Christine & Jonathan
Things To Do
Aago Indian & Nepalese Cuisine
This is a really great Indian restaurant that is located very close to the venue. It is across the street from Christopher Newport University & has a great $10 lunch buffet. This restaurant has quite a calm environment & is the perfect place to chat over a meal. You can dress up for this place, but you also don’t have to!
MOD Pizza
This is a really yummy build your own pizza place located 15 minutes from the venue. It is a very casual & fun place to go grab food with great gluten-free crust options.
BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse
With many different food options, BJ’s is a great place to go for dinner. Their menu includes burgers, pizza, pasta, and good beer. If you are gluten sensitive, there are also several gluten-free options which is wonderful. For dessert, pizookies are SO good (warmed cookie dough with ice cream). We highly recommend these!!
Crab Shack on the James
This restaurant is right on the shore of the James River & gives off a beachy feel. It is really casual & is a great restaurant to go to for a beach town experience. To be honest, the service is not always 10/10, but we still always enjoy our dates here! This restaurant also shares a parking lot with Huntington Beach. This beach is fun to visit during the day but we wouldn’t recommend spending a lot of time there at night (it can sometimes get a little rough then). If you feel like a little after-dinner walk, the restaurant is connected to a fishing pier! Walking on the pier is free if you eat at the Crab Shack (otherwise you’d have to pay) & it is beautiful at night. Sometimes when the pier is really crowded it can feel a little awkward walking there, but even then it is still nice!
Canvas Coffee House
Canvas is a locally owned coffee shop that was started by a friend! The coffee quality is excellent & the environment is beautiful, making it the ideal shop for the coffee enthusiast. The shop we run together, The Golden Fern Store, is actually responsible for decorating the main wall of the shop. The posters hung here were made & put up by us!
The Noland Trail
This a very beautiful five mile loop through the forest. It also swings right by the James River. If you are looking for a longer walk, this is the place we would recommend. This is certainly one of our favorite places in the whole area. The Noland Trail is only a few minutes’ drive from the venue so it is a perfect day-of-wedding activity. This park shares a parking lot with the Mariners’ Museum.
The Mariners' Museum
A museum dedicated to teaching people about boats & the maritime history of Virginia. This museum is very beautiful & fascinating. One cool thing about this museum is that it houses the salvaged parts of the USS Monitor, a famous Civil War ironclad warship. This museum shares a parking lot with the Noland Trail. Tickets: $1
Virginia Living Museum
This is one of our favorite museums in the area. It is basically like a little zoo/aquarium of animals found all around Virginia. There is an indoor & outdoor section & we absolutely love both! The outdoor section is a boardwalk that runs through the woods and allows you to overlook various kinds of animals. And THERE ARE RIVER OTTERS, so ya really can’t go wrong. Just a side note: if you decide to go, the outdoor boardwalk closes at 4:30 & the indoor section closes at 5. We have gone right after 4:30 so many times & missed out on the outside section. Ticket Price: $20 for adults & $15 for children.
Christopher Newport University
This is the university where we met & graduated together! It is a beautiful school & honestly just a really nice place to walk around. There is food in the student union in case you get hungry. It is located just 2 minutes from the wedding venue.
Hilton Village
This is honestly just a super cute place to walk around, look at shops, & grab a bite to eat. It is SUPER close to the wedding venue & so it is a really great place to go the weekend of the wedding.
Cinemark City Center 12
This theater is an excellent place to go see a movie as every single seat is a comfy recliner seat! Also, there is a nice coffee shop called Aromas within walking distance & there are beautiful fountains that you can go on walks around. This area is really pleasant after dark! The fountains are usually all lit up & we go for walks around them a lot at night!
Sage Kitchen at Anderson’s Newport News
This restaurant is perfect for people with dietary restrictions. They have excellent gluten free & paleo options for guests! The menu is very unique and yummy! Feel free to check it their menu online before going over to eat. The atmosphere is pretty casual so you can choose to dress up if you wish, but you’ll also be fine in casual clothes. This restaurant is attached to a garden store & greenhouse & so its perfect for the plant lover. Hours: 9-4
Sandy Bottom Nature Park
Even though this is in Hampton & not Newport News, it is SO close to Newport News. This is a really beautiful park & another excellent place to go for a long walk. There are camping sites, a dog park, boats that can be rented, & a fishing pier. We love this place so much & highly recommend it!
Bluebird Gap Farm
A cute park & petting zoo. Great for a sunny day walk! There are alpacas, sheep, goats, ducks, peacocks, and many more animals you can observe, feed & pet. There is also a little garden that is delightful to explore. If you go make sure to bring some loose change to buy some animal food!
Exploring Williamsburg
Williamsburg is a beautiful historic area that is perfect for a daytime stroll. There are tours that can be taken around the historic town of Williamsburg, artisan shops, and lots of yummy places to grab food. There is so much to do & below we will include a few recommendations of places we like to visit & food we like to eat in this area.
Williamsburg Special Events
I have attached a link to Williamsburg’s event schedule! They might add more events as the time gets closer, so definitely check it out to see what events you might be able to attend while in town!
The Cheese Shop
This is a tasty and unique sandwich shop. Compared to a lot of the restaurants in the area, it is pretty affordable. It’s the perfect place to snag a sandwich on an adventure-filled day. What we love doing is grabbing a sandwich & some snacks and spreading out on one of the historic Williamsburg lawns for a picnic. This store is easy to find on foot when exploring the shops & historic Williamsburg. It is right in the main square of town that is right near the historic section.
