Mermaid City
Cannonballs, cones, and mermaids everywhere you look.
Norfolk off-duty: a British cannonball still lodged in a church wall since 1776, the drive-in where the ice-cream cone machine was invented, world-class glass at the Chrysler, murals in the NEON District, a pagoda on the harbor — and mermaids. The city's symbol is hiding on corners everywhere; you'll be hunting them all day whether you mean to or not.
The stops
Norfolk's symbol swims all over town. Find and photograph THREE different mermaid statues — different designs, different corners. Locals know twenty; three earns your fins.
January 1, 1776: the British shelled Norfolk, and one cannonball is still in the church wall. Find it, photo it, and point accusingly toward the harbor.
World-class collection, free admission, and a working glass studio. Photo of the team imitating any artwork; +5 if you catch a live glassblowing demo.
Norfolk's mural quarter. Each teammate with a different mural — one collage submission. Find the biggest wall you can.
Abe Doumar built the world's first ice-cream cone machine in 1904 — and it still runs at this curb-service drive-in. Cone in hand, machine in background, history in waffle form.
A two-story pagoda on the harbor, gift of Taiwan. Serene garden photo — the crane statues set the pose standard.
Finale: ride the paddle-wheel ferry to Portsmouth and back — cheapest cruise in Virginia. Team photo mid-river with the Norfolk skyline. Mermaid City, conquered.