Four hundred years ago, the Chesapeake Indians paddled these waters to fish for food and move camps, which they often made on the shores. As early as the 1580's, English and Spanish explorers were visiting these waters, and the first settlers arrived in the early 1600's.

Until the early 1900's, the waterways were almost the only means of transportation for some of the local population. Sailing ships and shallow draft vessels used the port of Kempe's Landing until erosion filled the channel and made passage impossible.
With a goal of becoming one of the top ten marine science and aquarium facilities in the United States, the Virginia Marine Science Museum has recently completed a $35 million landmark expansion. The expansion tripled the size of the original facility to 120,000 square feet, increased site size from 9 to 45 acres and added more than 500,000 gallons of aquariums.
The main attractions in the expansion are an open-ocean aquarium replicating the Norfolk Canyon, an offshore, submarine formation; the Owls Creek Marsh Pavilion with a river otter habitat and outdoor aviary; a salt marsh preserve with trails and boardwalks; a harbor seal pool and a six-story-high, 300 seat, IMAX 3D theater.

The Best Cities for Women 2002 What's the healthiest town in the nation? The best for jobs? Finding a mate? For the fifth year, we ran the numbers. Did your town make the map?

Beyond succulent seafood and picturesque harbors, the waterfront cities of Virginia Beach, Boston and Honolulu now share another distinction: They all make a starring appearance (in first, second and third places, respectively) on our yearly list of America's Ten Best Cities for Women. They're also sizable, reflecting a refinement we made in this, our fifth annual survey of the country's 200 largest towns. Recognizing that big and small cities differ widely in the severity of their crime and traffic headaches, their cultural riches and financial resources, we decided it would be more accurate and useful to pick overall winners in two classes this year. For 2002, you'll see a list of 10 heavyweight champs with populations over 300,000, and another honor roll of 10 smaller winners with populations under 300,000. (On charts for single categories, we ranked all of the 200 cities -- the best and worst -- together, regardless of size.) --Lynn Langway