Norfolk, VA

Nauticus
DESCRIPTION: This National Maritime Center is a popular interactive science and technology center that, as its name suggests, emphasis the power of the sea; more than 150 exhibits and interactive videos on a giant screen, exotic aquaria, touch pools, shark petting, national-caliber traveling exhibits will keep the kids awe-inspired; adults will appreciate Hampton Roads Naval Museum on the 2nd floor; all will appreciate the Hi-Def movies "The Living Sea" and "Gateway To The World"; Nauticus hosts the touring National Geographic exhibit of Real Pirates: The Untold Story of the Whydah from Slave Ship to Pirate Ship - a remarkable 16,000-square-foot interactive exhibition showcasing more than 200 artifacts and treasures from the first fully authenticated pirate ship discovered in U.S. waters; one featured pirates, Hendrick Quintor, a former sailor of African and Dutch descent born around 1692, turned pirate when the Spanish brigantine he sailed on was captured
ADMISSION: adults $11, ages 4-12 $8.50, discounts for seniors, AAA, military; special exhibitions may have a separate fee
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p
ADDRESS: One Waterside Drive  MAP
PARKING: garage available at MacArthur Center Mall or nearby City of Norfolk parking garages
PHONE: 757-664-1000 or 800-664-1080
WEBSITE: http://www.nauticus.org

USS Wisconsin Battleship
DESCRIPTION: As the National Maritime Center, the Wisconsin is the largest and last battleship ever built by the U.S. Navy; features a self-guided or audiotape tour that will take you back to the days that earned its crew members five battle stars during World War II; informative volunteers are stationed throughout the tour areas
ADMISSION: included with Nauticus ticket
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sat 10a-5p, Sun Noon-5p
ADDRESS: One Waterside Drive between Waterside and Nauticus  MAP
PARKING: garage available at MacArthur Center Mall or nearby City of Norfolk parking garages
PHONE:  757-322-3108
WEBSITE: http://www.nauticus.org/wisconsin.html

Norfolk Scope
DESCRIPTION: Opened in 1972, the Scope was the former home of an ABA basketball team before the league merged with today’s NBA league; today it hosts a wide variety of events, including the circus, concerts, family shows and Arena Racing USA
ADMISSION: event-dependent
DAYS & HOURS: event-dependent
ADDRESS: 201 East Brambleton Ave  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE:  757-664-6464
WEBSITE: http://www.sevenvenues.com

Virginia Zoological Park
DESCRIPTION: Features a new 10-acre Okavango African habitat, Reptile and Nocturnal Gallery, Barnyard and Botanical Gardens throughout
ADMISSION: adults $5, Children $2, Seniors $4
DAYS & HOURS: daily 10a-5p
ADDRESS: 3500 Granby Street  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE:  757-624-9937
WEBSITE: http://www.virginiazoo.org

Hampton, VA

Virginia Air & Space Center
DESCRIPTION: Features over Over 100 interactive exhibits that detail Ham radio and NASA's  achievements, many of which occurred in Hampton; several exhibits interpret the history of African Americans and one includes the Tuskegee Airmen’s heroic role in World War II; hours vary between summer and winter seasons; there's also an IMAX Theater on the premises
ADMISSION: check website for a matrix of price options
DAYS & HOURS:
ADDRESS: 600 Settlers Landing Road  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 800-296-0800
WEBSITE: http://www.vasc.org

Portsmouth, VA

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
DESCRIPTION: Founded in 1972 to honors over 45 Virginia sports heroes ranging from golfer Sam Snead to tennis star Arthur Ashe and moved to this new facility in 2005; The Hall is one of only about 16 official state sports halls of fame in the country; a gift shop is on the premises
ADMISSION: $7 general, $6 military personnel & seniors, Children 2 & under free   
DAYS & HOURS: Tue-Sat 10a-5p, Sun 11a-5p; longer hours for Summer
ADDRESS: 206 High Street  MAP
PARKING: adjacent garage on County Street at $1 per hour and FREE on weekends
PHONE: 757-393-8031
WEBSITE: http://www.virginiasportshalloffame.com

Children's Museum of Virginia
DESCRIPTION: Learn about astronomy as Dr. Cosmos answers call-on questions in the Planetarium and Sunny Skyler provides the latest weather report from the planets as well as the traffic report for solar system travelers passing through the Asteroid Belt; kids will enjoy the You & Me exhibit, Science Circus, The Eyes Have It and more exhibits
ADMISSION: $6/person; ages under 2 enter free
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Sat 9a-5p, Sun 11a-5p
ADDRESS: 221 High Street  MAP
PARKING: adjacent garage on County Street at $1 per hour and FREE on weekends
PHONE: 757-397-4016
WEBSITE: http://www.childrensmuseumva.com

Virginia Beach, VA

Flipper McCoy's
DESCRIPTION: In the heart of the Virginia Beach Oceanfront, this Family Entertainment Center features all your favorite nostalgic amusement games such pinball, including full motion high tech video games
ADMISSION: free, but you pay for each game
DAYS & HOURS:  open daily
ADDRESS: 2212 Atlantic Ave  MAP
PARKING: on paid lots nearby
PHONE: 757-855-2222
WEBSITE: http://www.vbeach.com/flippers.htm

