Barrier Islands Center

What a well done museum in an unexpected place!! We were looking for a day trip from our home in Norfolk and saw this one on TripAdvisor. Since it is only about 20 miles from the bridge tunnel up the shore (one of my favorite places on earth!), we decided to check it out. SO glad we did! And since admission is free, it made the bridge tunnel toll worth it!When you walk in you are greeted by the most friendly docent who gives you a brief background of the museum and what it's about. She told us they have several films and asked if we wanted to watch any of them. We did - "Our Island Home" gives you a terrific view of what life on Hog Island was like before it was abandoned from people who were actually born there. After whatever movie(s) you want to watch, you are "free range" to explore the museum. It is SO well done. I could have roamed around for longer than the 2 hours we were there (but I'm a museum reader - I have to check out everything!). Definitely allow yourself a couple of hours to explore. The exhibits are fantastic and laid out well. All artifacts were donated or on loan from actual island families - they don't purchase their artifacts. I like that. Shows the love for the community that these people have. Definitely check out the attic! There are hands on things for the kids - it's hot up there in the summer though! I was fascinated by the twisted chimney (not going to tell you why it was built that way - you'll have to go find out for yourself!). This is a GREAT little stop if you are looking for something cool to do on your way up or down Rt. 13 on your way to your vacation or a great day trip from the VA Beach area. With all their many activities and programs, we will definitely be back!

Everybody wants oceanfront. Permanent residents want oceanfront. Vacationers want oceanfront. Sea turtles want oceanfront. That's why the fact that Virginia boasts the longest stretch of undeveloped oceanfront is so surprising. It also means the way of life associated with the Virginia barrier islands is truly a thing of the past, making the Barrier Island Center (BIC) in Machipongo, Virginia, an important repository of history. The residents of Virginia's barrier islands abandoned most of them by the middle of the twentieth century, leaving a way of life that surprisingly still made its own clothes, lived off most food harvested from the seas, the skies, and the salt marshes, still operated hand butter churns and spinning wheels (most of us think these characteristic of the nineteenth rather than the twentieth century).The families of those barrier island refugees donated most of the over 2,000 items in the BIC museum collection. While the harpoons the Cobb family used to chase whales from open boats and the scale model boats made by hand for childhood regattas fascinate, some items--the bed headboards, cane bottom chairs, empty commodity bottles, and check labelers--fail to rise above the mundane to the historic. Still, located in the restored Northampton County poorhouse (itself a piece of history), the Barrier Island Center offers many stories personal yet intersecting with history. For example, we find that Cobb Island derived its name from Mr. Cobb, who moved to Virginia from Cape Cod for the health of his wife. Mr. Cobb became known for his salvage business and his hotel that drew the famous from the east coast with promises of fowl hunting and fine fishing, even attracting President Grover Cleveland. The museum also has several nicely produced videos throughout that spotlight the island families and their mourning for a lost way of life. Island life may not have been the idyll many of the voices portray, but the insight into their lost islands is well worth the free visit.

This was truly a wonderful museum and the staff, ALL of the staff, were sincerely some of the nicest most helpful and accommodating people we've come across in ANY museum. They not only allow dogs, they all but ASKED us to bring them on the property and in the buildings. I'm gonna make several posts with some of the pictures I took. This is worth the short trip. Gorgeous building, perfectly decorated, informational, interesting, and some wonderful short movies to help us learn all about life on the Barrier Islands.After we toured we drove across the highway to Machipongo Trading Company and grabbed some sandwiches and chips and brought them back to the Center to eat on the grass near the field of crops.

Wow - this was a total surprise, and wonderful, informational center, especially if this is your first trip (like mine) to the Eastern Shore. The staff were enthusiastic, and the collection of artifacts from the area is beyond impressive - a cultural surprise around every corner! A must-see for everyone, from history buffs to just visitors to the area looking for more information.

Awesome.... If you are nature lover and you will love it, or just a Nice quite peaceful walk listening to all the nature around you!!!!!

The architecture of this building was gorgeous. The museum was great, but what really drew me in was the home itself and the history on the farm. The kitchen house was so plain with its dirt floors and brick fireplace, but for me it was breathtaking. I would recommend anyone traveling through to make it a quick pit stop.I must add the ladies working were fantastic and filled me in on all the history. A++++ to them. Made my day! I can't wait to see some of the restorations to come.

Barrier Islands Center is a local treasure and a visitor's great find. It is kid friendly, dog friendly and welcomes everyone to its beautiful grounds and buildings. Open Tuesday - Saturday, 10a-4p, no fee.I admit to bias - I frequent the "BIC" as a board member and the trainer for the Dogs on the Farm program, which has been hosted by BIC since 2010. It is a wonderful place to walk if you need a break from your drive up or down Rte 13 - bring a lunch from Machipongo Trading Company (right across the street) and have a picnic. You will feel revived and rested and ready to travel on.