FEATURE VIRGINIA PENINSULA : Visit Virginia

VIRGINIA PAST ANDPRESENT

WORDS BY WAYNE DAWKINS

Merrimac vs Monitor

The Virginia Peninsula’s Hampton and Newport News are the perfect places to learn about the state’s rich history and have a whole lot of fun.

Colonial Williamsburg and the Busch Gardens amusement park are the top attractions on the Virginia Peninsula and are familiar to travelers worldwide. However, folks in Newport News and Hampton strongly urge visitors to come check out their many attractions. Ease on down the road about 15 miles from Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport to check out Hampton, the oldest, continuous English-speaking city in America, and Newport News, home of the first iron-clad ship battle, which revolutionized naval warfare.

Hampton’s Heft

Virginia Air and Space Center

Drop $29 for a Hampton Day Pass and achieve the trifecta: entry to the new Hampton History Museum, the Virginia Air and Space Center and the Miss Hampton II harbor tour. The museum (www.hampton.va.us/history_museum) shows off Hampton’s many historical assets, like the severed head of Blackbeard the pirate that was placed on a pole and planted in the harbor as fair warning to other marauders, and ruins from when Confederate soldiers burned Hampton to the ground rather than surrender the city to approaching Union forces.

A walk across the street to the Virginia Air and Space Center (www.vasc.org) takes travelers from old Hampton to the new city. The center devotes a lot of attention to the region’s famed aircraft research history, such as Hampton’s hand in manned space programs and the importance of Langley Field in 1915 as the proving ground for aircraft research and development. The Air and Space Center is littered with actual aircraft and spacecraft for close inspection; it’s also equipped with interactive stations that simulate landing a fighter jet or a commercial airliner. The center’s IMAX theater is guaranteed to thrill with its 3-D features, and there’s even an AirTran Airways DC-9 exhibit.

McFadden’s

To round out the historical tour of Hampton, partake in a tour with Miss Hampton II (www.misshamptoncruises.com). This two-and-a-half-hour boat tour of Hampton Roads—the harbor that divides the Virginia Peninsula from South Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Portsmouth and Chesapeake)—shows off what used to be the interstate of the community’s early days. The tour includes Fort Monroe, Fort Wool and Norfolk Naval Base (home to the US Atlantic fleet).

Peninsula Fine Arts CenterThe attractions aren’t all based in the past in this city midway between Williamsburg’s living history and Virginia Beach’s sun and surf oceanfront, though. Visitors can expect events and consumer shows at the brand new, 344,000-square-foot Hampton Roads Convention Center (www.thehrcc.com). Shopaholics can walk through the Power Plant of Hampton Roads entertainment complex (410-752-5444) and peruse the many specialty shops and afterwards enjoy dinner at Johnny Carino’s Country Italian, Lonestar Steakhouse or McFadden’s Restaurant and Saloon. Speaking of Hampton’s food, the city by Chesapeake Bay made its mark as a seafood-processing center after the Civil War; therefore, sampling the city’s crab cakes, waterman’s chowder, or other catches at local restaurants is a requirement for any visitor. The same day pass that got you into the cultural mainstays will also provide you with discounts to some fantastic restaurants, in addition to entry to street festivals during the summer months.

News on Newport

Virginia Living MuseumHampton’s neighbor, Newport News, got its name from the 17th century ship captain Christopher Newport, who with each roundtrip would bring the news from England to settlers in the New World. Newport continues to keep the public informed— now with historical attractions like The Mariners’ Museum (www.mariner.org), which showcases the nine-foot, 4,600-pound propeller and other artifacts from the USS Monitor. In 1862, the cheese box on a raft-shaped Union ship battled the first ironclad warship, the Confederate CSS Virginia, to a draw in Hampton Roads harbor. Nine months later, the Monitor sunk off Cape Hatteras, NC, during a storm. By the end of the 20th century, significant pieces of the ship were rescued from the ocean floor. These remains have been restored for display at this, one of the world’s finest maritime history museums.

