Premium Guide to the NEON District Murals in Norfolk, VA

This week, I had a realization: the longer the quarantine drags out, the more I’m finding to love close to home! I’ve had to become a bit more creative and do my research on things to do in Hampton Roads since everything shut down, but I have not been disappointed with what that research has brought me. I’m particularly excited to share the gorgeous NEON District in Norfolk, VA, with you all! Whether you’re a local Hampton Roads resident or a future visitor looking for things to do in Norfolk, this should be on your list!

The NEON District (short for “New Energy of Norfolk”) is Norfolk’s first official art district. It’s located in Downtown Norfolk, and it’s a relatively recent development in the area that draws inspiration from the neighborhood’s automotive history and embraces the potential for growth and creativity.

The full NEON district holds tons of great activities, including mural tours, comedy shows, arts and crafts demonstrations, and unique eating experiences.

I hope to come back post-quarantine and share the full scope of this area with you. But today, I’m going to focus on the NEON District’s vibrant and diverse mural tour!

You can find a full list of the district’s art on the NEON District website and access an interactive map as well. The whole area includes about 50 murals dotted around the streets, on walls, alleyways, signs, and even the ground!

Looking over the full list, I realize that we actually missed a few on the interactive map, so I’m going to include an effective route plan at the end of this post to make sure you don’t miss out on any!

But first, I have to share some of my favorite pieces and pictures with you!

Highlights from the NEON District

Magazine Lane

Magazine Lane is decorated from end to end with a variety of bright-colored murals. Not all of these are part of the official NEON District tour, but the collage of art and graffiti along the southern end of the lane is pretty impressive.

Happier Times

This giant, building-wrapping mural by Troy Summerell probably made me smile the most. Bright fish swim happily along W Wilson Avenue to Magazine Lane, where the mural turns into a neon city mural! The city scene isn’t listed on the tour, but the two murals seem to be a continuous piece based on how the last fish pokes around the corner.

The Plot

The Plot is a sort of park/amphitheater with a small stage surrounded by rainbow bleachers. The Cementiscope, a fun creation where a cement mixer meets a kaleidoscope, is the main NEON attraction here. However, be sure to walk around to see the rainbow fence and artistically painted benches.

Granby Street

Many of the tour’s murals are found along Granby Street. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled because you’ll often find murals in unexpected places. I also love that even the sidewalks here are decorated with some artistic touches!

Moseley Lane

If you take a trip behind the shops on the northern section of Granby Lane, you’ll find a fun collection of pieces decorating the back entrances of the buildings and even a couple of sheds!

Other Favorites

The rest of these murals are too scattered to “group” like the others, but they’re also too beautiful to be left out!

Self-Touring the NEON District

If you want, you can actually sign up for a guided tour through Norfolk Tour Company for $20. It takes about an hour and a half, and you’ll get the added benefit of their insider knowledge.

However, if you’re just in the mood to wander at your leisure, a self-tour is pretty easy and can be done in less than two hours at a comfortable pace.

You will need to walk to view most of the good stuff, so after visiting the few “offshoots” on the map, I recommend finding a good parking spot along Granby Street or W Olney Road to finish your tour by foot. The final mural set will require you to drive by the Wyndham Garden Hotel, but you can do that on your way out.

NEON District Murals by Tour Order

My goal here is to give you the most efficient route order where you will not miss any murals on your journey. I’m including the addresses of each one so that you can easily find and input them into your GPS or Google Maps to find the next one without trouble.

I had some issues with distance proportions and the automatic zoom on the interactive map, so hopefully, this will alleviate those problems for you! After each mural, I’ll include some basic walking directions to reach the next one and, if necessary, tips on where to look to find some of the trickier ones.

You should be able to print this part out if you like so that you can take it with you. There are 53 stops on the tour, so if you don’t want to read all the directions now, you can skip to the end of the blog and pin this for later.

