I passed through Norfolk in the fall, late October, and the weather was nice. They have a beautiful zoo. Norfolk is about an hour from Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. That could keep you busy for a day or two. It is also about 2 hours from Washington, DC. We parked in Old Town Alexandria and took the Metro into DC.

Thank you, gardendiva. Anyone else out there to continue the discussion?

I like Norfolk but I wonder how you chose it. If I was going to spend a month in a small Virginia city I might choose Charlottesville or Alexandria over Norfolk but I'm not you.

What neighborhood is the house in? My first choice would be Ghent. It's a cute neighborhood and close to some of the shopping and restaurant areas. You'll want to visit the zoo, Nauticus (the marine museum), the botanical garden (especially if you come when the azaleas are in bloom.) You can take a boat across to Portsmouth and take day trips to Virginia Beach, the Eastern Shore, Williamsburg, and Richmond.

Norfolk has some good restaurants, Richmond has more.

The best time to come would be the end of April and beginning of May or October.

I hope Judy sees this. She could comment more on the city.

Birdie, Thank you for your thoughts. Home exchange is not like choosing a hotel where one can pick the exact location, thus one often ends up in a city or place that is off the tourist radar. So though another city or town might be a better choice, it may not be on offer for an exchange.

I thought that may be the case annetti. I think Norfolk would be a good base to explore this part of the country from. Where are you from? If you haven't been in the south for the azaleas, then spring would probably be the best time for you to come.

Thank you, Birdie. We're from Southern California. Have seen so little of the US South, just a couple days in Williamsburg and DC as a child. Spring sounds nice; and Southern Calif looks great at that time of the year. Everything is still green from the winter rains and the weather is nice as well, so that may appeal to our prospective home exchangers.

Hi annetti, can you tell us where the home is in Norfolk? As Birdie noted, that can make a difference. If you'd like to e-mail the address to me (my e-mail address is on my profile) I'm happy to drive by and let you know what the neighborhood looks like.

I would add the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk and the Contemporary Art Museum in Virginia Beach to Birdie's list of attractions. The Virginia Arts Festival is in May http://www.vafest.org/2012/index.php as well as some good outdoor art shows.

annetti, if you end up coming to Norfolk, keep posting and we'll be happy to help you with day trips, restaurants, etc. I don't come to the US forum a lot but if it's tagged Virginia, I usually find the post eventually.

Hi Judy and Birdie, The couple live in Larchmont; they tell us they are near Old Dominion University, and often walk along the Lafayette River. Do you know the neighborhood? Judy, thanks for your offer and the additional information.

annetti, Larchmont is a very nice residential neighborhood. We have some friends who live there. The homes are mostly older on fairly large lots and many are on the Lafayette River.

Does a car come with the exchange? Norfolk does not have terrific public transportation and many of the places you'll want to see are in nearby cities. I know that there is a bus line between ODU and downtown Norfolk but that would be pretty limiting if that's your only choice!

Thanks, Judy. The pictures look very nice. No car exchange, but we plan on renting one.

Now waiting on some more details to make a decision, but definitely leaning towards accepting. I see Norfolk has an international airport, but no direct flights from LAX. The only connecting flights leave LAX at 6am or 7am, way too early for us. How far are we from Wash DC? Would that work , flying into DC and then take a train or rent a car from there?

annetti - someone has home exchange quesitions:

http://www.fodors.com/community/fodorite-lounge/home-exchanges-418915-2.cfm

DC is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Norfolk. You'd be better off driving than taking the train as right now I don't think the train comes any closer than Newport News....if you get a ticket to Norfolk, they bus you from there! I've heard that's changing but not sure when.

The only "international" flights in or out of Norfolk are charters to the Caribbean.

As I'm typing this I'm reminded of how transportation challenged this area is!

Judy, Thanks again.I've checked out one flight travel site - the odd thing is that it is about $150 or so cheaper to fly directly to Norfolk per person(with a plane change) than to fly directly to DC. And that is not adding on the cost of driving (both physically and monetarily) to Norfolk from DC. I just hate getting to LAX by 4 or 5am, not to mention what time we'd have to wake up to fly in to Norfolk. Oh well, jumping the gun. I have not confirmed the exchange, yet. Will worry about it later.

BTW, Judy if you want to talk about a transportation challenged area - consider LA in the running for bad transport, though it is improving. . .

