10 miles of Norfolk VA

  For the last couple weeks we have ventured to Norfolk the city next door and took advantage of their summer kids program.  While there since I paid for the ferry and parking (optional) I like to get my money's worth so we toured the city as well.  On foot of course because that's FREE!

We racked almost ten miles that day but I packed our lunch, some snacks and plenty of water to keep us going.

  This city has so many neat spots I knew of and some we just stumbled on coincidentally.

We checked out some street art and they decided to strike a pose.

 It's hard work realizing that the walk has only just begun...

 We saw a mermaid or two.  We are going to go back and look for some more.  Although after some research apparently there are 130 and I doubt we will get to all of them.
They sure are neat to see because they vary so much.

In a quiet little neighborhood we found this running train in the front yard.  My kids stood there for awhile.  I don't know how often the train runs but I'm glad my kids were in the right place at the right time.

We even visited The Pagoda for some impromptu pictures.

We plan on making another visit or two to Norfolk and I can't wait to share with you what we see!  

Do you re-visit neighboring towns? Play tourist in your own city?  What is one place you keep going back to that's close?

Wordless Wednesday (A day in the garden)

  We have had an annual pass to our local botanical gardens for years.  It's somewhere we all like to go as a family.  Every time we go and see something different.  There are more then just flowers, plants and trees here.  There is also a cafe, a children's play area and more.  It's a popular wedding venue so we have also caught a couple bride sightings.

Off we go with the kids leading the way why because they enjoy it just as much as me.  

It's nice to go multiple times because different flowers grow at different times of the year.

I love in the summer when they open the butterfly house.   This is a must stop on our visit to witness eggs, caterpillars and butterflies.

We spend a good couple of hours here every time we go. We ride the tram around then walk on foot through the whole thing again. 

Do you have an annual pass to somewhere?  Where do you find yourself visiting often?

Not quite Wordless Wednesday

  You know one place that we go that doesn't get old is the zoo.  We do have a membership there which does help and encourage us to go but it's always different.  The animals may not change.  Most of the time.  Sometimes the zoo likes to change it up and relocate them to a different part of the zoo but usually everything is the same.

  However after having gone several times and days you get the opportunity to experience different things!  Sometimes the animals are more active in the morning, you might catch a zookeeper feeding the animals, interacting with the animals, or even seeing an animal in motion.  We rarely catch our tiger walking around.  He is usually in the farthest corner and slightly difficult to see but one day he was pacing back and forth growling.  That was neat to witness.  I would love to hear more noises from animals!  What kind of noise does a giraffe make or a kangaroo?

  I want to share with you some of the animals we have at our zoo!

The Bald Eagle sitting proud in his area.  I like this exhibit as there are no bars or windows.  Your view of this bird is clean and clear.

  These little fellas are fun to watch!  They are also a nice sight to see after you have finished with the small reptiles and nocturnal sections.

One day we went to story hour for the children and they read a book about armadillos and even had a real one there for the kids to see.  Needless to say my daughter loves to see them when she goes because she had such a up close encounter with them.

Ahh, the red panda.  This is one exhibit we always see if nothing else.  We have two areas with them.  One area is so neat as it has branches above your head where sometimes your lucky enough to catch them walking on.  The other area is spacious with a lot of things for them to go up, down and through.

  These two monkeys cracked me up this day.  It was as if they were siblings and one wanted to get down but the other just wouldn't move.  They were like this for awhile. I don't know who held out longer

The zoo has a few turtles in the lion area.  I have never seen a sign declaring them as residents so I think they are free loaders.  

The zoo is also home to a small blooming garden.  It is spring so it was nice to see after months of brown and barely green.

Last month we got to see the baby tigers.  The zoo always has something going on.  Unfortunately we are saying good bye to our elephants soon as they are being transferred to another zoo.

Hopefully this move will bring us another exciting animal to learn and view.

  Our membership provides us with many opportunities: discounts on meals and drinks as well as children's camps. We receive a newsletter and also receive invites and discounts to special events.

Check out your local zoo for a great family experience.

My local zoo is the virginiazoo!

Wordless Wednesday

   We finally got to check out the Garden of Lights +NorfolkBotGarden.  I think we made this an annual tradition officially.  Everyone enjoys them and we point put different things we may see and sing together.

  This is a great way to see plenty of lights in various ways, frogs jumping, a spider and many more things.  You stay inside your car and drive through the gardens and are able to enjoy various displays made of lights out of all sides of your car!

  No complaints from all the occupants in my car young and old.  It's just a nice way to get out and spend time together.  Bonus is catching neighborhood displays on the way there and back.
 
  Check times and rates for available discounts.  If you arrive early you may get to skip the privilege of waiting an hour to enter the gardens!

  Have fun and go check out some lights!

Street Art (Wordless Wednesday)

  I recently went downtown for a dinner date and came across some wall art.  After that and a little research I realized some how I had missed out a arts festival.

  I missed out on all the bells and whistles, the unveiling and hoopla of the graffiti.  There was a tour containing a few miles of music, lights and art that seemed to have all gone on despite my absence.  I decided something must be done!  So in order to get slightly caught up I explored the area and sought out some of it myself.

The art was part of a celebration of art in the art district of Norfolk, VA.  I hope they are planning to expand and more festivals.  I will try hard not to miss it next time.  It would have been to see a different perspective at night with streetlights or moonlight highlighting the pictures. Maybe I'll drive by and catch someone at work.

  Not all art is bad.  We all have a preference.  However we must agree any of these works of art are much better to view than a plain brick or solid white wall.