Rosalind Boyle

that's what I got for $11 at Drewry Farms in Wakefield, VA!

Wakefield is about 45 minutes west of Interstate 664 in Suffolk and is best known across the region for "The Virginia Diner" and peanuts, peanuts, peanuts.

Right around the corner from the diner is Drewry Farms where you can pick your own Blueberries for $1 a pint and Blackberries for $1.50 a pint. The picking season starts around the beginning of July.

Dreery Farms is located at 541 Strawberry Lane, Wakefield, VA. Phone: 757-899-8175

The Hampton Carousel is a great way to spend time with the family and beat the heat while enjoying downtown Hampton Virginia.

In 1920 the Philadelphia Tobaggon Company handcrafted the Buckroe Beach Carousel. My mother used to come from Richmond to Buckroe Beach to ride the carousel (along with the other rides at the Buckroe Beach Amusement Park) when she was a little girl. The Buckroe Beach Amusement Park is no more, however the carousel was refurbished and moved to downtown Hampton waterfront area in 1991. The 48 horses are hand crafted and the original oil paintings and mirrors are still intact. It is one of 200 antique carousels left in the United States. It is enclosed in an air conditioned pavilion and is a great way to take in a little local history and beat the heat while enjoying the downtown area. More information about riding the carousel can be found on the Virginia Air and Space Center Website.

It's Strawberry Picking Time

One of the wonderful things about Hampton Roads is the farms that bring us fresh food. 5 minutes from my office in the middle of suburbia, you can go pick strawberries. These strawberries are so sweet and juicy they burst with flavor in your month - nothing like what you would buy in a grocery store. Besides having some great strawberries, it's a great activity for kids.

There are lots of strawberry patches located through out Hampton Roads. Here are a few to visit around Chesapeake:

Lilley Farms - 2800 Tyre Neck Road, Chesapeake, VA 23321. Phone: 757-483-9880
Lilley Farms also runs a location off of Bennett's Pasture Rd in Suffolk.

Brookdale Farms - 2133 Mount Pleasant Road, Chesapeake, VA Phone: 757-721-0558

It has also become quite an area tradition to go to the Pungo Strawberry Festival Memorial Day weekend. They expect to have over 100,000 visitors to the event that is all about strawberries. You can visit their website for picking locations in the Pungo, Virginia Beach area.

Another great area in Newport News! Port Warwick!

Port Warwick is an Award winning mixed use development in Newport News, VA with Luxury Apartments, Modern Condos, and all brick single family homes and twinhomes. You can enjoy a coffee while sitting in Styron Square (named after Newport News Novelist William Styron). Styron Square is located at the entrance surrounded by shops and restaurants. Many of the restaurants have outdoor seating as well. There are many "squares" in addition to Styron square throughout the community leaving lots of green space to walk your dog, or just enjoy the day.

Port Warwick also hosts a series of events during the warmer months and a Art and Sculpture Show in the Fall. They also host a Farmer's Market starting in May from 8 am - 1 pm on Wednesdays.

There are 5 commissioned sculptures through out the community in the traffic circles and squares.

“Melpomene” by New York sculptor, Romolo Del Deo

“Lanape Gate” by New Jersey sculptor, Harry Gordon.

One of the great things about living in Hampton Roads is all the cultural opportunities. Newport News is no exception. Newport News has arguably one of the best performance venues in Hampton Roads, Virginia, and maybe even the mid-east. I am speaking about the Ferguson Center at Christopher Newport University. The auditorium is engineered to be acoustically flawless. I remember sitting in the back row of the balcony the first season the Ferguson Center was open listening to my favorite tenor, Bocelli. It sounded as if he was singing directly to me, even on the back row of the balcony. Since then, I have attended many Virginia Symphony concerts and there is not a bad seat in the house. If I had my choice in Hampton Roads - the Ferguson Center is the best venue.

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There are other oportunities to enjoy the arts in Newport News.

There is the Peninsula Fine Arts Center where art exhibits change, there are learning workshops for both kids and adults and an interactive gallery for kids.

Port Warwick has an annual Art & Sculpture Festival

City Center at Oyster Point hosts the Virginia Symphony for free outdoor concerts.

The Virginia Arts Festival makes it's way to Newport News as well.

You wouldn't think of a barn as a good place for a theatre, but the landmark Yoder Dairy Barn has been transformed into a Theatre and hosts the Virginia Premiere Theatre and the Tidewater Regional Repertory Theatre

If you can't find what you want in Newport News; Norfolk, VA is just a short drive across the river. There you can find the Virginia Opera, The Virginia Stage Company, and the Chrysler Museum of Art.

It's not just about buying a home in Newport News, it's about living here too.