For years, a Saturday in Larchmont/Edgewater meant a loop that started on Colley Avenue and ended back on Colley Avenue, with the Lafayette River as scenery you drove past on your way to somewhere else. That order has flipped. The waterfront is now the anchor, and the rest of the day builds around it.
The reason is a single piece of infrastructure that opened late last year behind the Larchmont Library.
What Actually Changed Behind the Library
In November 2025, neighbors and city leaders cut the ribbon on the new Larchmont Library Trailhead, and the celebration drew members of the Larchmont-Edgewater Civic League, trail advocates, and families who gathered to explore the new additions: a kayak launch, natural play areas, and new spaces designed for walkers, cyclists, and families to enjoy the Elizabeth River.
It sounds like a small municipal project. It is not.
The Larchmont Library Trailhead was supported by a $405,000 grant from the Virginia Outdoors Foundation, the largest single grant the foundation has awarded, along with community donations that funded benches, signage, and other amenities, and the new space includes ADA-accessible picnic tables, interpretive signs about Norfolk's first watershed restoration project, and new porous materials designed to absorb tidal flooding. For a neighborhood where standing water after a summer storm is a fact of life, that last detail is doing quiet work under the pavers.
The bigger shift is connectivity. The new trailhead serves as the northernmost gateway to the Elizabeth River Trail, connecting neighborhoods such as Larchmont, Lochhaven, Lambert's Point, Ghent, and Harbor Park. Which means the same trail that ran along the Lafayette River bridge now has a proper launch point in your neighborhood, with a place to put a kayak in the water and a place to sit down when you get back.
"I love it. Not only the trailhead itself, but I also kayak. And I'm really excited about the kayak launch. It's going to be over here behind the library." — longtime resident Jimmy Entas, known around town as "Citizen Jimmy," speaking at the ribbon cutting
The Trail Section You Already Walk
Most residents already know the Larchmont-Edgewater section by feel more than by name. Here is what is actually on it:
- A picturesque stretch that bisects the two neighborhoods, following the waters of Edgewater Haven and passing Myrtle Park.
- Wetlands transformed by the City of Norfolk from a former public park to help with tidal flooding.
- The first on-the-ground project of the Elizabeth River Project, and the first known voluntary wetland restoration in Virginia.
- The Larchmont branch of the Norfolk Public Library, which offers scheduled events and a community meeting space.
A Saturday morning that used to end at the coffee shop can now extend another two miles without you thinking about it. Each year the Elizabeth River Trail hosts more than 100 free and low-cost programs that connect residents to Norfolk's riverfront through recreation, education, and community engagement, from guided historical tours and botanical walks to group bike rides and volunteer beautification days. The 2026 lineup includes Tour de ORF group bike rides, African American History Tours, botanical tours led by Norfolk Master Gardeners, and community paddles along the Elizabeth River.
You do not need to sign up for any of them to benefit. You just need to know they exist, because the trail behind your library is more programmed than it was a year ago.
The Hermitage Is Having a Summer
Two blocks and a bridge away, the Hermitage Museum & Gardens is running the kind of season that would make a bigger city jealous, and admission is still free.
The 12-acre waterfront estate sits along the Lafayette River, conveniently located just off Hampton Blvd., between Old Dominion University and the Norfolk Naval Base. If you have lived here more than a year, you have driven past it. If you have lived here more than three, you have probably not been inside since spring.
Two reasons to fix that before Labor Day.
Handwork at the Hermitage. A series of special events and public programs will accompany the exhibition throughout its run, June 12 to October 11, 2026. From 1908 to 1927, woodcarvers such as Charles J. Woodsend and Karl von Rydingsvärd contributed distinctive techniques and artistic style to the Hermitage's carved walls, halls, and furnishings, features that continue to define the site nearly a century later, and Handwork at the Hermitage honors their craftsmanship and situates their work within the broader context of America's rich craft traditions. The tools are on view alongside the walls they built. It reads differently when you can see both in one room.