1. Chrysler Museum of Art Neon Roof Gallery. 745 Duke Street, Norfolk VA 23510 The museum frequently has students create new pieces to display on the roof. You can drive by here and view them without parking if you like.
2. Lunar Bathing. 217 Grace Street, Norfolk, VA 23510 Mural by Sage. You can park here or just pull in then drive on to the next piece.
3. 757 Energy & Vibe. 717 Boush Street, Norfolk, VA 23510 Collaboration between Jerrod Ray and WKTR News 3. You can park or just pull in then drive on to Boush Street.
4. Bloom. 801 Boush Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Carl Medley III and Charles Rasputin. Bloom and Seasons are located on different walls of the same business complex. You can park by Bloom and walk around the building toward W Virginia Beach Blvd to see Seasons.
5. Seasons. 801 Boush Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Navid Rahman. Get back in your car and pull onto W. Virginia Beach Boulevard.
6. #ILYNFKVA. 117 W. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Mallory Jarrell. This is located on the street side of the Museum Apartments. From this point, I recommend finding a parking spot along Granby Street, near The Plot, to continue your tour by foot.
7. The Plot. 776 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. The plot includes several artistic sights. The feature item is the Cementiscope by Glassitorium’s Public Art Commission. You’ll also see a long, rainbow fence and several painted benches. Look across the street to the Push Comedy Theater.
8. Push It Real Good. Mural by Heidi Peelen. Return to the south end of The Plot and head directly east along East Olney Road.
9. Green Machine. 795 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Hampton Boyer. Located on the side of the CHKD Thrift Store. Turn the corner to see Neighborhood Markers.
10. Neighborhood Markers. 795 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510. Created by local teens and adults. Follow Monticello Avenue one street up and take a left on E. Wilson Avenue, then a right on Moseley Lane.
11. Symbiotic Nuances. 806 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. Created by Solomon Isekeije. Turn the corner to see Untitled on the back of the Commonwealth Tattoo Gallery.
12. Untitled. 804B Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By unknown. Turn back toward Moseley Lane and continue left.
13. The Dance. 814 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Amelia Langford. Located on the backside of the building facing Moseley Lane. Continue North toward Addison Street.
14. A Bright Presence. 121 E. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Christopher Kozak and members of Urban Discovery Ministries. This piece is located on a small shed at the back of the Urban Discovery Ministries property to the right of Moseley Lane. Continue straight across Addison Street to the back of Retail Alliance.
15. Extravaganza. 838 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. Created by Scott Walker. Return to Addison Street and turn right. You should see the next mural clearly ahead.
16. We Can Create What We Can Imagine. 814 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Esteban Del Valle. Cross Granby Street and head toward Magazine Lane.
17. OXOXO. 111 W. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk, VA 23510. Created by Jacob Eveland. This is located on the side of the building facing Virginia Beach Boulevard. Continue toward Magazine Lane, passing the Neon House.
18. Space Explorations. 819 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By John Hickey and James Akers. Turn the corner to Magazine Lane towards the adorable Museum Apartments.
19. When Chameleons Roller Skate. 819 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Charley Frances. Continue along the back of the Neon House.
20. Kaiya with Finch. Magazine Lane, Norfolk VA 23510. By Nils Westergard. Turn towards the Museum Apartments parking garage, and you’ll see the Dream Machine along the side wall.
21. The Dream Machine. 112 W. Wilson Avenue, Norfolk VA 23510. By Jeff Beck. Continue walking along Magazine Lane.
22. Flo with the Go. Magazine Lane, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Hank Foreman. Continue down Magazine Lane.
23. All the Pieces Matter. Magazine Lane, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Elizabeth Cooke. Continue down Magazine Lane!
24. Jewel. Magazine Lane, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Navid Rahman. Look up!
25. Seep NFK. 801 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Erik L. Peterson. This sculpture is on the north side of the Granby Street Apartments on the corner. Continue down Magazine Lane.
26. Happier Times. 801 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Troy Summerell. This mural starts with a vibrant city scene before curving around the side of the building with a school of fish! Head down W Wilson Avenue, away from Granby Street, passing the Hugh R. Copeland Center (which has cool doors, btw).
27. Labor of Love. 128 W Olney Road, Norfolk VA 23510. By Hannah Kirkpatrick. Located on the side of the Glass Wheel Studio. Continue down Wilson Avenue.
28. Ancient Freedom. 112 W. Wilson Avenue, Norfolk VA 23510. By Cedric Douglas.
29. Daisies. 129 W. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk VA 23510. By Kelsey Witt. Located right next to Ancient Freedom and Solidarity.
30. Solidarity. 141 W. Virginia Beach Boulevard, Norfolk VA 23510. By Aimee Bruce. Walk a little further down the street, following the fence.
