Free things to do on your Norfolk vacation

Situated in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, Norfolk is most widely known for being a Navy town. Visitors often come to see the largest naval base on earth, but there are also a variety of cultural attractions, including history museums, a thriving art community and lots of exquisite eateries and bars in the downtown area. One of Thrifty Car Rental's Norfolk rental cars, many of which come with money-saving Norfolk deals, can get you around to all the city's top features, such as these free sites:

Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio

Drive your Norfolk car rental to the renowned Chrysler Museum of Art Glass Studio, where admission is entirely free. It was originally known as the Norfolk Museum of Arts and Sciences when it was established back in the 1930s, but it took on its new name in the 1970s, when auto magnate Walter P. Chrysler donated a massive portion of his collection to the institution. Explore galleries filled with more than 30,000 world history artifacts that date back as far as 5,000 years, such as old European paintings and Medieval sculptures. Additionally, the gallery hosts free glass-making demonstrations each day at noon from Wednesday through Sunday.

Civil War Trail

Use your Norfolk car rental to get downtown, where you will find the Civil War Trail. It's part of a system of more than 200 trails throughout Virginia that showcase features pertaining the battles that took place along the route. As you make your way down the winding path, you'll come across sites such as Fort Norfolk, the last of 19 camps established by George Washington in 1794 still standing today, as well as the historic Freemason District that's filled with cobblestone streets and beautiful displays of architecture. Be sure to check out the Black Civil War Memorial, the only monument in the South that pay tribute to African-American Union soldiers.