The Mariners' Museum and Park

Best museum I have been to for $1The Mariner's Museum is located in Newport News, Virginia, and is a treasure trove for maritime enthusiasts and curious minds alike. It is fairly easy to navigate to and there is plenty of parking. It is advertised as "America's National Maritime Museum," and boasts an impressive collection of over 35,000 artifacts that vividly tell the stories of seafaring, shipbuilding, and naval history. The museum's crown jewel is the USS Monitor Center, which houses relics and an interactive exhibit dedicated to the famous Civil War ironclad. Visitors can marvel at the preserved turret, cannon, and other pieces recovered from the Atlantic. The entry fee is $1. The building was immaculate and shiny. THe staff was very friendly, knowledgable and helpful. The museum is expansive yet thoughtfully organized. Highlights include intricate ship models, naval weapons, and tools that showcase the evolution of maritime technology. The International Small Craft Center displays vessels from around the globe, reflecting cultural and practical ingenuity. The other fascinating part when I visited was the beautiful display of the America's cup that had the hull of the boat above you with several interactive parts for visitors. I could spend a long time and still not see everything at this museum. Whether you're passionate about history, technology, or the sea's timeless allure, the Mariner's Museum offers an unforgettable voyage into humanity's maritime heritage.

This was a very informative well put museum. They crammed a lot of info into the space DEF worth your money,too. It took roughly about two hours. Could take more as everyone is different.

It wasn't very organized but interesting to observe the different generations of mariner men/women. It's nice to see what used to be our way of viewing and studying the ocean.

Undoubtedly the best deal on The Peninsula: $1 admission. My adult daughter and I spent a couple hours checking out the exhibits. Even as a history buff and VA native, I learned a great deal about Hampton Roads's nautical history and maritime influence. The museum is well curated and the films are well done.

First time in the museum and it was so lovely! Lots of interactive fun for children and adults! Helpful staff. Great price for entry and at the gift shop! Beautiful shipbuilding!

What a wonderful surprise this place was! I have been meaning to go here for years and never had the chance until this past weekend when rain changed our Memorial Day weekend plans. I thought I knew a lot about the Monitor and the Merrimack, the first ironclads, but I learned great deal more from the permanent exhibit. The number of artifacts they have are amazing. I also loved seeing the Team Oracle yacht that won the 2013 America's Cup! Best $1 I have ever spent!

What an awesome museum! The exhibits were put together well. Great for the mariner or not, the museum is spread out and the young grandkids loved it too. Highly recommend, a real national treasure!The staff was very nice!

What a beautiful museum and the staff is so helpful.Really loved all the movies and exhibits

I'm really not much into nautical things but I brought my teen son and adult daughter here on a Saturday recently. I was pleasantly impressed.First, the staff at the ticket counter was very helpful, friendly and polite. The place was quiet and very clean. There was so much history to explore and even though nautical things don't interest me much, I found a lot of it fascinating. I was especially fascinated with the area where the America's Cup was explored and a catamaran was hung to see. I was completely involved in watching all the episodes of the video series on the America's Cup.There were some interesting historical pieces and I learned a lot on our walking tour of the museum. I especially liked watching all the brief "movies" that talked about finding ships, sea battles, etc.The other thing that really makes a difference to me is when people and organizations are active and involved in the local community. I know first hand that the Mariner's Museum and especially the executive director are VERY involved in our community. It's nice to know Newport News for something other than high crime.Keep up the good work, Mariner's Museum!

The Mariner's Museum was neat! The Mariners Cafe was closed for renovation. Before reaching the ticketing counter, I noticed that they were collecting Unwrapped toys until December 14th for a Toys for Tots Drive. Admission is very affordable, so bring cash. It is $1 per person. They gave us a map of the museum and another map of the park (with a 5-mile hiking trail around Mariner's Lake. They have scavenger hunts and stickers for kids. Since it was our first visit, the Vietnam Veteran recommended us what to see in a particular order. I enjoyed learning about the history of Monitor and looking at recovered artifacts. My favorite parts of the museum were The Miniature Ships of August and Winnifred Crabtree and International Small Craft Center. The latter had smaller boats from all over the country. The museum shop sold toys, apparel, and tons of books. The most interesting souvenirs were the desk pyramids and scrimshaw bone box. I was surprised they didn't have any shot glasses or wooden steering wheel or boat ornaments!