Itineraries
Student Package: 3 Days / 2 Nights
A River Runs Through It – Only the Elizabeth River separates Olde Towne Portsmouth from Downtown Norfolk, so it should come as no surprise that these two seaport cities complement each other, much like day complements night! Come see for your self how Portsmouth – a charming city with a small-town, neighborhood feel – contrasts nicely with Norfolk – a city known for its skyscrapers, ships in drydock, and lively nightlife. Portsmouth, a quaint, historic port city… just a quick ferry ride from bustling downtown Norfolk!
Day 1
Afternoon: Arrive in Olde Towne Portsmouth, check into your full-service hotel on the Elizabeth River, then grab lunch at one our waterfront restaurants: The Deck at the Tidewater Yacht Marina, Island Grille inside the Holiday Inn, Foggy Point Grille inside the Renaissance Hotel, or La Tolteca at the High Street Ferry Landing.
Catch the Elizabeth River Ferry to the National Maritime Center, which includes Nauticus, a spectacular maritime-themed science center; the Battleship Wisconsin, one of the largest and last battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy; and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, which contains more than two centuries of naval history. www.nauticusus.org.
Evening: Return to Portsmouth via the Elizabeth River Ferry for an outdoor concert on the lawn of the Ntelos Wireless Pavilion at Harbor Center, a 6,500-seat, pavilion-style performance venue on the banks of the Elizabeth River. www.pavilionconcerts.com.
Day 2
Morning: Enjoy a light and quick breakfast at Starboards Coffee Kiosk, located at Water and High streets, across from the High Street Ferry Landing, or at any of our other quaint coffee-and-breakfast establishments.
Start your day at the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, less than a block from Starboards. Here you can dribble a basketball, toss a football, pitch a baseball, or take a virtual treadmill hike through the Shenandoah. The museum has something for everyone, from the Redskins room to the NASCAR racing area. www.vshfm.com.
Lunch on your own Afternoon: Head down to the North Ferry Landing to board the Carrie B for an afternoon cruise of the Hampton Roads harbor. www.carriebcruises.com.
Evening: Take the Harbor Park Ferry to a Tides Baseball game in Norfolk www.norfolktides.com. The Harbor Park Ferry runs between the North Ferry Landing in Portsmouth and Harbor Park in Norfolk every 30 minutes, beginning one hour before game time and continuing just after the game ends.
Option: Head to American Indoor Karting (www.ports.americanindoorkarting.com) for some racing fun! Experience state-of-the-art European karts powered by Honda, which deliver speeds over 40mph on an 800-foot track (designed for ages 8-15) and the 1200-foot track (over 16 racer).
Day 3
Morning: Cap off your visit to our riverfront city by visiting these two waterfront museums:
- Naval Shipyard Museum www.portsnavalmuseums.com - The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum pays tribute to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, a government-owned shipyard in Portsmouth (the oldest shipyard in the country).
- Lightship PORTSMOUTH www.portsnavalmuseums.com - The Lightship PORTSMOUTH Museum is a restored lightship (now a National Historic Landmark), commissioned in 1915 to guide ships through treacherous waters.
Afternoon: Depart for home with lasting memories!
For additional information, please contact:
Lynette James, Sales Manager
jamesl@portsmouthva.gov
757-393-5327, Ext. 5203
Red Hatters Package: 3 Days / 2 Nights
History and High Times on High Street – A travel writer aptly described Portsmouth when she wrote, "…the streets stretching from the river seem to say, 'Come. See. For here the past is saved.' " Though the city has only 29 square miles, it has 6 districts listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and National Register of Historic Places. Some of the oldest surviving structures in the city are found in the approximately 20 blocks that make up Olde Towne. One of the most appealing aspects of Portsmouth is its walk-able downtown. Museums, antique shops, and a variety of chef-owned restaurants are clustered along High Street. Another writer once said that "only the promise of shopping pulls you from residential Olde Towne to High Street downtown where antique and specialty stores invite you to venture inside." Come, see for yourself!
Day 1
Afternoon: Experience the fascinating architecture of Olde Towne Portsmouth, the city’s oldest historic district, during a relaxing horse-and-carriage ride (www.smithfieldhorsecarriage.com).
Evening: Enjoy dinner and a movie at the Commodore Theatre, a luxuriously restored 1945 Art Deco-style motion picture theater on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Register (www.commodoretheatre.com).