DebitNM- Thank you for thinking of me as the resident Fodor's home exchange expert. The poster has posted the question on two different boards. Someone else alerted me to his/her question on the Travel Tips Board. I made some suggestions then.

You are still my go to gal should I work up the nerve to house exchange; you are my hero!

Thank you, DebitNM. I think New Mexico would be very attractive for home exchanging. Consider it. Go on some of the websites suggested like www.intervac.net or www.homelink.org You can see the offerings as a visitor. The names and addresses are blocked, but the pictures and locations can be seen.

Home exchanging in general has been pretty terrific, though like all things, not every exchange has been perfect. You are still dealing with people and people as we know are not always kind and reliable. No serious problems, just occasional annoyances in 2 or 3 cases, but out of 24 exchanges that's pretty good numbers.

annetti, have you checked Southwest? They fly into ORF from LAX.

Thank you, Birdie. Much appreciated. I'll check that out if we confirm the exchange.

I did check it out.
Too curious to wait. There's even one flight where I would not have to switch planes, just one stop on the way. Terrific. And it does not leave in the middle of the night!!! Thank you.

Birdie and Judy,

Still thinking about Norfolk. I looked at the websites my prospective home exchanger provided, and though it sounds like there's enough to keep very slow travelers like us contented for a a week, or even 10 days since we move so slowly, I am concerned that we may spend too much time on the road taking hour long rides or even longer.

It would be great to see Williamsburg again through an adult's eyes, visit Jamestown, Richmond, Washington DC, etc, but it sounds like a lot of time on the road. Do you think we will be spending our days driving?

Also, what is the traffic like? We are from the LA metropolitan area and don't want to leave one gridlocked freeway for another.

Another problem, is that our home exchangers are leaning towards a Sept/Oct exchange, though I imagine we might be able to negotiate a spring exchange. I am concerned about hurricanes. I experienced two hurricanes in Maine and the Poconos as a child and while candles and fireplaces for light and heat and no running water was fun then, I did not realize the serious dangers of trees falling through houses and other damage from the storms. I would prefer to avoid them if possible. Of course, on their side here in Calif.,they always have the possibility of an earthquake at any time!!

annetti, I have to agree that 10-14 days would allow you to see what Norfolk has to offer and, after that, you are looking at 30 minute to 2 hour drives to appreciate the area around us.

September is often as hot and humid as mid-summer here though can be beautiful. The possibility of a hurricane is really pretty remote (this from someone who had a tree fall on my house in Irene 3 days before trip to Paris!) and I would not discount an exchange based on that alone.

Traffic is not bad except when the military bases change shifts and the tunnels back-up on weekends. The area is surrounded by water so many routes include tunnel or bridge crossings which can back up during rush hours but most of the time, no problem.

I would think if you did your road trips interspersed with staying local it may seem like less road time. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Let me ask you how much you can experience in LA without driving 1/2 hour? Yes, Norfolk isn't NYC, Paris, or San Francisco but...

Tidewater Virginia is truly a beautiful and special area that is so very different from what you know in SoCal. From Norfolk you'll be able to see the beautiful farmland and small towns on the Eastern Shore, the watermen's villages of the Northern Neck and Middle Peninsula, the Naval bases along the rivers, the Colonial Triangle,the Charles City County plantations, the Civil War sites of Richmond and Fredericksburg, etc etc.

I've lived in California, in big eastern cities, the south, and the north and I love it here. I can't guarantee that you'll be thrilled with your home exchange but I think you'll miss out on experiencing a really interesting area of the country if you don't come.

You make some excellent points, Birdie.

You are right, we can't do much around here without spending time in a car, something we do all the time, that is ----drive a lot and sit in traffic a lot. Driving is no fun here.

Lately, our home exchanges have been in urban areas with terrific public transportation. It has been a wonderful respite from our cars. For this pair of Southern Californians, it is a real break not to drive. We recently returned from a home exchange to Toronto, where we relied on public transit and walking. We loved it. When we did rent a car to visit Niagara Falls, neither of us enjoyed the drive or the traffic.

We have to decide whether or not we want to spend time in a car on a holiday, though your description of what is available close to Norfolk is VERY convincing. Thank you for taking the time to write. It is much appreciated. I'll run it by my husband.

That is my dream, annetti, to be able to spend a chunk of time in a city where I could just walk and use public transport. I lived in the city of Philadelphia for a few years when I was younger and loved it.

