Newport News Travel and Things to Do Guide

Welcome to our meeting and event planning guide to Newport News–written specifically with meeting planners in mind. A historically rich, accessible and cultural destination, Newport News is located in eastern Virginia and is part of the Tidewater/Hampton Roads area. Located one hour from Richmond and Virginia Beach, as well as 30 minutes from Norfolk and Williamsburg, Newport News is home to a strong military presence, extensive park system, historic sites and nationally accredited museums. Many of Newport News' attractions double as fantastic private meeting spaces; in fact, the city offers nearly 50,000 square feet of meeting space among its many venues.


Newport News is served by the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport, which is a 10-minute drive from City Center and a 20-minute drive from the downtown area. The region is also served by Norfolk International Airport and Richmond International Airport, both within an hour's drive of Newport News. Providing direct Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport service, the Hampton Roads Transit public transportation system runs a 67-route bus system and Virginia's first light-rail system. The bus system serves the Hampton Roads area, which includes Chesapeake, Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach.


City Center at Oyster Point is the preeminent business, shopping and entertainment district. City Center is also home to the most prominent of Newport News' event venues, the Newport News Marriott at City Center. The 11-floor, 250-room hotel features 25,000 total square feet of meeting space, which includes 23 meeting rooms and up to 12 breakout rooms. The modern, stylish hotel and conference center overlooks the City Center fountain and is just four miles from the Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport.


A number of Newport News event venues cater to smaller group outings and functions. The city's Mariners' Museum/USS Monitor Center not only houses the nation's premier Civil War attraction, but also features a number of indoor and outdoor event spaces along its 167-acre lake and five-mile shoreline. Groups can gather among exhibits showcasing more than 250 animal species at The Virginia Living Museum. Home to living exhibits that depict the state's natural heritage, from the mountains to the sea, the museum features a living greenhouse close up space and conservation garden, coastal plain aviary and elevated boardwalk over Deer Park Lake, as well as indoor and outdoor private event spaces. Many of Newport News' historic sites welcome private groups and events, such as Lee Hall Mansion, one of the last remaining antebellum homes on the Virginia Peninsula, which takes visitors back to the mid-Victorian period. A premier cultural beacon for the region, Christopher Newport University's Ferguson Center for the Arts presents a broad range of arts performances and offers a number of private event spaces. The city-owned Downing-Gross Cultural Arts Center houses a theater, gallery space and dance studio, as well as multi-purpose and meeting rooms, all available for private rentals.