Casemate Museum

We just explored the outside part of the museum since we didn't know you had to get tickets at the visitor center. Before you were able to just waltz right in. But I think in order to get a proper head count and to regulate how many visitors visit they require you to now get tickets. Oh. The tickets are FREE! I mean who doesn't like "free 99?" Lol. You can go up top to the overlook area as well! They have parking reserved for the museum visitors as well.

Free! Fantastic and Free!!!! Beautiful museum filled with history and knowledge. It even has a wonderful gift store at the end.

The Casemate Museum has gone through a lot of changes since the last time I was here (in the early 2010s). I enjoyed the museum then, and I enjoy it even more now! Immerse yourself in war history at the Casemate. Visitors can learn about the beginnings of Fort Monroe and understand why the fort was built. While checking out this unique structure, you'll also learn about the role that the fort played in many of history's most compelling moments like the Civil War, the fight to freedom for enslaved people, and much more.This museum allows you to revel in the fort's social aspect and gives you a glimpse into the social life of local military leaders, residents and visitors. I love that the Casemate, as well as other sites on the fort, honor the history of the first Africans in English-speaking America as well as the Contrabands. The Casemate is just a short walk to the historic marker for the first Africans that arrived here in1619, the Old Point Comfort Lighthouse, Outlook Beach, the historic Chamberlin and the Fort Monroe Visitor Center. From the museum, you can also walk or ride around the inside of the moat and see the home where Abraham Lincoln stayed for a few days while visiting the fort (Quarters No. 1 - the oldest house inside the moat). Inside of the Casemate, you can also view the door from the cell that once held Jefferson Davis and you can decide for yourself whether or not this famed and scorned figure was a hero, traitor, or rebel. As a true lover of Hampton history, I will say, this is a great place to experience if you're a local or visiting history buff!

If you're a history buff you'll love this little museum of local history. To think the events actually took place right on the grounds of the museum. It doesn't take long to stroll around in the museum and on the grounds. The archways are very low. A plaque states that the average soldier back then was 5'8" and 143lbs! You can see the cell that Jefferson Davis was confined to for about four months before his health started to decline and he was moved to better living arrangements (his wife was allowed to visit daily, and even allowed to move in with him).It's completely free and totally worth a visit.

What an awesome visit today at the museum, it was truly amazing. We went thr on Monday, only to find that the museum was closed on Mondays. We decided to go back today and I am so glad that we did. The museum was an amazing display of historical artifacts, and stories about our history. The rooms and stagings were just so wonderfully done.I highly recommend going to this museum!

This museum is great if you love war history.... Or history for that matter. Walking through the casemates was an experience in itself. The museum was free entrance (not sure if it always is) but it is worth touring even with a fee.

We took our grandsons to the casement museum. They especially enjoyed the gift shop full of telescopes and guns. Then they and my husband walked the top of the entire fort after...which they enjoyed a lot. We will be back!

An impromptu visit to Fort Monroe brought us here-and what a pleasant trip that was!This is a very well kept and laid out museum. It's short and sweet and appeals to the militaria nerd with plenty of relics from the various areas and a plethora of history on heavy coast defense weaponry.Highly recommend for a short excursion into history-oh and don't forget to go up to the ramparts outside and view the pet cemetery!

I was in the area on Father's Day. We were planning to have lunch at the Chamberlin, in The Chesapeake Dinning Room (open to the public). We had time to kill, so we walked over to the Casemate Museum, located in Fort Monroe. Pretty cool museum. Very informative. Coolest bit is this is where Confederate president Jefferson Davis was imprisoned (at Fort Monroe). You can even stand in his cell, where he was guarded 24x7 by four guards. The info on the coastal guns was impressive too. I had no idea how big the shells are/were, nor how far they could be fired. The plotting board was 100% mechanical and totally genius. See this picture, #90 https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/casemate-museum-fort-monroe?select=nxlxfcZByfPCFoVI4G16AQ (I'll be uploading my own too, soon).I also think I read that Edgar Allan Poe enlisted in the army here. He used the name Edgar A. Perry and lied about his age. FYI, there are seasonal hours : Open Monday-Sunday 10:30am - 4:30pm Memorial Day to Labor DayTuesday-Sunday for the remainder of the year.Museum is closed Easter, Thanksgiving Day, December 24, December 25, December 31, and January 1.Bottom line: Well worth the price of admission (free).

One of my favorites! Took the boy there today as it was a beautiful Saturday and that makes Fort Monroe the perfect destination for a day trip. In an area full of history and attractions, it's so nice to find a museum that is free! If you've never been to the fort it's a MUST when in the area. The waking tour is fantastic (and a healthy option!). The museum itself is well done (though a little dated). It covers the early days of the first fortification (1609) all the way up to the decommissioning in 2011. The highlight for me was standing in the casemate where Jefferson Davis was incarcerated after the civil war ended. Definitely add this one to your list on your vacation! And if you are local, like us, there's no excuse to miss this one.