I imagine you've been able to spend time in some pretty fantastic places. You know what you like and how you want to spend your vacation time. If you do decied to come, we'll do whatever we can to give you ideas.

Thank you, Birdie.

Is the local Norfolk traffic, that is, in-city traffic pretty comfortable? Can we drive to the market, local tourist sights, restaurants, etc easily? What about parking? Is that easily available and free or cheap?

Yes, we have been extremely lucky to visit a lot of wonderful places where we used public transit as our means of getting around. Toronto, San Francisco, Portland, Germany, Switzerland come quickly to mind.

We have also had a few driving vacations that worked. We did two to Brittany; driving was easy. The roads were relatively empty between small towns and villages. The Netherlands outside of Amsterdam has to be one of the easiest places to drive, too.

I have to say we're leaning towards accepting the exchange. I have a friend I'm seeing today who knows the area, I'll quiz her a bit. Of course, it works two ways, it is always possible the Norfolk people may have a change of heart, and decide that So Calif is not what they want. .
Thanks again for all your thoughtful replies. Really very much appreciated.

I am not usually in "downtown" Norfolk during morning or evening commute times and for that reason haven't run into too many traffic back-ups. I assume while on vacation, your hours would also put you traveling outside of rush hour.

Larchmont is fairly close to a naval base so I imagine there can be more traffic around change of shift times, not in the neighborhood itself but on the main thoroughfare.

Most tourist attractions have free adequate parking. Downtown has several pay parking garages, some free and some metered on street parking. We usually use a pay garage or valet parking when dining out downtown.

Larchmont has easy access to an interstate highway for travel outside of the city.

The major traffic problems in this area occur at the bridges and/or tunnels as drivers seem to slow when entering the tunnels. The occasional accident in one of the tunnels can tie things up but you can always check the status of tunnel traffic before you get there.

Hope this helps. I'll be interested to hear what you friend has to say.

Thank you, Judy. My friend was encouraging, however my husband is dragging his feet. He's been doing some research and has seen some high crime statistics. I need to email our prospective exchangers and arrange a telephone meeting. Should know more then. See if we can work out travel times that suit us both. I'm leaning towards the spring. Weather pleasantner on both coasts. Sept here can be outrageously hot; sometime October is miserable, too.

Annetti,

I lived several years in Newport News. I love the area. There are many beautiful things to see. Besides Colonial Williamsburg, there are Busch Gardens and Water Country, if you like amusements parks. There is the wonderful Mariners' Museum in Newport News. There are a number of beautiful old plantation homes along the James River. Richmond is a fabulous city with good food and lovely old homes to visit. There are many historic homes, small towns and battlefields.

Truthfully and realistically, however, you will spend a good deal of time driving to various sights. Some of the drives are lovely. Example: we often drove up to Williamsburg, crossed the James river on the ferry, had dinner at a country restaurant and drove back on the other side of the river. The excursion itself was a driving trip. The thing is: DH loves driving.

From Norfolk, it will take you at least 1 to 1&1/2 hours to Williamsburg. It is an hour's drive to Newport News. It is a two hour drive to Richmond. It is 3 to 4 hours to DC, depending on traffic. A week or two would be fine, but if you don't like driving, you will find not much to do after that, unless you like just hanging out in a new neighborhood.

If you do go, Spring would be lovely.

Thank you, Sassafras: This is a hard decision to make. Sometimes, I think, yes, sounds great. Very different scenery and world from LA, then I wonder about ALL the driving, most of which will fall on my husband since he knows I truly hate driving. And he's picked up my distate for it, too over the past few yrs! I have spent tons of hrs in a car commuting to work over the years, not to mention all the hours I spent driving on the job. And of course when you live in LA, you never give up on cars unless you plan to spend your time in your house!

>>And of course when you live in LA, you never give up on cars unless you plan to spend your time in your house!<<

And the reality is that mining the best of what this area has to offer your stated interests also requires regular and dedicated use of a car. There is far more history, architecture, museums, restaurants and meandering than you could accomplish in a month.

Norfolk has a lot to offer commensurate with a city of its size but some of what it offers (beach & water related activity) is understandably not of interest to you. It's not Portland or San Francisco.

Sorry to be blunt, but you have received lots a great advice and insight on the area. If the car thing is a show stopper, don't take the home exchange.

annetti, a lot of that crime is ODU student crime. Unfortunately, they are often seen as easy pickings especially if they have been drinking and can be robbery or assault victims. Your home exchange hosts can tell you more about that particular neighborhood.

