Meetings Today - May 2018

more than that, evolving into a great place to visit and live over the last several years.

Embracing our public art and creativity,
the city uniquely combines the Southern
touch with a healthy dose of edginess and
surprising international vibe. Groups have
great meeting venues, and with our hotels,
restaurants and attractions all close to each
other, the ability to easily maneuver about
the city.”
The Norfolk Botanical Garden, 80 this
year, is an illuminating year-round option
for groups, with a moving story of its foun-
dation. In 1938, the Works Progress Admin-
istration hired some 220 African-Ameri-
cans, mostly women, to clear the land and
begin planting the garden.

Honoring their arduous labors, the WPA Memorial Garden, featuring the commemorative Breaking Ground sculpture, is one of 53 themed gardens within the 175-acre oasis. The workers are also remembered each April on WPA Garden Heritage Day. With facilities including the signature Rose Garden Hall, the venue flexibly hosts indoor and outdoor events for up to 400.

Shining bright, too, is the NEON (New Energy Of Norfolk) District, the city’s first official arts district. The neighborhood is anchored by the event-capable Chrysler Museum of Art, where groups can take classes at the Chrysler Glass Studio; Harrison Opera House, regional home of ther Virginia Opera; and 2,500-seat Chrysler Hall, the area’s premier performing arts center. There are also restaurants, galleries and splashy outdoor murals.

Easily accommodating mid- to large-size groups, other inspiring venues include the Harbor Club, overlooking the Elizabeth River as part of the emerging Waterside District.

Home to the retired battleship USS
Wisconsin, which earned five battle stars
in WWII, the contemporary Nauticus mu-
seum also features the Decker Half Moone
Center, hosting 1,200 attendees in its Grand
Rotunda & Promenade Deck.

Nearby Portsmouth, with its own seafaring tradition and inviting Olde Towne, offers voyages of discovery at venues including the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum, Lightship Portsmouth Museum and the Railroad Museum of Virginia.

Arrival Times

Hampton, at the geographic center of Coastal Virginia, is surging ahead. Consistent visitor growth contributed to a 7.1 percent RevPAR increase in 2017, spurring demand-driven development of three new select-service hotels close to major event venues including the Hampton Roads Convention Center and famed Hampton Coliseum.

Heritage venues and events are also creating major buzz in this historically significant American center.

“From the first settlers that arrived on our shores in 1607, before sailing up river to Jamestown, to America’s first astronauts—the Mercury Seven—who trained here, Hampton is known as a City of Firsts,”