Out and About - Hampton, Virginia

Our first contract assignment we took was with CoreMedical Group in Hampton, Virginia. We both worked at the same facility, a hospital-based outpatient physical therapy clinic. This was a great first contract for us! It was an unforgettable assignment being fresh new grads, working in a new and unfamiliar area, and everything in between. We want to talk to you guys about all the fun places and areas we went to, so if you are in the area, you can check them out too!

We’ll discuss every where we have been to and every thing we have done based on the city. The best thing about living in Norfolk is that you can travel to many different areas with just a 45 minute drive or less. We also took a trip to Washington D.C. (3.5 hours) to spend time with Andrew’s sister, carve pumpkins, and attend a fall festival!

Willoughby Spit

This place will always hold a special place in our hearts. This is where we lived for this first assignment. We stayed right on the Chesapeake Bay (literally footsteps from the sand) and enjoyed many walks up and down The Spit. We also named our Virginia Beach hermit crab, Willoughby, RIP. The Spit was connected to the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel (HRBT), a massive water bridge tunnel that we needed to take to work everyday in Hampton, and yes, the traffic can be awful, especially with the current construction project ongoing. There is not a whole lot on The Spit, but it does have the bay and some local stores.

• Mudita Cafe

  • A local coffee shop with long hours that also serves food and alcohol

• Ocean View Fishing Pier and Restaurant

  • There is a sign that says it is the “longest pier in North America”. There is a restaurant right in the middle of the pier that serves good food, a rooftop, and a view. The parking lot is always packed and seems to be a local favorite.

• Jessy’s Taqueria

  • Mexican cuisine with a huge variety of tequila

Norfolk

Norfolk or “Nawfik” or “Norfik” or “Norfuk” or whatever the locals say was on our side the HRBT. Norfolk is a big Navy and Army town, but not a huge city in general. It’s cool, because it is divided into districts with different attractions such as the “Waterside District”, “Railroad District”, “Neon District”, “Ocean View District”, a neighborhood called “Ghent”, and Downtown Norfolk. Ocean View District is on the bay, where we stayed! The Neon District is a portion of town with beautiful murals all over the buildings. There are some shops and restaurants in the area too. The Railroad District is a new and upcoming portion of town that gives a rustic and industrial vibe. There are some great eats, bars, and breweries there. Ghent is a part of town with some of the best food, atmospheres, and home of Doumar’s Cones & Barbeque (which created the first waffle cone! . . . ugh we never made it there!) The Waterside District is right along the Elizabeth River in Norfolk. There is a building called “Waterside District” that is an open space with some food places, but it is definitely there for its nightlife, music, and a large screen for sports. We attended a Christmas Pop-up bar there. The Waterside District has a large grassy area that hosted some festivals when we were there as well. The Nauticus, a maritime themed science center and museum, consisted of the USS Wisconsin battleship which we toured when it was decorated with Christmas lights! Then finally, downtown Norfolk has a lively atmosphere with many modern restaurants.

Norfolk has many attractions too that we did not make it to. We did go to the zoo for free with our YMCA memberships, explored the botanical gardens, and toured a battleship. Another cool park to go to is Mount Trashmore (a huge landfill turned into a big park…no it’s not smelly), we spent a day reading there after a walk.

Fun Fact: Norfolk has 130 Mermaid Statues throughout the city (we should have taken photos/found them all)

• Yorgo’s Bageldashery

  • Some of the best bagels I ever had, and one of the most recommended places we got from our patients and Norfolk friends - Ghent

• Baxter’s Sports Lounge

  • A sports bar where we went to watch some Florida Gators Football. Felt like a local spot with college kids, a typical sports bar - Downtown Norfolk

• Equinox Coffee Company

  • We would hit this place up after we worked out the Granby YMCA - central Norfolk

• Del Vechhios

  • Oh my, the pizza here is the best and a local favorite. I wanted to come here more - near Old Dominion University

• Torch Bistro

  • Inside or outside, a great vibe with locals. The Sweet potato fries! - Ghent

• Smartmouth Brewery

  • A good ole brewery - Ghent

• Grain

  • A rooftop bar that was Alyssa’s favorite with some views. Thee best bloody marys - Downtown Norfolk on the roof of the Hilton hotel

• Union Taco

  • Great spot, went here during the grand opening for the Railroad District

• The Ghent

  • A self pour gastropub with a rooftop and great sweet potato waffle nachos - Ghent

• Coaster Coffee Company

  • We also hit this place up after our YMCA workouts in Granby on Tuesdays - near Ocean View

