Visit Newport News, Virginia this year and experience the ocean, the ships, the history, and the great outdoors, all in one Tidewater vacation.  We’re only minutes away from the Historic Triangle of Jamestown, Williamsburg and Yorktown and the thrills and chills of Busch Gardens Europe, with a host of family oriented events and activities for the young and young at heart.

Discover the power of the sea at The Mariners’ Museum where you can step inside an aircraft carrier ready room, imagine a journey in an African canoe or marvel at the colorful figureheads fro the great Age of Sail.  Experience the Civil War first-hand at the Museum’s new USS Monitor Center where you can walk the deck of a full-scale replica of this iconic ship and build your own virtual ironclad.  Walk through an Appalachian mountain cove and a southeastern cypress swamp, touch a horseshoe crab or a sea star, go eye-to-eye with a red wolf and bald eagle, and see otters frolic on the outdoor natural trail at the Virginia Living Museum.

Imagine the courage of those who fought for freedom as you stand before a section of the Berlin Wall at the Virginia War Museum.  Travel back in time and meet people from the past at Endview Plantation, Lee Hall Mansion, the James A. Fields House and The Newsome House Museum & Cultural Center.

See a truck that walks and a ship that flies at the U.S. Army Transportation Museum.  Explore the ever-changing world of art at the Peninsula Fine Arts Center. Spend a day in the great outdoors in our magnificent 8,000 acre park where you can go fishing, boating, hicking and biking.  Be challenged by a round of golf at one of our three courses.

Shop till your drop at  the national retailers at Jefferson Commons and Patrick Henry Mall and the unique locally owned stores in Historic Hilton Village.  Enjoy the best in Southern cuisine, including fresh seafood at one of our many restaurants, as well as the vibrant mix of shipping, dining and entertainment at City Center at Oyster Point and Port Warwick.

Celebrate at on of our many events and festivals throughout the year.  Take in a show or two at the spectacular Ferguson Center for the Arts at Christopher Newport University, the unique Yoder Barn Theater or the delightful Peninsula Community Theater.  You’ll find plenty of choices, from musicals to dance and drama to big band music, plus special productions just for the kids.

Climb aboard replicas of the ships that English colonists sailed across the Atlantic, and meet the residents of a Powhatan Indian village at Jamestown Settlement.  Follow the stirring progression from colony to nation at Colonial Williamsburg and Yorktown Victory Center.  Ride some of the nation’s best roller coasters at Busch Gardens Europe.

For more information, call toll free 888-493-7386 or visit www.newport-news.org