Richmond, the capital of Virginia, is among America’s oldest major cities. Patrick Henry, a U.S. Founding Father, famously declared “Give me liberty or give me death” at its St. John’s Church in 1775, leading to the Revolutionary War. The White House of the Confederacy, home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis during the Civil War, is now a museum in Court End, a neighborhood known for Federal-style mansions. 

Norfolk is a waterfront city in southeastern Virginia. It’s home to Naval Station Norfolk, a massive naval base on Chesapeake Bay. Nauticus is a maritime museum that features the Battleship Wisconsin, a huge WWII warship. The Chrysler Museum of Art showcases a vast collection of glass art, plus European and American paintings and sculpture. The riverside Virginia Zoo is home to bears, birds, lions and farm animals.