• Cova Brewing Company

  • A coffee spot by morning and a brewery later. Great area for family and friends - Ocean View

• The Fishin’ Pig

  • BBQ and BBQ! Ugh I accidentally left my credit card here, but we got it back the next day - Railroad District

• Waterside District

  • Alcohol, dessert, music, PBR, sports, on the water, and where we went to the Christmas Pop-up Bar - Waterside District

• The Dirty Buffalo

  • All the locals report this is the best wing spot and fried food, a few locations - Norfolk

Hampton

The surrounding areas of this town are beautiful, as goes with its quiet downtown. Hampton has a nice town center full of shops. We walked around downtown a few times, went to our favorite doughnut place in the region, and our clinic was located here.

• Juan’s Mexican Cafe and Cantina

  • Classic TexMex cuisine. This was the first place where we ate at, besides the Tropical Smoothie when we first arrived in Norfolk late at night - Hampton Town Center 

• Baked Bistro and Pizza

  • We did have brunch here with Andrew’s mom. The wait was long for Saturday brunch - Downtown Hampton

• Bull Island Brewing Company

  • A small classic brewery - Downtown Hampton

• Glazed

  • These doughnuts were huge and delicious! Our favorite was the apple fritters! - Downtown Hampton

• The Vanguard Brewpub and Distillery

  • We only stopped here for a quick drink so we could watch some Penn State football with Andrew’s Dad - Hampton

Fort Monroe

A cool, historical place that can be toured or you can take a stroll around the property. It dates back to the American Civil War and was an active military base through the 2000s. It is a secluded piece of property that was peaceful during an autumn day. It is right by the HRBT going into Hampton. 

• Oozlefinch

  • This may have been our favorite brewery in this region! Plenty of outdoor seating, others pulled up by cars in the grassy field with tailgate vibes, and watched our Navy’s fighter jets up in the sky.

• Firehouse Coffee

  • An old firehouse station turned into a coffee place. This place definitely hit the spot on those cold Autumn days.

Virginia Beach

We spent one of our first weekends here and one of our last weekends here. It’s definitely a large touristy family beach town. We got our Virginia Beach Hermit Crab here, Willoughby, who traveled with us during our first 2 assignments before passing away…RIP. We missed the Neptune festival, but we enjoyed our walk on the boardwalk.

• Bunker Brew Pub - Young Veterans

  • Large brewery that we stopped at for a bite and to watch some college football before walking some more. Features our U.S. military.

• Orion’s Roof

  • An Asian fusion restaurant of small plates that is located in a Marriott Virginia Beach Oceanfront Resort. We had amazing seats in the corner of the window ledge that overlooked the Atlantic Ocean, the moon, and the boardwalk holiday lights. A very cute, romantic spot perfect for celebrating the end of our first contract!

Newport News

We only went to the City Center at Oyster Point. We were here at night with our coworkers turned friends near the end of our contract. Oyster Point is a newer part of this place with shops and restaurants around a huge pond with fountains.

• Salsas

  • Mexican cuisine with good queso!

• Ironclad Distillery

  • If you like whiskey, definitely a place to try. They make some great cocktails with their whisky. Shhhh they do have a secret speakeasy door with its own bartender.

• Coastal Fermentery

  • A brewery right next to the distillery if you prefer that over whiskey.

Cape Charles

If you are in the region, I would recommend taking a day trip here. We spent about half the day here. First of all, you drive over a long bridge between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Then once on land, you drive through many cotton farms. A beautiful little town on the Bay side of the peninsula. Many cute shops, restaurants, a place to walk out onto a dock.

• Kelly’s Gingernut Pub

  • A traditional Irish pub restaurant/pub.

• Cape Charles Distillery

  • A good place for some brews during the day trip to relax.

Williamsburg

This region is relaxing. A lot more forest and trees here. If you enjoy Colonial America, you need to come here. A very historical place with many things you can do. We walked around the historical buildings and area, visited the local farmer’s market, browsed some shops and the touristy ones, traveled to Jamestown and drove the loop. Sadly, we did not go to the Glasshouse. We also ran out of time to go to the Busch Gardens amusement park in Williamsburg. So, if you enjoy amusement parks, you can always go to Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, which is about a 45 minute drive from Norfolk.

Closing Remarks,

Virginia will always hold a special place in our hearts and memories due to being our first travel assignment experience and with all the things we did.

Please let us know if you liked this format and any suggestions to make it better in regards to breaking down the places we’ve been to while on assignment.

Best Wishes,

Andrew & Alyssa