I have to disagree with the 1 1/2 hour travel time to Williamsburg and 1 hour to Newport News. I can get from Williamsburg to downtown Norfolk in just under an hour. DS tells me he gets to class at ODU in less than 45 minutes. I don't ask for details. I do want to mention that if you have any tunnel phobias, that neigborhood is not the best. Larchmont is situated in an area that offers a lot of options out of Norfolk but most of them involve a tunnel or two.

>>I can get from Williamsburg to downtown Norfolk in just under an hour. DS tells me he gets to class at ODU in less than 45 minutes. I don't ask for details.<<

Haha! Definitely agree with the first statement and empathize with the third.

I used to live in Norfolk - yikes - almost 30 years ago! I loved it. I had friends in Larchmont and it is a nice area. That said, Norfolk does not offer a particularly intense urban environment, like SF, or even Portland OR. You would need to go in with the right attitude to enjoy it - decide you were going to learn about the community.

Norfolk is a really interesting place - a mix of Navy, eastern seaboard and the south. It has an excellent harbor and hosts the largest naval base in the world, as well as other military installations(think east coast San Diego). Before I moved there, I thought that would be negative, but it turned out to be a great positive - lots of interesting, well-traveled people, great fun watching the marines play beach volleyball, going to parties of figher pilots...well, I'll stop there and say I met my husband, who was a Naval officer at the time, in Norfolk.

Being surrounded by water, water activities abound, from sailing, to the beach, to crabbing and fishing.

Norfolk is large enough to have a good museum, symphony, some theater, and other cultural activities. There are a couple of universities. (As someone said, Old Dominion University is near Larchmont.)

Historically, it is a great place, but you'll want to get in your car to undertand Tidewater Virginia (the area that includes Norfolk). Jamestown is jsut up the river and is a "must see." Also Colonial Williamsburg is fantastic. Truly you could spend days visiting. Yorktown is also nearby and worth a visit. Richmond, capital of the Confederacy and now capital of Virginia, is less than 2 hrs away.

In sum, it's all about what you are looking for. If you are open to experience a unique part of the country and take it in, I think you'll find it really worthwhile. If you have a preconceived idea of what you are looking for - it would behoove you to make sure Norfolk fits.

A decision has been made. Finally. We have accepted the exchange for this spring. I am very excited and pleased; it is wonderful to know that we will see Virginia and a bit of the American South.

Good for you!

Let us know how you like it. You will love springtime in Norfolk. Don't miss the Azalea Gardens. It is world class.

Also, you may enjoy a visit to the Outer Banks of N. Carolina - a very beautiful area of seacoast.

Two more don't misses - the Virginia barbeque. All southern barbeque is delicious, but it varies from place to place. Also, try different types of Smithfield ham. There is one kind that is saltier that is more of an appetizer and super good, but you can't eat too much because of the salt.

There are fun places to eat in Williamsburg. We used to love Chownings - check this out:

http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/visit/diningExperience/chownings/index.cfm

Thanks, Orcas. The Fodorites really helped us make a decision and now that I made it, I wonder why I hesitated.

Looking forward to seeing the azaleas. Hopefully, we'll see the famous cherry blossoms in Wash DC, too.

I'll probably miss out on a lot of the regional cooking; I'm pretty much a vegetarian, occasionally eating a little fish, but not very often. Looking forward to Williamsburg. Thanks for the link.

If we have a computer while we're there, I'll probably do an on-going trip report.

annetti, please e-mail me if you have any questions before your visit. I don't check the US board very often.

I have some guest membership passes for the Chrysler museum I'd be happy to give you.

Judy, That is very kind. Thank you.

Happy to help in any way we can, annetti. Not sure when your exchange is but we'll be in Europe all of May so if you want the tickets, contact me before then.

Judy, I checked the Chrysler Museum's website out. Right now the museum is free and has been for the last yr. So, thank you, but it looks like I can't take you up on your generous offer. However, the museum looks like a terrific place to spend a couple of hours or more.

Annetti, the cards offer admission to special exhibits which may have a charge and discounts in the cafe and gift shop....so truly not worth much unless there happens to be a special exhibit during your stay.

We were there today to watch the glass blowers in the glass studio (free as well)

That was yesterday...not today!