Be a student of your region, your city, your neighborhood.  This has helped me learn to love where I am living, no matter where that happens to be.  We rarely have the option of living where we love, but we can always choose to love where we live.

There are things one can learn about a place to appreciate and value its culture and people, though it can take some serious initiative.

The last few weeks we’ve had the opportunity to explore our region more in-depth and visit places on our Hampton Roads bucket list.  Next year we’ll be crossing the pond, as they say, so there’s no time like the present to keep learning about  – and learning to love – this region!

First up, I cannot speak highly enough of the newly renovated, world class Chrysler Museum of Art.  Always free to the public.  Go there.  Now.

The Norfolk Botanical Garden is a favorite year round.  We could spend all day here and still not walk every path and appreciate the different regions (or spend enough time partaking of all the children’s activities).  Watching the planes take off at Norfolk International Airport from the viewing point adjacent to the botanical garden parking lot is also probably not an experience you can have at any other garden in the country.  Doesn’t get much closer than that.

Fort Monroe is a national monument maintained by the National Park Service.  The fortress, originally built from 1819 to 1834, is the largest stone fortress in the U.S.  It covers a large area of land and people still rent the homes and live within the fortress walls.  It’s very unique.  The Casemate Museum located inside the battlements is free of charge and filled with fascinating  exhibits highlighting the history of the region.