Naval Station Norfolk

Words largest naval station. One word. ‘Merica!

I work here on base, so I’m biased. It’s the world’s largest naval station. You can request tours on ships if you approach and ask (do it on the weekend)

Kind of hard to review a military base, but I will do my best. Keep in mind this is coming from a civilian (husband is in the Navy).
A lot of people think «ships» when they think of this base. Well, yeah, there are a lot of those. But there is more to the base than just that. It is honestly like a little city. There are recreation centers (which is what I wanted to check-​in at but couldn’t find it on here). There are food courts, hotels, fast food places, laundromats, gas stations, little stores (big store is actually off base), and a lot more. As with most of Norfolk it seems, the drivers there are… not good at driving. Finding a place to park can be hard, depending on what you want to do on base. Always better to have someone drop you off and come and get you (so that you don’t have to deal with that).
If you’re trying to get into gate 5 in the morning, good luck. People are crazy as hell and will jump in front of you at a moment’s notice. It pays to not be a «nice nancy» when it comes to driving, but also very cautious of other drivers. Wake up early so you don’t have to deal with that.

The worlds largest Navy base. Home of the majority of the Atlantic Fleet.
However it’s not just Navy. There is plenty of history here. The great white fleet sailed from here. On the water front are memorials to several ships including THRESHER and IOWA. There is also Admirals row with historic homes built for the Jamestown Exhibition.

Wow this place is huge! Coming from a training command it was a little overwhelming the first few times I had to come on base for a meeting or to visit my husband on his boat.
This place has a lot going on! The NEX is huge! I love the Navy Lodge! They always have events going on too. I think they do tours, but I haven’t actually done one myself. After getting lost enough, I have had a self guided tour.

How does one write a review about a naval station? For I can only write about the parts of the worlds largest naval base I experience. The base itself is not the cleanest nor the nicest looking. The traffic coming on to base before 9am is awful, and leaving after 3pm is awful. The roads are beat up in areas, but the base still has a lot to offer. You have 2 gas stations on base, an MWR area with a decent food court, post office, computer area, barbershop, Starbucks and pool and ping pong area. You have the ships, always available to tour if you set one up, you have plenty of places to eat and a few parks to go to. The gyms aren’t bad at all, but no matter what, this base is simply whatever you make out of it.

Largest naval base in the world. So it has a lot to offer. There’s restaurants all around. The nex is impressively large if you haven’t been here I’d say check it out. Before you judge it.

So for starters, I work here. I spend a lot of time here. I mean A LOT! This is the LARGEST naval base in the world and it’s really big. This base is home to the Atlantic Fleet. There is a lot of activity on this base, parking is at a premium and traffic is an absolute nightmare during peak times (when the carriers are in) so give yourself plenty of time to do what you need to do!!! I seriously can’t stress this enough!
There is a lot to do on base, let’s see there are the gyms, the mini waterpark pool in the summer, bowling alley and lots of places to eat: the bowling alley snack bar (please do yourself a favor and check out — the bacon cheeseburger is one of the best ones I’ve ever had in my life!) Cold Stone, Great Steak and Potato, 2 MCD’s, Pizza Hut, Subway, 5 Guys and Rice King and two mini marts with gas stations. You have excellent shopping across the street at the NEX Mall and also in the NEX in the food court there is Taco Hell, I mean Taco Bell, a pizzeria, Firehouse Subs and NOW A BOJANGLES (I’ll be doing a separate review of the Bojangles) There is a Chilli’s near the NEX across from the Movie Theater. There is also a big commissary beside the NEX. Lot’s to do and see, I particularly enjoy looking at the ships. It’s a pretty cool base and you’ll have lots to do if you’re on base for any length of time.

I like that you can get to the exchange without actually going on base. The exchange is huge and has pretty much everything reasonably priced.

Base is ok. There’s a bunch of bases all within the same area but there really isn’t much for base transportation to get around so you’ll do a lot of walking everywhere. Lot’s of construction everywhere and it still seems like the buildings are all rundown. I would think there would be more of a single sailor outreach there but there isn’t for the largest base in the east coast and one of the largest in the world. Norfolk is such a small town anyway outside of that and the weather wasn’t the greatest when I was there which made walking miserable. The galley is what is to be expected of any galley, mediocre food at a good price. I would hope the summers are much better there.

