The Chrysler Museum of Art and Glass Studio

The museum owes much of its collection to Walter P. Chrysler Jr., son of the automobile magnate, who spent a lifetime as a passionate and discerning collector. In 1971 he gave the bulk of his collection to the Norfolk museum, which had been founded decades earlier, transforming a good regional institution into one of national stature and taking on his name.

Chrysler's tastes ranged widely, and the collection reflects that: European Old Masters, American painting, ancient art, sculpture, photography, and decorative arts all share the galleries. But it was his love of glass above all that shaped the museum's identity, and Norfolk has built on that foundation ever since, expanding the collection and, crucially, adding a place to make glass rather than only to admire it.

The Chrysler Glass Studio, opened in 2011 across the street from the main building, is a genuine hot shop, with furnaces glowing at temperatures hot enough to keep glass liquid. Skilled artists gather the molten material, blow and turn and tool it, and coax it into vases, sculptures, and vessels while visitors watch from bleacher seating, close enough to feel the heat.

Glassmaking is one of the oldest crafts humans practice, and there is something hypnotic about seeing it done live: the glowing gather, the steady turning of the pipe, the moment a shapeless blob becomes a form. The studio hosts resident artists and visiting masters, offers classes, and stages performances, making the Chrysler one of the few great art museums where the making of art is as much on display as the art itself.

While glass draws the headlines, the Chrysler's broader collection rewards a slow walk. The galleries hold European paintings across the centuries, American works, ancient Egyptian and classical art, and a notable photography collection, arranged in handsome light-filled rooms. It is a museum with real depth, the kind you might expect in a much larger city.

The building itself, an Italianate structure enlarged and refined over the years, sits gracefully on the Hague, a small tidal inlet in the Ghent neighborhood. That waterside setting, with the museum reflected in the calm water, gives a visit a serene, unhurried feel quite different from a big-city institution.

Norfolk is the historic heart of Hampton Roads, one of the world's great natural harbors and home to the largest naval base in the country. The city's waterfront, its downtown, and the tree-lined streets of Ghent surround the museum, and the Elizabeth River carries a constant traffic of ships, tugs, and pleasure boats.

A Chrysler visit fits easily into a wider coastal Virginia trip. The beaches of Virginia Beach lie a short drive east, the shipbuilding and maritime heritage of the region runs deep, and the walkable Ghent district around the museum offers restaurants, cafes, and independent shops for an easy afternoon.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.