31. Keep Glowing. 140 W. Wilson Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510. By a team of volunteers and artists. Turn the corner to the left and continue following the curve of Wilson Avenue.
32. Upper Blush. 140 W. Olney Road, Norfolk VA 23510. By Matthew Geller. Head to the intersection of Wilson Avenue and Olney Road.
33. My Standards. 125 W. Olney Road, Norfolk VA 23510. By Larry Bage. Continue your loop around the lot, heading back along Olney Road toward Granby Street.
34. Great America XVII: Remember the Honored Fallen. 132 W. Olney Road, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Sam Welty. Continue down Olney Road.
35. (Untitled) Glass Wheel Mural. 128 W Olney Road, Norfolk VA 23510. By Alex Brewer. Cross the street to the large lot on Magazine Lane. (Yup! You’re right back on Magazine Lane for more!)
36. Blue Sky. Magazine Lane, Norfolk VA 23510. By John Rudel and Virginia Wesleyan College students. Located on the back of the Virginia Furniture store. Look around the lot, and you’ll see some more of the painted benches like the ones at the Plot. At the west end of the parking lot, you’ll see Reach on one of Virginia Furniture’s storage containers.
37. Reach. 117 W Olney Road, Norfolk VA 23510. By Heather Bryant. Continue down Magazine Lane, along the backside of the Granby Street buildings.
38. Hats, Music, and Technology. Magazine Lane, Norfolk VA 23510. By Clyde Santana and Norfolk State University students. Continue down Magazine Lane.
39. 27 Beecyles. 739 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Matt Lively. Continue down Magazine Lane.
40. Three Muses. 735 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Victoria Weiss. Continue down Magazine Lane. You’ll pass a lot of graffiti and murals not on the tour before reaching the next piece at the end of the lane.
41. New Energy of Norfolk. 114 W Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk VA 23510. By Richard Nickel and Clay McGlamory. Turn left toward Granby Street.
42. NFK-Arts. 711 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Elliott Addesso and students of Norfolk’s Emerging Leader program. Head to the corner of the lot.
43. Home. 600 Granby Street. By Lookmai Rattana. Located across Brambleton Avenue on the traffic signal box. Look across Granby street.
44. Gateway Towers. 700-800 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By John Rudel and students of Norfolk’s Emerging Leader program. These are sculptures placed over bus signs all along the street.
45. Neon Cube. 701 Monticello Avenue. Designed as the signature of the Neon District by Work Program Architects, Downtown Norfolk Council, and Sway Creative Labs. Cross the street and turn left down Granby Street.
46. Norfolk Nautical. 724 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Chris Soria and Misha Tyutyunik. Located on the building’s south side. Continue to the front of the building.
47. Glimpse. 724 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Khalil Riddick. Continue walking around the building to the north side.
48. Widow’s Walk. 724 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Mickael Broth and James Callahan. Continue down Granby Street and look to the other side of the street.
49. The Nature of Unity. 731 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Ivan Roque. Look straight ahead on Granby Street to Bob’s Gun Shop.
50. Razzle Dazzle. 746 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Nick Kuszyk. Head around the building to the front entrance of the gate, then cross the length of the shop. On the far east side of the building, you’ll see another mural on that wall.
51. Xenon. 746 Granby Street, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Silas Baker. Return to Granby Street and head to the intersection of Granby and W Olney Road.
52. Transparent Seas. 745 Granby Street, Norfolk VA 23510. By Jason Levesque. Return to your vehicle and drive to the final destination!
53. Geometric Configuration #1, #2, and #3. 700 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510. By Karri McPherson. These are located on the walls of the Wyndham Garden Hotel.

YOUR TOUR IS COMPLETE!

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Closing Thoughts on the NEON District

And that, my friends, is the New Energy of Norfolk. If you follow this route, you should see every mural on the NEON District’s official map. It really is such a fun way to spend an afternoon touring downtown Norfolk.

We definitely enjoyed exploring the different areas the tour led us through and scoping out some restaurants and other places to visit when quarantine ends! We certainly got our exercise in as well, but it was an enjoyable way to do so!

If you’re interested in doing this tour on a future visit to Norfolk, I’d encourage you to pin this, so you have it as an easy-to-access resource.

As always, thanks for stopping by the Mandala Traveler and exploring with me! If you have questions or comments, feel free to leave them below, and don’t forget to share this post with someone who would also enjoy this tour!

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For more things to do in the Hampton Roads area, check out these fun, local activities!

The Ultimate Guide to Touring Hampton Roads, VA

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The Virginia Living Museum is Paw-sitively Awesome!

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Until next time, happy travels!

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