One of the best parts of growing up at First Presbyterian Preschool is growing up in Norfolk. Our school sits in the heart of Ghent, and within a short walk or drive there are enough animals, gardens, boats, beaches, and museums to fill every Saturday of the school year.
This list comes from our teachers and FPP families. These are places we actually take our own children, and every stop works for preschool-size legs, naps, and attention spans. Many are free or close to it. Pack snacks, plan around rest time, and enjoy.
1. Virginia Zoo
The zoo is the closest thing Norfolk has to a guaranteed great morning. More than 500 animals live here, from giraffes and zebras to a barnyard of goats that toddlers can get close to, and the whole loop is stroller friendly. When little legs give out, the train ride around the park makes a perfect finale.
3500 Granby Street, about five minutes from school. Wonderful from about 18 months and up.
2. Norfolk Botanical Garden
One hundred seventy-five acres of gardens, but the reason most families with young children come is the WOW Children's Garden, with its splash fountains, climbing areas, and dirt-digging zones. In warm months, pack a swimsuit and a towel. The fountains are the main event.
6700 Azalea Garden Road, near the airport. The children's garden suits crawlers through kindergartners.
3. Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin
A science museum, an aquarium touch tank, and one of the largest battleships ever built, all on one downtown pier. Little ones gravitate to the horseshoe crab touch pool and the shark lab. Walking the Wisconsin's enormous deck makes everyone feel small in the best way.
1 Waterside Drive, downtown. Exhibits shine for ages 4 and up, but there's plenty for younger siblings.
4. Ride the Elizabeth River ferry
The paddlewheel ferry between Waterside and Portsmouth is Norfolk's best-kept secret for small children: a real boat ride for the price of a bus fare. Kids wave at tugboats and count cranes while the grown-ups get the skyline. Ride over, get ice cream, ride back.
Departs from Waterside. Pairs perfectly with the Children's Museum across the river.
5. Children's Museum of Virginia
Just across the river in Portsmouth, this is the area's purpose-built preschool paradise. There are giant bubbles, a pretend fire truck with coats and helmets, a grocery store, and one of the largest model train collections on the East Coast up on the mezzanine.
221 High Street, Portsmouth. Take the ferry to make a full adventure of it. Ideal for ages 2 to 8.
6. Town Point Park
Norfolk's waterfront living room. The interactive fountains run all summer, the lawns are made for picnics, and the park hosts a steady calendar of free family festivals. If a Navy ship is passing, this is where you'll see it best.
113 Waterside Drive, along the downtown waterfront. All ages, no admission.
7. Ocean View and East Beach
You don't have to drive to Virginia Beach for a beach day. The Chesapeake Bay beaches on Norfolk's north shore have gentle little waves and gradual sand, much friendlier to waders and sandcastle builders than the open ocean.
Along Ocean View Avenue. Go at low tide for the best digging.
8. Chrysler Museum of Art
General admission is free, which makes the Chrysler a no-risk outing with unpredictable small people. Come for one gallery and stay for the glass studio. The daily glassblowing demonstrations hold even three-year-olds spellbound, and the studio team loves an audience.
1 Memorial Place, a short walk from school. Free. Check the glass demo schedule when you arrive.
9. Slover Library
Our favorite rainy-day rescue. Downtown's glass-and-stone library has a children's floor built for lingering, with story times, puzzles, and room to spread out. Older siblings disappear into the technology areas while little ones settle into picture books.
235 East Plume Street, downtown. Story times are posted on the library calendar, and all ages are welcome.
10. A Norfolk Tides game at Harbor Park
Minor-league baseball moves at the right speed for preschoolers. The seats are close, there are games between innings, and nobody minds a wiggly fan. Evening games end with fireworks on many Fridays and Saturdays in summer.
150 Park Avenue, downtown. Grass berm seating is the most forgiving with toddlers.
11. Take a harbor cruise
For a longer boat adventure, two favorites leave from downtown. The American Rover is a three-masted tall ship whose crew lets kids help hoist the sails. The Victory Rover runs a narrated cruise past the aircraft carriers at the world's largest naval base.
Both depart near Waterside, spring through fall. Best for ages 4 and up, and the two-hour trips reward a nap first.
12. The Pagoda and Oriental Garden
A pocket of calm on the downtown waterfront, with koi to spot, bridges to cross, and winding paths that feel made for small explorers. It's compact enough to cover before anyone melts down, and the harbor view is lovely.
265 West Tazewell Street. A gentle half-hour outing. Combine it with lunch downtown.
13. Walk the NEON District murals
Norfolk's arts district is an open-air gallery a few blocks long, and preschoolers make excellent mural critics. Turn it into a scavenger hunt: find a fish, find something yellow, find the biggest face. It's free, always open, and different every year as new murals appear.
Between downtown and Ghent, along Granby Street. Bring the stroller and go at your own pace.
14. Cones at Doumar's
A Norfolk rite of passage. The Doumar family has been rolling waffle cones on the same four-iron machine for more than a century, and if you ask nicely the cone maker will usually show little ones how it works. Curb service means shy or sleepy kids can eat in the car.
1919 Monticello Avenue, minutes from school. Cash is handy, and the cones are the point.
15. Stroll the Elizabeth River Trail
Ghent's own waterfront path is flat, paved, and perfect for strollers, balance bikes, and new pedalers. The stretch near Plum Point Park delivers a steady parade of ships, sailboats, and the occasional passing train, which for a certain kind of three-year-old is the whole show.
Multiple entry points near Ghent. Go as far as little legs allow. There's no wrong turnaround point.
16. Hermitage Museum and Gardens
A storybook riverside estate on the Lafayette River with twelve acres of gardens, outdoor sculptures to discover, and a small sandy shoreline where kids can watch herons and look for shells. The grounds feel like a secret, even on a Saturday.
7637 North Shore Road, ten minutes from school. Grounds passes are inexpensive, and the gardens are the draw with little ones.
17. Tour Naval Station Norfolk
Home port to aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines, and you can see them from a guided bus tour that runs most days. Forty-five minutes sits right at the edge of a preschool attention span, but for a ship-obsessed four-year-old this is the best show in town.
Tours depart from the Naval Tour and Information Center on Hampton Boulevard. Best for ages 4 and up. Bring photo ID for adults.
Your turn
What did we miss? Every FPP family seems to have one more secret spot, and we'd love to keep this list growing. Tell a teacher at pickup, or send us a note, and we'll add your favorites in a future post.
All blog posts