Things to Do in Norfolk in December

December's sharp air turns the 3 km (1.9 mile) circuit of Norfolk's Victorian façades into a pleasure walk, summer's clinging humidity is gone, replaced by cool drifts of wood smoke from porch fireplaces. The Norfolk Botanical Garden switches on the Garden of Lights at 5:30pm, and guides usually finish the tour there for a glittering full stop.

December is prime oyster time in Virginia's tidewater. Icy water cranks the Bay's famed Blue Points up to extra-briny. Trips shove off at 9am when winter sun strikes the water at the angle that turns the bay into hammered pewter. The 30-minute run to the lease beds gives you Norfolk's skyline in perfect silhouette.

Winter light drapes the naval yards in ghost-ship drama, USS Wisconsin and USS Missouri throw long shadows under the low sun, a shot you simply can't bag in summer's hard glare. December cruises use 20-25-passenger boats instead of the 100-seat summer ferries, so you can finally hear the guide over the engine.

December food walks are the year's sharpest, summer tourist traps are shuttered, so guides stick to the 15-20 spots where locals dine. The 800 m (0.5 mile) shuffle between tastes feels easy in the dry air, and tours wrap at 4pm before the dinner rush hits.

The 60-hectare (150-acre) garden flips into a galaxy of 2 million LEDs threaded through camellias and azaleas. December nights suit the spectacle, 5°C (41°F) weather means cocoa stands do real trade, and winter gusts carry pine scent from the conifer grove.