, paddleboards, grills, and seasonal offerings, it makes it possible to plan full weekends or spontaneous outings without needing to own everything yourself. It's practical, well-maintained, and priced in a way that actually supports families instead of excluding them. Commands can even check out items for zero cost for official events with a request submission. The gym and fitness facilities are equally solid. They're clean, well-equipped, and large enough to handle real demand without feeling chaotic. Whether you're lifting, doing cardio, attending group classes, or just trying to keep a routine while juggling family life, the facilities are reliable and accessible. It's one of those quality-of-life details that quietly makes a difference over time. What really ties it all together is how easy it is to see and access these offerings through MyNavyLife. Events, programs, seasonal activities, youth offerings, and special family events are all visible in one place, which makes planning far easier than hunting through multiple pages or flyers. There's a clear intention here to support not just service members, but entire families, and it shows in the range of amenities available. The MWR Library is honestly a very sweet location and has a single sailor Liberty Center for folks that are on their own and they have a lot of programs to make free time fun and not super expensive. Between Outdoor Rec, the gym, community events, and family-oriented spaces and places, JEBLCFS offers a level of support that is genuinely meaningful. It's not just "nice to have" we actively use these resources, and they've consistently made things better when we use them.

Allow to get processed at the entrance if proceeding to the lighthouse. They will check your car,…read moreand ask for paperwork (IDs and car insurance). Follow the rules, and you'll have a great time!

Having seen the memorial to Confederate soldiers at the former Princess Anne County Courthouse,…read moreseeing this memorial puts things in a bit more perspective. Hampton Roads was an important military site during the Civil War (or the "War of Northern Aggression" if you prefer) and its capture was critical to the success of the North. The marker reads: Near here Major-General John E. Wool, on May 10, 1862, Landed with 6000 Union troops. President Lincoln, Salmon P. Chase, Secretary of the Treasury, and Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, watched the movement from a ship in Hampton Roads. As the Confederate troops had withdrawn, Wool marched to Norfolk, which was surrendered to him by Mayor W.W. Lamb that afternoon. Much more detail on the operation, including the unprecedented inclusion of Lincoln in the attack, is detailed here: http://articles.dailypress.com/2012-05-05/features/dp-nws-surrender-of-norfolk-20120505_1_gosport-navy-yard-lincoln-fort-monroe

All I can ever say about this bridge is " what a feat of engineering"…read more And it's fun to travel and see beautiful water vistas. The tunnels and bridges are well maintained

The tunnel is $16 Monday - Thursday and $21 on Friday - Sunday. The view is beautiful. It can be…read morenerve wracking when there is a lot of traffic. The distance is 28 miles. But it gets you from point A to point B. It is nice interacting with humans when paying. So many toll booths are automatic.

This is the worst toll in VA. Avoid it at all cost. They will scam you even if you have an EZ pass…read more If there is an issue with your EZ pass or you incur a charge for some reason , They won't contact you until they send your account to collections. This toll road is also unnecessary, you don't save enough time to justify the hassle.

Awesome pedestrian path across the bridge. About 2.5 mile round trip. Great way to grab some…read moreelevation during a walk, run or bike There's also a very nice park with restrooms a fishing pier with a bait shop and snack bar and a large boat launch check out the Facebook page and the City Page for different events they have there. Parking is free and plentiful the pathway is advertised to be open from sunrise to sunset but I've never been yelled at for being there early in the morning. Also worth noting the fishing pier does not require a fishing license if you want to use it.

It's a bridge and a tunnel!! what's not to like? approximately twice the fun for the same drive and…read morestill no tolls!! the MMMBT is basically two straight parts joined by a curved part so navigating this roadway shouldn't tax anybody's senses or abilities. the sloping approaches and the actual tunnel bit are controlled by gravity which exerts a nearly uniform 1-g of downforce so the driver doesn't have to "steer down" or "steer up" all that is necessary is to drive straight until the curvey part, follow the road through the bend, and then straight again until exiting the structure. ta da!! the tunnely part consists of more than a dozen prefabbed 300 foot long sections that were sunk into a trench and buried; FYI: the best guess on a "use by" date is somewhere past 2052. the traffic lanes are thirteen feet wide with fourteen-and-a-half feet of usable vertical clearance plus two 30-inch wide ledges on the side of the roadways just in case you have to walk out. please note that the deepest part of the tunnel is some 45 feet below the average low-tide mark so good luck with the emergency exit ;-) don't trust the science? I don't really blame you (especially since the great plannedemic) but this is civil engineering - real life application of the hard sciences - not the soft goo pedaled by the TV taking heads so carry on.

This was the last thing I saw in the metro area before heading back to where I was staying. This…read moretunnel/bridge was a bit more messed up than the others in the area. Traffic was smooth for the most part here, with minor hold ups while approaching the tunnel portion. What I remember most about this is that there was a lot of major construction happening. I'm not sure what they are doing as I don't live here, but I can only hope that it is to improve traffic flow. Two lanes in each direction would probably benefit with an increase in lanes. But that is just my thought on it. It is scenic to drive, but you really do need to pay attention to the road and traffic. Almost like a mini Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.