Next door to the museum is the Peninsula Fine Arts Center (www.pfac-va.org), a gallery of international, national and regional paintings, photographs and sculpture. Through August 28, the museum presents “On the Edge,” an exhibition featuring the works of the Society of Layerists in Multi-Media. Expect mixed-media works from 58 artists at this national juried exhibition.

Colonial WilliamsburgLess than a mile away, on Avenue of the Arts, is the Virginia Living Museum, where visitors are able to see native animals swim, slither, roam and fly in exhibit areas that simulate the diverse regions of the state—from cool mountain coves to steamy cypress swamps and dark limestone caves. The recently renovated and enlarged museum includes an observatory, planetarium, elevated boardwalk and hands-on discovery centers, and is guaranteed to keep the whole family entertained. Visit www.valivingmuseum.org for more info.

Leaving the Tourist Track

Traipsing to and from educational points of interest is expected when vacationing, but what about those who want something a little offbeat? Try Port Warwick, a 152-acre community named for the fictional town in William Styron’s book, Lie Down in Darkness. Styron, a Newport News native, was given the opportunity to name the streets of the community and chose the names of such literary giants as Walt Whitman, Mark Twain, Herman Melville, Emily Dickinson and Flannery O’Connor.

Port Warwick

Styron Square is the centerpiece of the community and includes numerous shops and a pavilion that hosts music and community events. “Get out of your car, shop, eat and drink in a village atmosphere,” said Brian Holloway, proprietor of Coastal Wine Connection, a store that sells 160 varieties of beer and wines from Argentina, Austria, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, South Africa and Spain (www.coastalwineconnection.com). “You can walk off to lunch, look at four or five beautiful pieces of sculpture and be greeted by all your neighbors along the way.”

“There are unique things here that aren’t sold in the mall,” said Teresa Munn, owner of the Polish pottery company, Wine Road Collectibles (www.polishpotteryshop.com). “This feels like a European village.” Even the restaurants are unique, such as the eclectic Tapas Lounge (757-594-9484), which offers Spanish, Asian and South American dishes like Spanish chorizo sautéed with brandied grapes and red onions, and Asian BBQ pork garnished with jicama slaw with seaweed salad and mixed greens. Proprietor Rebecca Overby also regularly adds jazz and belly dancing to complete the atmosphere.

More attractions are coming, says Karen Hokansson, Port Warwick special projects manager. In August and September, an old-fashioned pharmacy and soda fountain, a Thai and sushi restaurant and a spa are scheduled to open on the ground floor of the Melville building. “If you’re looking for something eclectic and soothing all in one package, Port Warwick has it for you. Food, wine, ambiance, art or music that will get you away from the noise of the mall,” she said.

Americana & Amusements

Busch GardensIf you want to take in the sites that tourists have frequented for years, get to Williamsburg for a taste of Americana and amusements.

Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg are transported to an enclosed 18th century colonial capitol and entertained by costumed interpreters who relay stories of how they became Americans, whether they are English settlers, enslaved Africans or indigenous peoples who engaged arrivals from Europe and Africa. Expect to see characters like Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry making cases for freedom and liberty in the new land. Visitors also have the option to get hands-on experience with traditional craft making, but if the muse doesn’t strike, one can check out hundreds of historically furnished buildings inside the 301-acre colonial city that was established in 1699. Admission is $39 for adults, $19.50 for children age 6-14. Visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg, located a few miles east of CW, is the place to go for thrill rides. Voted “Most beautiful theme park” 12 consecutive years by the National Amusement Historical Association, these gardens have six European-themed areas in addition to rides, live entertainment and luscious cuisine. The latest ride is Curse of the DarKastle, which promises to send travelers on a bone-chilling chase through a grand Bavarian castle. Apollo’s Chariot, a spectacular roller coaster with pulse-pounding drops, is another park favorite. Admission is $46.95 and for children ages 3-6, $39.95. Visit www.buschgardens.com.

AirTran Airways provides daily, low-fare flights to Newport News/ Williamsburg. Visit www.airtran.com for more details.