Maritime Museums: Virginia, USA

Alexandria

Alexandria Waterfront Museum

Office of Historic Alexandria,
City Hall,
P.O. Box 178,
Alexandria, VA 22313.

Telephone: +1 703 838 4288; +1 703 838 4554

Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 11:00-16:00, Saturday-Sunday 13:00-16:00.

Dahlgren

Naval Surface Warfare Center

Dahlgren, VA.

Newport News

The Mariners' Museum

100 Museum Drive [Exit 62-A off I-64],
Newport News, VA 23606.

Telephone: +1 757 596 2222
Telefax: +1 757 591 7310
E-mail: info@mariner.org
WWW: http://www.mariner.org

Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 09:00-17:00, Sunday (Museum only) 12:00-17:00.

Ship models, scrimshaw, figureheads, working models of classic steam engines, small craft from around the world. Includes the famous Crabtree collection of 16 ship models built to 1:48 scale representing the development of the ship from Egyptian vessels to the Cunard Line Britannia of 1840.

The Research Library and Archive, which is available free of charge, houses more than 75.000 volumes of books, 350.000 photographs and a million of archival items. The Chris-Craft archives are especially interesting to owners of these boats.

Monitor/Merrimac Center

917 Jefferson Avenue,
Newport News.

Telephone: +1 804 245-1533

Norfolk

Norfolk Naval Base

9809 Hampton Blvd.,
Norfolk, VA.

Telephone: +1 804 444 7955

On most weekends, one or two Navy ships at Norfolk offer tours for visitors. For information call the Naval Base Tour and Information Office at above number.

Hampton Roads Naval Museum

Nauticus - National Maritime Center,
One Waterside Drives,
Suite 248,
Norfolk, VA 23514.

Telephone: +1 804 444 8971
Telefax: +1 804 445 1867
WWW: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~VAM/HRNM/hrnm1.html

Opening hours: Daily 10:00-17:00; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day.

Covers two centuries of naval activity in and around the harbour of Hampton Roads begining with the Battle off the Virginia Capes in 1781. The exhibit includes ship models, artwork and retrieved underwater naval artifacts from the Civil War.

Publishes the monthly newsletter The Daybook.

Portsmouth

Portsmouth Lightship Museum

London Slip,
Water Street,
P.O. Box 248,
Portsmouth, VA 23705.

Telephone: +1 804 393 8741; +1 804 393 8591

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 13:00-17:00; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

The lightship Portsmouth was built in 1915.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum

2 High Street,
P.O. Box 248,
Portsmouth, VA 23705.

Telephone: +1 804 393 8591

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 13:00-17:00; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.

America's first naval shipyard.

Reedville

Fishermen's Museum

504 Main Street,
Reedville, VA 22539.

Telephone: +1 804 453 6529
E-mail: bunker@crosslink.net
WWW: http://www.northernneck.com/museum

Opening hours: May 4 - October 31, Wednesday-Monday 10:30-16:30, Tuesday closed; November 1 - December 22, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-16:00; March 2 - April 28, Saturday-Sunday 11:00-16:00.

Virginia Beach

The Old Coast Guard Station

24th Street and Oceanfront,
P.O. Box 24,
Virginia Beach, VA 23451.

Telephone: +1 804 422 1587
Telefax: +1 804 491 8609

Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-17:00, Sunday 12:00-17:00; Memorial Day — October 1st; Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day.

Formerly called the Life-Saving Museum of Virginia. The only coast guard station in Virginia.

The Museum produces the newletter The Keeper.

Maritime Historical Museum

25th Street and Atlantic Avenue,
Virginia Beach, VA 23451.

Telephone: +1 804 491 8608

The museum is housed in the Old Seatack Coast Guard Station which was built in 1903.

Tiki Tai Naval Museum

Atlantic Avenue,
Suite 200,
Virginia Beach.

Telephone: +1 804 491 2502

Williamsburg

Jamestown Settlement

Post Office Drawer JF,
Williamsburg, VA 23187.

Telephone: +1 804 229 1607

Opening hours: 09:00-17:00; Closed Christmas and New Year's Day.

The Susan Constant, Godspeed and Discovery are reconstructions of the ships that brought the English colonists to Jamestown in 1607.

Yorktown

Watermen's Museum

Water Street,
Yorktown.

Telephone: +1 757 887 2641

Yorktown Victory Center

Route 238 and Colonial Parkway,
P.O. Box 1976,
Yorktown, VA 23690.

Telephone: +1 804 887 1776

Opening hours: 09:00-17:00; Closed Christmas and New Year's Day.

Covers the American Revolution, primarily the naval victory at Yorktown.

Updated 1998-10-09 by Lars Bruzelius

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