Rich with American history and waterfront fun, the cities of Coastal Virginia (formerly known as the Hampton Roads) also offer plenty of attractions and teambuilding adventures for groups. From farm-to-table oyster tours in Virginia Beach to space odysseys in Hampton, the area is home to intriguing sites and museums tailor-made for new experiences.
Virginia Beach
“We’re all about the water,” says Sally Noona, director of convention sales and marketing for the Virginia Beach CVB. “Our Resort Beach and Boardwalk is one of the most sought-after sites for events and activities.”
She noted that planners have plenty of ways to experience the coastline lifestyle, from scavenger hunts and bike rides along the Boardwalk to dolphin-watching tours in spring, summer and fall and whale watching tours in winter. Attendees can also learn about green living and sustainability with an oyster-farm boat tour at Pleasure House Oysters. They discover the role of the oyster and how this valuable food resource is renewed in a teambuilding activity that includes shucking their own oysters for a true farm-to-table experience.
More team-building fun can be found at Adventure Park at the Virginia Aquarium, where groups can choose from nine different trails of zip lines and ropes, ranging from beginning to advanced levels of difficulty. Although the courses keep people 20 to 50 feet above the ground, they can aim higher with iFly Virginia Beach, an indoor skydiving attraction. The facility also offers meeting space so the group can transition immediately from the boardroom to a wind tunnel where they can feel the real thrill of simulated skydiving.
If the sky’s truly the limit, planners can hold an event at the Military Aviation Museum, which houses dozens of vintage aircraft from World Wars I and II.
“It’s a dramatic backdrop for events,” Noona says, adding that the museum also offers programming that allows attendees to actually go up in a plane with a pilot, experiencing the power and majesty of these classic warbirds first-hand.
Chesapeake
Action is also the name of the game in Chesapeake. At Chesapeake Paintball, groups can tackle the original teambuilding experience on two different turf fields and 40 acres of woods. Before the big event, planners can set up an ice-breaking party at Game Works, which features a sports bar, cafe and arcade gaming.
For a bit of local culture and natural beauty, head to the Chesapeake Arboretum. The site’s main house was built in 1730, and features both a fragrance garden and an antique rose garden, making it the perfect location for an outdoor wine and cheese social.
Suffolk
Names can be deceiving when it comes to fun in Suffolk.
“While it may sound a little ominous, the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge is actually one of our top attractions,” says Theresa Earles, the tourism development manager for Suffolk Tourism. “With group canoe excursions, hikes, cycling and bird watching, teams can work together and enjoy getting back to nature while only minutes away from the hustle and bustle of historic downtown Suffolk.”
The refuge is home to black bear, bobcats and river otters, and cypress trees rise from the shallow waters of Lake Drummond, making it a picturesque and unforgettable group experience.
Once groups return to downtown Suffolk, they have several historic venues available for events, such as The First Lady, a 1907 Queen Anne mansion restored to its original glory; the Suffolk Center for Cultural Arts, a 1922 high school transformed into a performing arts center complete with a 500-seat theater, studio space, ballroom, banquet hall and museum; or the Obici House, a grand 1920s-era structure that was home to Amedeo Obici, the man behind Planter’s Peanuts.
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Norfolk
By mixing modern urban culture with maritime history, Norfolk gives planners great options for groups. The Chrysler Museum of Art features an art collector’s dream, with works ranging in style from Matisse to Mapplethorpe. The museum also has one of the top collections of glass art in the country, as well as a working glass studio on the premises. Planners can incorporate live demonstrations of glassblowing into a reception or dinner, and the facility offers both galleries and gardens for event space.
History takes its turn on Norfolk’s downtown waterfront. The Battleship Wisconsin, one of the last built for World War II, is a noteworthy venue for receptions and events. Attendees can turn back the clock with a vintage dance on the teakwood deck and enjoy an unparalleled view of the sunset over the Elizabeth River.
Portsmouth
Just a few minutes from Norfolk is Portsmouth, a historic town that also boasts a couple of unusual attractions for group events. The Children’s Museum of Virginia, the largest hands-on museum in the state, features a waterfront exhibit on the daily life of a port city and many other galleries to inspire someone’s inner child, from a Native American-themed planetarium show to a bubble machine, where attendees can stand inside a giant soap bubble.
At the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum, attendees can experience the sports world with more hands-on fun, from a NASCAR driving simulator to being an announcer and calling the shots during a highlight reel. There’s also a sports complex to get groups moving, with soccer, baseball and football interaction. This facility and the Children’s Museum are across the street from each other and only a block from the waterfront, making the area a perfect site for mixing meetings, receptions and downtime.
Hampton
In Hampton, groups can experience two remarkable moments in U.S. history.
The Civil War battle of the Merrimac and the Monitor was the first armored warship conflict in the country’s history, and it happened in Hampton Roads Harbor. Groups can take the Miss Hampton II touring cruise of the harbor, as well as many other sites like the Civil War fortress of Fort Wool and the Norfolk Naval Base. Other cruises are available, including private charters with lunch or dinner provided.
The second moment is from the country’s golden age of space exploration at the Virginia Air and Space Center, which features many stunning exhibits, including the actual Apollo 12 Command Module used in 1969. Other exhibits include a Gemini test capsule, a Mercury 14 spacecraft and the new Orion test vehicle, which will one day be used in space. The center can accommodate cocktail parties, full dinners, meetings, special IMAX showings and even cutting-edge video game tournaments on the big screen.
Newport News
Some nature museums educate through pictures, but the Virginia Living Museum broadens the mind with up-close experiences and real living animals and plants. The facility also offers meeting space for up to 100 people, so groups can watch trout and alligator feedings, take a behind-the-scenes tour, visit the butterfly garden or see special live animal shows during meeting breaks. More than 250 native species are represented at the museum, so history really does come alive.
With more than 60,000 square feet of exhibit space, the Mariner’s Museum is the largest maritime museum in the country. Exhibits include artifacts salvaged from the USS Monitor, memorabilia from the golden age of steam liners and much more. Groups can also get a sneak peek at the ongoing restoration of the Monitor’s gun turret, hold an event in a replica of the Monitor, or choose from a variety of spaces, including the Great Hall of Steam gallery, which displays model ships and full-size figureheads from ships through the ages.
Williamsburg
The attractions of the Williamsburg area are more than a single building. They are huge swaths of American history, including Colonial Williamsburg, the Jamestown settlement, and nearby Yorktown. There are a few standouts, such as the Berkeley Plantation, where President William Henry Harrison was born and the first official Thanksgiving was celebrated, or the Sherwood Forest Plantation, home to President John Tyler and still owned by his family to this day. Both offer group tours and have selected spaces available for events.
Perhaps the most immersive attraction is the two-day experience known as “The Revolutionary City,” which takes attendees through Colonial Williamsburg via the experiences of everyday people and the turbulent times edging toward the Revolutionary War.
After the ultimate historical experience, planners can move the adventure up a few notches with an event at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, which offers a variety of group events, from morning meetings to catered picnics and park downtime or an exclusive evening reception.
Freelance writer BETH BARTLETT wants to get lost for a few days in the Virginia Air and Space Center.
