Newport News is long and narrow — 25 miles from the southern end at the shipyard to the northern boundary at Lee Hall — and you will need a car. Jefferson Avenue and Warwick Boulevard run the length of the city as alternative north-south arteries.
Hampton Roads Transit runs the city buses, plus the cross-Hampton Roads ferry between the downtown waterfront and Norfolk, which is a pleasant ride and a useful way to dodge the bridge-tunnel traffic. The 30-mile Noland Trail loop and the Mariners' Museum trails are good places to walk or cycle once you have parked.