Cruises

Harbor Cruises to Where the Ironclads Fought

Three cruise boats docked at The Waterside or NAUTICUS offer cruises on the Elizabeth River, Hampton Roads, and the Chesapeake Bay. You will pass the naval base with nuclear subs and aircraft carriers and cross the site of the Civil War battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac.

The best for the money is the 2-hour Victory Rover (tel. 757/627-7406; www.navalbasecruises.com) cruise from NAUTICUS to the Norfolk Naval Station -- or as close thereto as security will permit. It has summertime trips departing at 11am, 2pm, and 5:30pm, and at least one trip a day (usually departing at 2pm) the rest of the year. Fares are $16 adults, $10 for children. Combination tickets with admission to NAUTICUS cost $23 adults, $16 for children.

From April to October, there are cruises on the American Rover (tel. 757/627-7245; www.americanrover.com), a graceful schooner modeled after 19th-century Chesapeake Bay schooners. Prices for the 1 1/2-hour midday cruise and the 2-hour 3pm cruises along the Elizabeth River are $14 and $16 for adults, $8 to $10 for children younger than 12, respectively. It also goes on sunset voyages and adults-only Saturday night party cruises. Call for exact times and reservations.

From mid-April to October, the Carrie B (tel. 757/393-4735; www.carriebcruises.com), a reproduction of a 19th-century Mississippi riverboat, offers daily 1 1/2- and 2 1/2-hour cruises departing at noon and 2pm, respectively, from The Waterside. They pick up passengers at Portsmouth's North Landing 10 minutes later. Fares start at $18 for adults, $9 for children. There's also a 2 1/2-hour sunset cruise. Call for the schedule and reservations.

Also departing from The Waterside, the sleek Spirit of Norfolk (tel. 866/211-3803 or 757/625-3866; www.spiritofnorfolk.com) is like an oceangoing cruise ship, complete with dancing, good food, and entertainment. Offerings include lunch cruises starting $25 per person, dinner cruises from $43, and moonlight party cruises with cocktails from $24. Call for the schedule and to make reservations.

A Ferry Ride to Olde Towne Portsmouth

Across the Elizabeth River from downtown Norfolk, Portsmouth's Olde Towne section traces its roots back to 1752. Like those in Charleston and Savannah, its homes present a kaleidoscope of architectural styles: Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, Georgian, and Victorian. Plaques mounted on imported English street lamps point out their architectural and historical significance.

Ferries were the main means of getting across the river until the 1950s, and the paddlewheel Elizabeth River Ferry (tel. 757/222-6100; www.hrtransit.org) still makes the short but picturesque trip. During summer it departs The Waterside marina every 30 minutes daily 7am to 11:45pm. Off-season service ends at 9:45pm Sunday through Thursday, 11:45pm Friday and Saturday. Fare is $1 for adults; 50¢ for children, seniors, and passengers with disabilities (exact change required). There is no ferry service on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

Get off at the second stop, Portsmouth's North Landing Visitor Center, on Harbor Court (tel. 800/767-8782 or 757/393-5111; www.visitportsva.com), and pick up a walking tour brochure and map. The center is open daily 9am to 5pm.

Guided Olde Towne Trolley Tours (tel. 757/393-5111) depart the visitor center at 10am and noon on Wednesdays and Saturdays during summer. Fares are $13 adults, $12 for children.

Worth seeing is the Lightship Museum, in Riverfront Park at the foot of London Boulevard (tel. 757/393-8741), which is the lightship Portsmouth, built in 1915 and anchored offshore until the 1980s to warn mariners of the dangerous shoals on the approach to Hampton Roads. Also in the park is the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum (tel. 757/393-8591).

Tree-lined High Street, the main drag running inland from the harbor, has several restaurants and coffee shops, including the Bier Garden (tel. 757/393-6022) and Cafe Europa (tel. 757/399-6652). Best of all is Fusion 440, 447 Dinwiddie St. (tel. 757/398-0888).