Motor World
DESCRIPTION: Outstanding go-kart racing, but the height requirement is 54” and taller; includes miniature golf, two paintball fields and a Skycoaster that rises 130 feet and sors at 70 mph; purchase 1 to 100 ticket books for rides, so its designed to fit all budgets; paintball Sat-Sun 10a-Dark, Go-Karts open 1st weekend of March daily 10a-Dark
ADMISSION: a matrix of pieces to choose; get coupons from their website
DAYS & HOURS: Memorial Day thru labor Day 10a-Midnight daily
ADDRESS: 700 South Birdneck Road  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE:  757-422-6419
WEBSITE: http://www.vbmotorworld.com

Ocean Breeze Waterpark
DESCRIPTION: 19 acres, 15 water slides, inner tube rapids, a million-gallon Runaway Bay Wave Pool, Paradise Pipeline water slide, Bahama Mamma speed slide; Motor World Thrill Park, Dive In Movies for your favorite Disney movies while floating atop Runaway Bay; West Indies Grill features Jamaican jerk chicken, along with other South Seas delicacies and pizza
ADMISSION: Adults $23, Ages 3-9 and 55+ $17, military discount applies
DAYS & HOURS: May-Sept 10a-6p, with some extended weekend hours
ADDRESS: 849 General Booth Boulevard  MAP
PARKING: Free on premises
PHONE: 757-422-4444
WEBSITE: http://www.oceanbreezewaterpark.com

Chesapeake Bay Center
DESCRIPTION: This visitor center with a focus on the natural environment, is complete with aquariums, environmental and historical exhibits and displays, classroom space and information about nature-based tourism activities in the area; you'll also find a Bay store for gifts and camping supplies, a gazebo and a small amphitheatre
ADMISSION: enter the center free, but camping fees vary
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p
ADDRESS: 2500 Shore Drive  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE: 757-412-2316
WEBSITE: http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/fir.shtml

Oceana Naval Air Station
DESCRIPTION: See the Navy's most sophisticated aircraft in action at Oceana, a military airport; it home to the F-14 Tomcat fighter planes and F/A-18 Hornets; In 1940, when the U.S. Navy acquired the land, it was mainly farmland susceptible to flooding, but it served as a useful outlying field for training deployments; in the 1950s, NAS Oceana was expanded to Master Jet Base status, hence the arrival of many fighter jets; tours of the grounds are seasonal
ADMISSION: Tour includes lunch, Adults $8.75, Soup and Salad - $7.75, Ages 2-10 $4.50, under Age 2 enter Free; No Backpacks allowed
DAYS & HOURS: Mon-Fri tours at 9a and 11:30a
ADDRESS: 1750 Tomcat Blvd  MAP
PARKING: on premises
PHONE:  757-433-3131 or 757-433-2366
WEBSITE: http://www.oceana-navy.com

Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Museum
DESCRIPTION: A star attraction in Virginia Beach, this 700,000 gallons of marine environment is showcased with 300-plus interactive exhibits, over a half-million gallons of aquariums, live animal habitats and indoor aviary as well as a Bay & Ocean Pavilion, Marsh Pavilion, Nature Trail and 3-D films of Virginia Beach's only IMAX Theater
ADMISSION: the website lists a matrix of prices beginning at $12 for adults
DAYS & HOURS: daily 9a-5p, with extended hours from May 26-Sept 1
ADDRESS: 717 General Booth Blvd  MAP
PARKING: on premises; guests can also catch a trolley there from any VB Wave sign
PHONE: 757-425-3474
WEBSITE: http://www.vmsm.com

Williamsburg, VA

Busch Gardens Theme Park
DESCRIPTION: a celebration of charming European villages and state-of-the-art roller coasters; when you visit during winter, you’ll also experience a special Christmas season at the park; picnic areas are situated in each parking lot, but picnic baskets and coolers are not allowed inside the park; among many rides the park features Griffon dive coaster that sends riders through a 3-minute journey 200 feet up, then 90 degrees straight down with floorless cars giving riders an unobstructed view of the 70 mph rush; Alpengeist coaster climbs to an Alpine high 195 feet, then hurtles riders through 6 inversions at speeds up to 67 mph - voted one of top 10 steel coasters in the world; Apollo's Chariot races toward daring heights with fantastic 4G climbs to the weightless wonder of floating airtime then quick dives, you'll see why coaster enthusiasts come back for year after year; Escape from Pompeii is a journey through the ancient ruins of Pompeii that turns out to be more adventure than visitors had bargained for; a thrilling 3D simulated adventure, a milder coster, Corkscrew Hill takes guests on a magical Celtic adventure through old Ireland; another mild coaster, Curse of DarKastle simulates the snow covered, foreboding castle frozen under the spell of a centuries-old curse; Loch Ness features an interlocking, double-looping coaster that stretches 13 stories tall before racing down a 114-foot drop at 60 mph; get drenched with fun in a raft for six that simulates a water chariot, racing along currents of white water rapids and turns in Roman Rapids; the park also features a number of shows, animatronics and concerts to please all ages; there's enough to see, do and dine for 2 days
ADMISSION: $62 Adults , $52 ages 3-10; pet care is provided in the England Parking Lot$ for 10/pet, as pets are not allowed inside the park
DAYS & HOURS: 10a-8p March-October, with soecial hours during Christmas
ADDRESS: One Busch Gardens Blvd  MAP
PARKING: $12 per car Desk once you arrive
PHONE: 800-343-7946
WEBSITE: http://www.buschgardens.com/bgw/Explore/About.aspx