The 5 Best Shopping Malls in Norfolk, Virginia (VA)

Reviewed By retireeVancouver - Vancouver, Canada

We referred among ourselves to this shopping mall as "Dillards" which is the anchor department store. The mall is very convenient for cruisers to walk to from the cruise terminal. Perhaps it is called "MacArthur Center" because it is located across the street from the swanky MacArthur Memorial which was once City Hall, now restored. The Moses Myers House is on the other side of the mall on Freemason Street while the historic St. Paul's Episcopal Church is located at its parking garage entrance on Cumberland Street. This modern 3 level A/C mall provided a welcome relief from the outdoor heat. Shoppers will find a variety of their familiar chain clothing stores in this mall. Escalators whip visitors quickly up to the 3rd level food court and WC, located closer to the Freemason Street entrance. There seemed to be plenty of undercover parking - perhaps with a charge. At street level, we also enjoyed looking at the mall's 16 display windows each filled with an important event from Virginia's 400 year history, from 1624 to present day. This display called Windows on History was very interesting for me as a visitor and someone unfamiliar with the history of the locale. The timeline was continuous along the length of these windows on City Hall Avenue. Individual windows had photos of important people and buildings, quotes from important personages, or copies of documents. I liked the display about the revolutionary times with a picture of Lord Dunmore who had shot the cannonball that still remains in St. Paul's Church. I found this shopping mall a pleasure to visit. Its proximity to core attractions in Norfolk was a definite plus as I could use my time in visiting the attractions, not getting to them.