Day 2
Morning: Take a leisurely walking tour of Olde Towne with Col. William Crawford, who founded Portsmouth in 1752. This guided walking tour is about one mile total, so wear comfortable shoes! (www.oldetownetheatricals.com).
Afternoon: Visit the Hill House, a four-story 1825 English basement home furnished entirely with original family belongings. The house remains in its original condition, with limited renovation through the years. Call (757) 393-0241 to schedule an appointment.
Evening: Enjoy an evening performance with Portsmouth Community Concerts, Portsmouth's oldest presenter of concerts. Season runs from October through April www.portsmouthcommunityconcerts.com. In the spring and summer months (May-Sept.), enjoy an outdoor concert at the Ntelos Pavilion at Harbor Center, a 6,500-seat, pavilion-style performance venue on the banks of the Elizabeth River www.pavilionconcerts.com.
Day 3
Morning: Tour the exhibits at the Courthouse Galleries museum www.courthousegalleries.com, housed in a courthouse built in 1846. This museum is devoted to offering quality educational, cultural and aesthetic experiences in the arts through rotating visual art exhibits, lectures, classes, and workshops.
Early afternoon: Spend some time shopping along the High Street corridor, lined with shops that specialize in home décor, antiques and collectibles. An eclectic mix of specialty stores, trendy shops, and art galleries has sprung up on High Street and its side streets in recent years. www.oldetowneportsmouth.com.
Late afternoon: Enjoy high tea at the Pass House, a restored four-story, Federal-style brick home built in 1841. The Pass House boasts heart pine floors, six fireplaces, an ornate plaster ceiling medallion, and a center view staircase (www.passhouseevents.com).
For additional information, please contact:
Lynette James, Sales Manager
jamesl@portsmouthva.gov
757-393-5327, Ext. 5203
African-American Heritage Package: 3 Days / 2 Nights
The Umoja Festival: A Celebration of African-American Heritage – TheUmoja Festival (http://umojafestportsmouth.com/) started in Portsmouth in 1991 and is typically held during the third weekend of September. Since its inception, the theme of the Umoja Festival has remained the same: unity in the family, community, nation and race. Umoja, which means "unity," is one of the principles of Kwanzaa, an African-American cultural holiday celebrated in December. African Americans have made significant contributions to Portsmouth, from the Revolutionary War to the present. To learn more about the impact and influences made by African Americans to our city’s history, we invite you to the Umoja Festival.
Day 1 (Friday)
Evening: The Umoja Festival kicks off at 5:15 p.m. Friday evening with a traditional African drum call, used in African culture to summon the community to gather for a special event. The drum call is followed by a colorful procession of community dignitaries, civic leaders and townspeople clad in traditional African attire – carrying streamers and noisemakers – to the opening ceremony. On stage, one of Portsmouth’s most elderly residents will give permission for the festivities to begin, after which attendees will be treated to exotic foods, national entertainment, and a variety of cultural activities. Continuous music – including reggae, gospel, rhythm & blues, and Top 40 – is scheduled almost hourly throughout the entire two-and-a-half day festival.
Day 2 (Saturday)
Morning: Enjoy unique shopping and dining opportunities, found only at the Umoja Festival. Vendors typically sell everything from ethnic art, jewelry, and clothing to artifacts, incense, woodcarvings and fabrics. Concessionaires are expected to offer festivalgoers exotic dishes like curried chicken, jerk chicken, oxtails, jambalaya, African style cornbread, spicy collards, and red beans with rice.
Afternoon: Visit the Umoja Festival’s “Cultural Corner,” featuring authors, poets, and publishers. Past guest speakers have included “Azarel,” an author of children’s books; author Lady Gail Sampson; poet LaTisha Branch; author Anita Bracey; author Billie Montgomery-Cook; author John Starks; and author Tomeka Winborne. The “Cultural Corner” usually concludes with an “open mic” session featuring poetry.
Evening: Enjoy the festival’s national acts, which in past years have included The Dazz Band, Midnight Star, Con Funk Shun, the Barkays, KEM, the O’Jays, Ruth Brown, Miles Jay, Kim Waters, LTD Unlimited, Junior Walker's All Star Band, James Brown, John Jackson, Ray Goodman Brown, Jonathan Butler, Bobbie Blue Bland, The Dells, the Delfonics, to name just a few.
