Fort Norfolk is teeny. And it's unusual in that it's not part of a park, as are the majority of other American starforts...in fact it's completely surrounded by the bustling waterfront of Norfolk, with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the US Coast Guard and an apartment complex bordering it on three sides.

It's also not terribly easy to find! Though I had an address the first time I tried to visit Fort Norfolk late in 2012, I stupidly drove up to the security gate that leads not only to the fort but to The US Army Corps of Engineers building, where I exhibited my impressive ability to talk my way out of being allowed into places. I was turned away, told that no, the fort was not open for visitors. And I'm sure it was, and that I had just misrepresented my intentions. Instead of parking nearby and investigating on foot, I pouted and drove to relatively nearby Fort Monroe in Hampton instead.

Fort Norfolk is jointly owned by the Corps of Engineers and the Norfolk Historical Society, and neither one of them does a terribly good job of keeping up any sort of online presence for the fort...nor is there a working phone number one can call for fort info. After carefully scrutinizing Google Maps, planning where I would park and what route I would take to sneak into the fort if necessary, I was successful on my second try.

Later I would learn that one can pretty much visit Fort Norfolk whenever one desires, but only very occasionally is there anyone around to answer questions, or tell you to get the hell off the wall, or whatever.

Despite the somewhat shocking lack of fort support, Fort Norfolk made for a fun visit, in that it's a well cared-for, adorable little place. I wasn't able to get into any of the buildings (except for the Cistern House, which I probably, technically, wasn't supposed to get into), but there was work being done in the magazine building, and I was able to peer through the windows of the Officers' Quarters building, catching a tantalizing glance of a casemate, built into an otherwise normal-looking house!

I briefly spoke with whom I assume was the foreman     of   the   work   crew   laboring   in   the

magazine, who was kind enough to describe the work they were doing (strengthening the building to make it safe for visitors, removing asbestos insulation, etc.) and show me a few pictures of the beautifully vaulted ceilings of the magazine on his phone. I didn't knock him down and steal his phone so I could share those pictures with this site's visitors, for which I apologize.

Might I perhaps humbly suggest that you click on any of the thumbnails on this page, so that you might see the full-sized photos and read more about my starfort adventure? Or not. Your call.