We plan on being in Norfolk in May. The weekend will be filled with a reunion. Would like to find some day trips to take out of there. We are interested in battlefields,civil war history. Have been to Williamsburg.

Richmond, Appomattox ??? ....

see: http://www.civilwar-va.com/virginia/

If you haven't already, check out the link Krista provided you. LOTS of good info there for more than a couple of Civil War day trips.

Pamplin park in Petersburg is a good CW exhibit.

After living four years in the Norfolk area, Williamsburg is still my favorite day trip.

Check out Endview Planation and Lee Hall Mansion in Newport News. It will take about 2 hours to go through both and the are very close to each other.

Another great day trip is the Outerbanks of NC. Go at least as far as Cape Hattera to see the light house. The area has some interesting WWI history, as the area served as a sentry point against German submarines.

Jamestown is worth seeing.

How about a day on the beach at Va Beach?

If you are interested in the Civil War, Petersburg is not too far and has a battlefield. The Old Blanford Church there is a wonderful monument to the Civil War soldiers and features 13 Tiffany stained glass windows. Richmond has the Museum of the Confederacy as well as several battlefields. To check out more about the battlefields, go to the National Park Service web site.

Consider one of the Harbor Cruises. You can catch them from behind Waterside in Norfolk (see Nauticus next door!), or from Hampton or Newport News. You'll see the worlds largest navy base, and most go over to Newport News Shipbuilding where again you have record-sized building & equipment, such as the large gantry crane.

Excellent marine science museum in Virginia Beach, and an Air & Space museum in Hampton. Drive along Rt 5 between Williamsburg area & Richmond for some other great plantations.