Day 3 (Sunday)
Morning: Make sure your children don’t overlook the Umoja Festival games and activities that give them an appreciation for and understanding of African culture. A free craft tent for children 12 and under focuses on 'make-and-take' projects like beaded jewelry, paper bag dashiki, paper kufi, the tree of life, African masks, and "Shut the Box."
Afternoon: Take the African-American Heritage Trolley Tour, offered for FREE only during the Umoja Festival. Along the tour route, stops will be made at Emanuel AME Church, where visitors can marvel at the hand-carved pews made by slaves. While at the church, entertainment is provided by the Not Just For February Players, a readers’ theater that traces the history of African Americans through slave narratives, songs, hymns, scripture, prose, theatrical renditions of poetic literature and humorous skits. Enjoy “Let My People Go,” an abbreviated drama performed by the Virginia Opera Guild of Portsmouth, using slave narratives and Negro spirituals to reflect the impact of the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation on African Americans.
Later Afternoon: Tour the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. This one-of-a-kind interactive museum pays tribute to the great sport stars of Virginia. Here you will see tributes to many African- American athletes including Arthur Ashe, Bruce Smith, Ray Dandridge, Benita Fitzgerald Mosley, Ralph Sampson, and many more.
All Day: Enjoy Sunday’s musical entertainment, which consists of local acts performing gospel music earlier in the day, and winds down with jazz on the plaza of the Ntelos Pavilion and in the grassy area outside of the Pavilion.
Early Evening: Depart for home and mark your calendars for next year’s Umoja Festival!
For additional information, please contact:
Lynette James, Sales Manager
jamesl@portsmouthva.gov
757-393-5327, Ext. 5203
Olde Towne Portsmouth’s Signature Holiday Weekend Package: 3 Days / 2 Nights
Historic Holiday Happenings – Since 1998, the second weekend in December has been a high point for Portsmouth residents and visitors alike, for this is the weekend of the Olde Towne Holiday Music Festival. The Olde Towne Holiday Music Festival is a musical tribute to the spirit of the holiday season, bringing the first seven blocks of High Street alive with live performances, children’s activities, re-enactors in period attire, carolers, and strolling characters. As a special treat, the Olde Towne Candlelight Home Tour ties in with the music festival, offering visitors the opportunity to tour several historic homes for a nominal fee. So whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, enjoy Olde Towne Portsmouth’s Signature Holiday Weekend!
Day 1: (2nd Friday in December)
Late afternoon: Check into hotel, and then dine at one of Portsmouth’s group-friendly restaurants.
Early evening: Enjoy the Olde Towne Candlelight Home Tour, a self-guided tour through some of the finest homes in Olde Towne, decorated for the holidays.
Day 2: (2nd Saturday in December)
Morning: Take the Historic Holiday Tour of the Olde Towne Historic District on your motorcoach, with a step-on guide. This narrated tour includes a guided tour of Trinity Episcopal Church and the historic Hill House.
Late Morning: Experience “Winter Wonderland: The Coleman Collection” at The Courthouse Galleries museum. The history of this collection dates back to 1966 when a single sleeping, snoring Santa was purchased for a privately owned Portsmouth garden center. Over the decades, the collection grew to hundreds of animated figures. When the garden center closed, the Portsmouth Museums Foundation decided to purchase the entire collection in order to preserve the legacy. The entire collection includes about 800 animated holiday figures, many of which are part of mechanized displays.
Lunch: Lunch on your own at one of one of Olde Towne’s numerous award-winning, chef-owned restaurants.
Afternoon: Enjoy the Olde Towne Holiday Music Festival, which offers you a variety of entertainment along historic High Street and its side streets. Enjoy bonfires, strolling characters, and unique holiday shopping opportunities on every block!
Early evening: Attend the Lancaster Memorial Concert, a musical celebration of the Christmas story at Monumental United Methodist Church.
Dinner: Dine at a group-friendly establishment in the historic district.
Evening: Drive the 2.5-mile Garden of Lights at Norfolk Botanical Gardens.
Day 3: (2nd Sunday in December)
Morning: Visit Coleman’s Nativity Scene, displayed for many years in the garden of Coleman Nursery, now in the chapel of Monumental United Methodist Church.
Lunch: Dine at a group-friendly establishment in the historic district.
Afternoon: Return home with happy holiday memories.
For additional information, please contact:
Lynette James, Sales Manager
jamesl@portsmouthva.gov
757-393-5327, Ext. 5203
