A visit to Lake Wright offers a surprisingly pleasant getaway very close to Norfolk’s airport. Choose a hotel along the lake’s southern shoreline and find excellent shopping along the northern shore.
The lake is about 28 acres (11hectares), not very large, but big enough to provide a peaceful escape. A wide multi-use trail follows the edge of the reservoir, with sections of pavement, boardwalk and gravel, some of it under shady trees. The trail offers convenient walking connections between the hotels and shopping locations. Enjoy a refreshing jog with a couple laps around the lake before you start your business of the day.
Norfolk Premium Outlets has more than 60 retail shops and places to eat. Find your favorite brands, with prices well below those in high-end malls. Get coffee, snacks or a full meal and sit at a table overlooking the lake. Walk out onto the pier to relax or read a book in the shade within the pretty eight-sided gazebo.
From the south side of the lake, follow trails to visit nearby educational campuses. Norfolk Academy is one of the nation’s oldest schools, founded in 1728 and now educating primary through high school students on a modern campus. Enjoy a music or theater performance, art exhibition or competitive athletic event such as lacrosse, soccer, basketball or track. The adjacent Virginia Wesleyan University has similar events at a college level.
Like all area reservoirs, Lake Wright allows the use of kayaks, canoes and paddleboards, although there are no rental facilities along the shore. Old-timers in the area tell of fishing here before the area was commercially developed. Note that fishing is no longer allowed.
Lake Wright is just 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the entrance to Norfolk International Airport. While you’re in the area, make a side-trip to Norfolk Botanical Garden along Lake Whitehurst to see roses, hydrangeas, camellias, rhododendron, wildflowers and many other leafy and flowering plants throughout the year.
