Cape Henry Lighthouse The Cape Henry Lighthouse is the first lighthouse structure authorized, fully completed, and lighted by the federal government. It is an octagonal stone structure and the first of three lighthouses to be built by John McComb, Jr. The tower was completed in October, 1792, and it was lighted in that same month. Today, the old Cape Henry Lighthouse silently guards the entry way into the Chesapeake Bay.
Ferry Plantation House The Ferry Plantation dates back to 1642 when the "ferry" service was started by Adam Thoroughgood to connect plantations by waterway. The third Princess Anne Courthousebuilt in 1735 including stock and pillory once stood on this site. The House that is visited today replaced the Walke Manor house that was built in 1740 and later destroyed by fire. Ferry's dig site exposes the original brick floor. The good bricks salvaged from the ruins were used to build this 1830 dwelling. It is a ten room, central passage plan Federal farm house facing the Western Branch of the Lynnhaven River. Near this site was the famous trial of Virginia's only convicted witch, Grace Sherwood. Grace was tried by water in 1706.
First Landing State Park Originally built by the Civilian Corps in the 1930s, First Landing State Park is located near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay close to the spot where Captain John Smith landed along his way to establishing the first permanent English Settlement at Jamestown. With beaches along the Bay, First Landing is Virginia's most popular state park attracting over a million visitors. The park preserves and interprets a unique part of the Chesapeake.
Francis Land House The Francis Land House is a 200 year old plantation home that features period rooms furnished with antiques and reproductions that are representative of the Gentry class lifestyle of the 18th and early 19th centuries. The site features herb, formal, and vegetable gardens.
Lynnhaven House The Lynnhaven House is located on five and a half acres of land which includes a small woods and gardens of herbs, vegetables, flax, cotton, peanuts, and tobacco. Based on dendrochronology testing, the wood for the house was cut in the fall of 1724, thus the house was probably constructed in 1725. The house was restored in the 1970's and is 80-85% original. Lynnhaven House offers its guests much more than a display of architecture and decorative arts. Within its walls and on its grounds, household skills and the various crafts that produced the early lifestye are still practiced; creating an atmosphere that transforms your visit into a truly colonial experience. Docents dressed in 18th century attire provide 45-60 minute tours of the furnished home.
NAS Oceana Naval Air Station Oceana was commissioned August 17, 1943. Then the area now known as Oceana was a swampy wasteland. Today it is a complex with more than seven miles of runways and the latest equipment to serve military air traffic. It is manned by more than 14,600 military personnel, 2,000 civilians and is home to 19 fighter/attack squadrons flying the Navy's most advanced aircraft. In the years since World War II, it has taken its place in the list of essential installations and is rightly considered a "Master Jet Base."
Old Coast Guard Station Housed in a 1903 former Life-Saving Station, the museum tells the story of the men who served in the US Life-Saving Service and the US Coast Guard. Visitors to the museum galleries are given an insight into the early days of shipwrecks along the Virginia coast and the efforts of the life-savers at the stations. The interactive tower camera enables visitors to view vessels entering the port of Hampton Roads as well as scan the boardwalk and beach.
Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center Explore more than 800,000 gallons of aquariums and take a journey of water through Virginia. Stroll through the indoor Coastal River Room where birds and turtles roam free, marvel at a 50,000 gallon aquarium with the largest collection of Chesapeake Bay fish in the world and touch gentle stingrays, horseshoe crabs and other marine life. The aquarium also has more than 300 interactive exhibits, 1/2-acre aviary, and "larger than life" movies on an IMAX 3D movie screen. Seasonal boat trips for dolphin watching, whale watching and ocean collections are also available.
Virginia Beach Virginia Beach offers numerous recreational, historical and cultural opportunities. With 38 miles of shoreline, Virginia Beach is a "Beach Lovers' Beach," with 28 miles of public beach area and popular three-mile Boardwalk!
