Hampton Roads Naval Museum — Attraction in Norfolk

There are four USS Iowa class battleships that are now museums in various places around the United States. Norfolk Virginia is fortunate to have the USS Wisconsin. This is fitting given its history as a naval town. Your admission includes access to Nauticus, Hampton Roads naval museum, and the USS Wisconsin. There are some additional fees for a guided tour of more areas of the USS Wisconsin if you're interested. If you've never had a chance to go on one of these it's certainly worth the visit. It is amazing how large the battleship is. You have the chance to explore it and get a taste for how tight quarters are on the inside of the ship. You get a flavor for what daily life must have been like and makes you appreciate what our men and women in the armed forces do for us. Do yourself a favor and do a little bit of reading about the history of the USS Wisconsin and the tour will be much more useful and interesting. The naval museum itself is fairly small but very well done. It is set up in a timeline of sorts from the revolutionary war up until the present. The displays are interesting especially if you take the time to read the commentary. If you are a naval history buff then you'll be impressed by the very large number of detailed models of various ships. Nauticus itself appeared to be more a kid oriented science museum type experience focused on the oceans. There were some large areas that were under renovations but there still appear to be quite a few things...

A person could spend the entire day here and still not have time to explore and read the vast Naval and marine history within this facility. I retired from the Air Force and by the time I was done here I left wishing I had joined the Navy. The sheer volume of history beautifully portrayed through virtual displays, models, and relics boggles the mind. From insightful displays about modern shipping, marine life conservation, pollution control, and civil/military maritime history…this facility does not disappoint. Not to mention, coming from a recent military retiree, this place is the perfect spot to bring a person interested in joining the US Navy before they decide on a career path. It is overwhelmingly insightful into the various mission sets our US Navy has. Moving on from the museum you cross the bridge on the USS Wisconsin. It really is an amazing experience to see the inner working and living space within the bowels of a destroyer. In what felt like no time, we had somehow spent 3 hours here and honestly could’ve explored and studied more. Top-notch facility...

This museum was so much better than I ever expected a naval museum could be (considering I wasn't interested in the navy when I entered). There are very impressive and interesting naval related exhibits including stories about the beginning of the US Navy, the various famous fleets throughout our history, the purpose of the fleets and their adventures, different naval traditions, the transformation of ship style and structure, and much more. Then there are all the exhibits about our waterways, the environment and health of our seas and a touch and feel exhibit of marine life - which was by far my favorite. You get to learn about mermaid purses, skates, sharks, stingrays and horseshoe crabs. You can touch real life versions of them. Once you get tired of playing with the sea life, you can walk aboard the huge SS Wisconsin - one of the boats in the Gulf War. This boat, its size, facilities, purpose and strength and the stories about the lives of the crews that lived aboard...