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Things to do in Virginia Beach
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Ferry Plantation House

Ferry Plantation received its name
in 1642, when the ferry boat service ran along the Lynnhaven
waterway with 11 stops along the river, and the ferry was called
with a single cannon shot by any one of the stops. Three of
those early historical cannons have been recovered. The
ferryman, Saville Gaskin was commissioned by Adam Thoroughgood
in 1642 to run the operation and take care of the ferry boat and
service. The ferry landing was most likely chosen since the land
around the area had been cleared by Native Americans in the 16th
century since numerous relics have been discovered on the
plantation grounds that say something of the past. The second
Princess Anne court house was constructed on the plantation
grounds by the current location of the Old Donation Church, and
was the courthouse that conducted part of the trial for Grace
Sherwood, the state's only convicted witch that had been tried
by water and found guilty of witchcraft and thereafter jailed in
the timber courthouse. That trial occurred on July 10, 1706, at
the church, that was rebuilt of brick in 1692. That church would
be outgrown and then replaced with another that stands on the
location today and finished in 1736. The third Princess Anne
courthouse was constructed in 1735 of brick on Ferry Plantation
to replace the timber courthouse and constructed much closer to
the landing. The brick courthouse would be used until 1751, with
the stocks and pillory moved from the plantation in 1751 to the
new courthouse at Newtown. The Walke family owned the property
when the manor house was constructed, with many archaeological
sites open in the area now for visitors to investigate. The
manor house was destroyed by fire in 1828, and it wasn't until
1830 that George and Elizabeth (Walke) MacIntosh would use many
of the old bricks in good shape to rebuild the house that sits
on the plantation today. They constructed it for their 17 year
old son, Charles Flemming MacIntosh. The Federal style
house is three stories high and three bay wide at the central
block and is built with bricks laid in a three-course American
bond. There are one bay additions on either side of the block,
with one constructed of wood and the other, brick; while the
main house has two interior chimneys and the brick addition has
an exterior chimney. On the land side of the old structure,
there is a two story porch that was built in the colonial
revival style during the 1950s, with the main house having a
big center hall with flanking rooms on both sides. The mantels
are original as is the 6 inch heart pine flooring and framing,
as well as the trim and exterior shutters. The house was
covered, at one time, with oyster shell stucco and had ten rooms
with the central passage. It is an excellent example of a
Federal farm house, constructed by slaves and facing the western
branch of the Lynnhaven River. The ferryboat that was used has
become one of the projects that is now happening at the
plantation and is quite an interesting story, as well as
watching volunteers restore the magnificent old boat, using
modern tools and materials to repair the old boat that was built
by hand and old hand tools.
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Virginia Aquarium
The Virginia Aquarium and
Marine Science Center was called the Virginia Marine Science
Museum and is found in the city of Virginia Beach, Virginia,
south of Rudee Inlet. The displays at the aquarium are housed in
more than 700,000 gallons of fresh and saltwater exhibits with
two main buildings; the Bay and Ocean Pavilion and the Marsh
Pavilion; connected to each other by a one-third mile outdoor
nature trail that parallels Owls Creek salt marsh. The Bay and
Ocean pavilion contains the Norfolk Canyon aquarium that was
copied of the underwater environment just off the coast of the
state and houses stingrays, sharks and other marine life. It
also has the IMAX 3D theater as well as the Osprey cafe. The
Marsh pavilion contains snakes, otters, seahorses and other
marsh animals. The research and conservation branch of the
aquarium is responsible for the Stranding Response Program that
rescues sick or dying whales, sea turtles, seals and dolphins
from its shores. Some of the animals housed here include; harbor
seals, komodo dragons, loggerhead turtles, sand tiger sharks,
cownose rays, great horned owl, North American river otters,
spotted eagle rays and so much more. The main exhibits include;
blue crab & aviary, Chesapeake Light Tower aquarium, Malaysian
peat swamp, Indonesian volcanic island, Red sea, Chesapeake Bay
touch pool and the coastal desert & Mediterranean sea. There are
many educational activities and adventures available for school
age children and those include; field trips, ocean collections,
summer camps, scout badge and patch programs, culinary events,
dolphin watching, discovery days, birthday parties, just for
toddlers, up close animal experiences, winter whale watching and
cruise the creek.
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