A large navy base with lots of activities going on daily with plenty of restaurants and of course the NEX. Great gas prices and small stores to shop in also. Bus tours also available.

I had to laugh a little when I realized you could review a military base. I mean… «No, Detailer, I don’t want to go to Norfolk — that base has terrible Unilocal reviews!» Sorry, I just giggled a bit. Again.
I’ve had the (perhaps dubious) pleasure of «enjoying» this base in several ways. I’ve lived in the barracks — both Schamburger and Penn Hall. Nothing to shout about there, but Penn was basically an economy hotel. It was nice coming «home» to a double bed that someone else made for you.
Parking near the piers can be a pain, especially when multiple carriers are in port. Or during a Homecoming.
I had to work out of multiple buildings during shore duty, and trying to find parking for each one was always a challenge. Trying to find the right doors to go in is even more so.
Now, as a veteran dependent, I only have to go through the gates every now and then. It’s much better, choosing your own time to get on. Definitely pay attention to the time of day and which gate. Gate 5 on Hampton Blvd and Gate 22 on Granby are open 24/​7, as is Gate 3 (or is it 3A? Doesn’t matter.) off 564.

My wife and I were able to do a tour on the USS Eisenhower and it was awesome to see the enormity of the ship and all of the inner workings. I was like a kid at Christmas! Loved it!

Watch the traffic patterns and know the gates.
Not my favorite base since it is too big and lacks some things that smaller bases have.

A very depressing base. When I first moved here and saw the base for myself, I wanted to punch a seagull. LOL ok I’m kidding, I love seagulls. Anywho, any military base isn’t supposed to be all about the looks, more about the work, but I have to say San Diego naval base is pretty appealing and the surrounding area is gorgeous. We need to beautify this place nonetheless, let’s make the sailors feel amazing to be on base or back home, yes? Lol.

I got a tour of the base when my brother was stationed here as a flight surgeon: like a big university campus with big, bad ships: I got to see a lot of ships that were docked there at the time, including a carrier (I don’t know which). They are huge! It may be blasé for the military types, but it was a COOL experience for a civilian geek.

I hate this base, lol. It’s a traffic thing. Anyone who fights traffic day in and day out to get to and from work understands. That aside, this base offers a lot. The pier is awesome when you are on shore duty and don’t have to worry about climbing aboard a big grey vessel and getting underway. Building C9 has some good eats and the eatery by Gate 4 is nice as well. All in all, this is a Navy base so if you are stationed here, you have no choice but to be here and if you are a civilian, you probably won’t be here.

This is a sleepy post that has one purpose — to host the Atlantic Fleet, keep them stocked, and send them out to sea. It has no real frills or the trimmings of some other Air Force or Army bases I’ve seen. But then again, refer back to its purpose and it serves that very well.
I was a bit shocked to find the NEX complex off of the main post and in its own little enclave — but after visiting it, it’s easy to understand why. Just take one look at the parking lot of the world’s largest NEX and it’ll answer all of those questions.
Perhaps it’s the traffic that is taken off of the post that gives Norfolk a bit of a threadbare feel. Or maybe it’s that several of its carrier strike groups are out to sea. You take your pick.

Big, industrial, and unfriendly. Sure the ships are cool to see, but the rest of the base and its surrounding are dull. Probably one of the most unattractive military bases, which is sad since its the largest and oldest… you would think they’d take better care and make it more appealing. The workers at the nex and nearby auxiliary buildings such as medical and pass & deal are just unfriendly and rude. Apparently customer service or just plain friendliness is not a priority here. Last time I checked, it wasn’t against military regulations to smile and be nice once and a while…

Double yawn!!!
I’ve been to many military bases, and this is one of the most boring places to be stationed in. It’s also one of the bigger bases in the continental United States with dozens of warships, several submarines and several tenant commands in this installation.
Amenities — there’s a food court, mini-​mart, a gym, and a few others. The main exchange and commissary is across the street. The main exchange also has a food court. Also across the street is a small movie theater.
Base gym — Horrible; sure this is free for military and dependents but the conditions inside needs improvement. Over 80% of the gym itself is dedicated to two basketball courts, the rest is limited to a weights/​cardio room with little or no space.
The weights/​cardio room is air-​conditioned but everywhere else is essentially outside air. Since it is now the summertime, it is super hot and humid in the gym so it can get annoying sometime.
They’re better things to do outside the base… though not that much more.