Aromas Coffeehouse Bakeshop & Cafe
A cute & cozy coffee shop to grab a drink, cookie, or a bite to eat. Just throwing it out there--the double chocolate chip cookies are pretty dang good! It is a warm place to rest after a chilly day of wandering outside.
Mermaid Books
This is a very unique & fun bookstore to explore while visiting Williamsburg. It can be found right near Aromas coffee shop & down a series of stairs. Definitely recommend visiting this place if you are a book lover.
Barnes & Noble
I mean, who doesn’t love Barnes & Noble? This Barnes & Noble is especially fun because it’s a double-decker. There is a Starbucks upstairs & a lot of William and Mary swag if you are into that sort of thing (we aren’t) (Go CNU). This is another nice place to hide away on a chilly day. This is also the perfect place to use the restroom without anybody questioning you!
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
Busch Gardens is a super fun amusement park with all sorts of fun shows, restaurants, & rides! The evenings of the wedding weekend there will actually be a Halloween themed event going on here called Howl-o-Scream. It’s very popular & should be fun for any Halloween lovers.
Exploring Yorktown
Yorktown is a moderately short drive from Williamsburg & it is another perfect place for a stroll. There is a sidewalk that runs all the way through the area and it is quite lovely. The whole place is basically one big beach & and there is a dock that goes out over the water which is a fun stop on a walk. There are also a lot of little shops to visit while going for a stroll. In addition to these activities, it is the perfect place for a beach day. There is a lot of beach space & if it happens to be a hot October day & the water feels nice, I’d just go ahead and make it a beach day! Gotta get that wedding sunburn!
Water Street Grille
This place has the best pizza & it is one of our favorite restaurants ever. This place definitely gives off a laid-back feel. You can dress up, but you also really don’t have to! The only word of caution we would give is that it can be a little busy & crazy on weekends. We still love to go then, but if you are looking for a quiet dinner to chat, you might want to go with something else. In October 2015, this is actually where we went on our first date! Yippee!
Yorktown Market’s Paws at the River Day
Date: Saturday October 26th Time: 9 AM - 3 PM Yorktown Market Days annual Paws at the River is designed to bring awareness to animal rescue organizations and to help place adoptable pets in their "furever" homes. On this special day, the market fun will extend down to the green in front of the Riverwalk Landing businesses where you'll find artists, agility demonstrations, informational booths, and other educational opportunities! *This is the perfect activity for a morning-of-the-wedding adventure. The traffic between Yorktown & Newport News can sometimes be crazy, so plan accordingly & leave enough time to get back to the wedding on time. Don’t wanna come running down the aisle right after the bride!
Exploring Smithfield
This is a super cute & classic-looking town. Great for an afternoon of strolling around & looking at cool shops. There are many unique places to visit. While we personally have not tried a lot of the food in Smithfield, we’ve heard it is good!
Cure Coffeehouse
A small coffeehouse with great coffee & tasty food. This small coffeehouse is perfect for those of you who love coffee. It is also great if you want to get warm on a day of walking around!
Windsor Castle Park
This place is one of our favorites! There are beautiful boardwalks and it is perfect for a walk right before sunset when there is gold light reflecting on everything. It is a short walk to the park from the main part of town.
Exploring Ft. Monroe
Fort Monroe is a historical military fort that was decommissioned in 2011. It is an amazing place that is fun for exploring (especially if you are a history person). There are some beaches, walkways, and a little museum.
The Oozlefinch Craft Brewery
Oozlefinch is a high quality craft brewery located right next to Fort Monroe. This brewery is fairly new and has quickly become one of the best places to go for beer in the area!
Exploring Jamestown
Another very famous historical location. If you want to check out where the first British colony in North America was, this is the place :) Perfect for the history buff & an excellent place to walk around and look at ruins. :) Tickets: 16 & up are $20 & 15 & younger are free!
Exploring Virginia Beach
This is a 45-minute drive from Newport News, but super fun if you make it out there! More of a touristy beach town than anything super quiet, but it is still so fun to visit. There are also some cool ferris wheels in VA beach & so many shops and activities running along the main strip.
Pocahontas Pancake House
This restaurant has yummy food & the environment is fun! It is within walking distance of the beach. This restaurant is open every day of the week except Wednesday & the hours are only from 7 AM - 1 PM.
Three Ships Coffee Roasters
Three Ships is the perfect coffee shop to visit if you are in VA Beach. If you are looking for a small, high quality coffeeshop, this is the place!
Atlantic Fun Park
This is a very fun & chill park that you can walk around & ride all sorts of rides. The feel is very similar to a fair & it is especially fun to go at night. We went here one night on a date and road the ferris wheel! You can see the ocean from the top and it is so beautiful!! This is within walking distance of the beach!
*Riverside Regional Medical Center Emergency Room*
A 5-minute drive from the venue. Can be a bit slow, but the convenience of the location is excellent.
Patient First - Hampton
Walk in clinic! If you get sick during your visit, we highly recommend Patient First. There are two Patient First locations fairly close to the venue & we have had great experiences at each one. Even though this location is in Hampton, it is about a 12 minute drive from the venue.
Patient First - Denbigh
Walk in clinic! If you get sick during your visit, we highly recommend Patient First. There are two Patient First locations fairly close to the venue & we have had great experiences at each one.