5 Coffee Shops to Visit With Kids

Firehouse 1881: Stop in this Hampton coffee shop to get some work done while kids play. While not a play area, the coffee house is located in an old fire station, and there is a whole wall of firefighter toys. They sell ice cream by the scoop. 

Apelu Island Cafe: Located very close to our neighborhood in The Little Creek Square, stop by this coffee shop with a small play area for small kids, and lots of cards and games for big kids. 

Coaster Coffee: Directly across the street from Northside Park you’ll find Coaster Coffee, which has a few games and toys for kids. Let them sit on the stage and play with these during your next zoom meeting or reading your next book. 

Cova: Located in East Beach, spend a nice weather day where kids can play outside. They have a large sandbox, but my kids also love to bring a football and pass while the parents sit and relax. (A note, Cova no longer does Mini Mondays)

Sawdust Road: Another outdoor option, Sawdust Road is located in Pungo and has a playground, picnic tables, and a few play houses. They have baked goods on site as well as a variety of drinks made to order.

Winter Nature Nights

Visit the Virginia Living Museum from December 19th to December 22nd and you'll be able to catch the Winter Nature Nights from 5:30-8:15. Tickets are $14 for ages 3 and up, and includes strolling through the decorated museum and lights outside on the boardwalk trail. You'll want to see the story walk for the book "How Do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas", while you check out the decorated dinos. 

Meet Santa, play winter games, listen to live music, decorate and eat cookies, and drink hot chocolate, for no additional charge. A highlight for my kids was the scavenger hunt throughout the museum. 

For an additional price you can purchase tickets to a holiday planetarium show, Star of Wonder or Laser Holiday. 

Design, Build, Sail at Nauticus

Nauticus is currently in the middle of a $21.5 million campaign to increase STEM- focused programing and relevant and compelling interactive exhibits, and explore real-world jobs. They previously opened Aquaticus, an indoor play area for kids that we love, and Norfolk In Time which explores the history of Norfolk and allows visitors to think about the future of our area. 

The newest exhibit, Design, Build, Sail is located on the third floor and overlooks the Elizabeth River. This exhibit is full of STEM principles (lots of Virginia SOLs hit here!) that engages kids in interactive fine and gross motor activities. Learn about push and pull, hydrodynamics, aerodynamics, buoyancy, and play with several different simple machines. 

The next exhibits to come include "Our Port" and "Heart of the Navy" which will both open on November 9th. Also upcoming for Nauticus is their Winterfest event which takes place on and inside the Battleship Wisconsin. 

Cirque DeParis

In town from Europe, and here in Norfolk for the first time, Cirque DeParis features jugglers, tight-wire walkers, laser dancers, clowns, and more. We all really laughed a lot during this show, which I didn't expect. Another highlight for the kids was the laser show which had all the kids in the crowd up and screaming. There is crowd participation, and the show has several interactive parts. 

The show is in town September 5-15th, and is performing in the back side parking lot of the Norfolk Premium Outlets. There are both afternoon and night time shows available. Tickets are $35 for adults and $25 for kids for general admission bleacher seats. You can pay a little more and get floor chair seats also. Popcorn, Nachos, and Cotton Candy are for sale for $10-$15. The show was 90 minutes with an intermission. 

Glass Light Art Gallery

Stop by the Glass Art Gallery inside the Glasslight Hotel in downtown Norfolk next time you're in the area. The museum is completely free, and it's open daily from 8-8. With over 65 pieces and rotating exhibits, it's worth it to pop in for a visit a few times a year. We spent about 40 minutes inside the museum and the boys enjoyed it.

The museum is located inside of the Glasslight Hotel on Granby Street. It is walking distance to MacArthur Center, Slover Library, and Nauticus. There is lots of paid parking available on the street or in any of the downtown garages.