Sunsets on the River. The annual concert series on the Lafayette River shore, with food trucks rotating each Thursday. A partial run of what is on the 2026 calendar, from the Hermitage's own schedule:
| Date | Band | Food Trucks |
|---|---|---|
| Thu, June 18 | Big Torrin ft. Fusion Groove (funk) | Moontide Sundries, Yolee's G Dawgs, Joysicles |
| Thu, July 2 | The Bill Miles Band (outlaw country) | Cast Iron Catering, Solana Street Food, Kona Ice |
| Thu, July 23 | Berries & Pearloid (alt rock) | Main Street Shawarma, MoonTide Sundries, Joysicles |
The rules matter, and they are worth knowing before you show up with a cooler. Guests may bring lawn chairs and blankets, well-behaved pets are welcome on a leash, ball sports and games are not permitted on the grounds, outside food is welcome, but no outside alcohol is permitted, and bags and coolers are checked on entry. When parking in the neighborhood, be sure to observe all parking signage, park legally, and ensure that your vehicle is not blocking driveways and walkways. The Hermitage encourages you to bike to the event.
Biking to Sunsets on the River from Larchmont is now a straight shot on the ERT. That was less obvious before the trailhead.
Colley Avenue Still Ends the Night
The dinner half of the equation has not changed as dramatically, but a few things are worth an update if you have been ordering from the same three places since 2023.
Colley Avenue, starting in Norfolk's Ghent neighborhood and expanding all the way to Larchmont, has a lineup of restaurants to choose from, shops to peruse, breweries to visit, and the iconic Naro Expanded Cinema.
A short list of what has actually moved or reopened:
- La Brioche. Pastry lovers breathed a collective sigh of relief when La Brioche finally reopened in its new Colley Ave. digs in late June, and the Parisian cafe is known for its hand-made baguettes, croissants, pies and sandwiches, a tradition that carries on in Ghent after a move from the NEON District this spring.
- Honeysuckle Cafe. Tucked away at 813 W. 39th St. behind a 7-Eleven near the ODU portion of Colley Ave., the restaurant places a huge emphasis on community engagement and collaboration, partnering with chefs, artists and artisans, and its salads, sandwiches, wraps and brunch are not to be missed.
- Press 626. With the cozy house atmosphere and lit fireplace, Press 626 is arguably one of the most romantic places near Colley for a night cap, and their wine list is extensive.
- The Naro. Colley's iconic 1936 single screen movie theater, with bright marquee letters lighting up Colley Avenue and an ever-rotating movie selection.
None of these are new to you if you have lived here a while. The point is that the trail now delivers you within walking distance of all of them without a car, and that is new.
A Realistic Saturday, Reassembled
Here is what a summer Saturday looks like now if you actually use the pieces:
- 9:00 a.m. Walk or bike to the Larchmont Library Trailhead. If you own a kayak, put it in. If you do not, you get benches, interpretive signs, and a play area for kids.
- 10:30 a.m. Cross into the Hermitage grounds. Free admission, Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Handwork is on the main floor through October 11.
- 12:30 p.m. Loop back to Larchmont via the ERT along Edgewater Haven and Myrtle Park. Total distance is easy under three miles.
- 6:00 p.m. Colley Avenue for dinner. Pick one.
- 8:00 p.m. The Naro if there is anything on the marquee you have not seen.
- Thursdays in season, sub in Sunsets on the River for the evening half. Bike, do not drive. Coolers get checked, alcohol stays home.
The neighborhood used to feel like a residential pocket you passed through on the way to Ghent. The waterfront is now the reason people come in.
If you already live here, you know Larchmont/Edgewater's housing stock does not turn over quickly, and when it does, buyers tend to be people who fell in love with it on a weekend that looked something like the one above. When you or a neighbor is ready to talk about what a home in Larchmont, Edgewater, or anywhere along the Lafayette River is worth in this market, Christopher Castle and The Castle Team are ready with a straight answer. Schedule a free consultation or request an instant home valuation to start.
