Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum — Attraction in Virginia Beach

The name of this place undersells it. The subject matter, while surf & rescue for sure, is more complex than the "baywatch"-esque themes that spring to mind just passing by it. This museum covers the long history of shipwrecks in the Cape Henry area of Virginia and how the US Lifesaving Service served the crews of those ships - but it also covers the Lighthouse Service, the Coast Guard (including their role in WWII), U-boats along the Virginia coast, Maritime disasters, the Weather Service (predecessor to NOAA), and actual surfing. It's easily accessible from the oceanfront on foot. The main exhibit is on the first floor, which covers shipwrecks, surfing, and the Lifesaving Service. The second floor is undergoing a redesign of sorts, but with docent escort they'll let you up there on request. That was my favorite floor - everything up there was about the Coast Guard, Lighthouse Service, and the impact of World War II. In a nutshell I'd say the first floor is for the lightly interested visitor, the second floor is for the more serious maritime enthusiast. Access to the actual watch tower is restricted to special events. The one thing that this museum could benefit from is artifact-level interpretation - there are lots of interesting items on shelves that have their manufacturer's mark (i.e., gyroscope) so the viewer can generally tell what it is, but the history of the item (i.e., ship it came from, era, how the museum came to have it) would go a long ways towards instilling the importance of the artifact. As constructed, there are anchors and timbers and lanterns and all sorts of instruments that are grouped together to make aesthetically interesting displays about a topic, but as an artifact-phile, I was constantly wondering the history of those items themselves. A special mention is warranted for the macro artifacts on display outside - those are really neat. There are a couple WWII-era navy anchors (wonder what those have seen!), a freighter steering wheel, a life car, a couple capstans, a WWII USCG propeller (probably off USCGC Cherokee), and then multiple anchors, a boiler, and a buoy lantern salvaged from the ocean. And don't forget - the building itself is an artifact! The historic lifesaving station, while not particularly rare, is increasingly an uncommon sight and is very well kept. I spent an hour and a half here, pouring over every item, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended, and tip of the cap to the folks who keep this place running. No admission fee, but donations can be given at the desk and they give you a receipt for...

I was going for a stroll on the boardwalk and stopped by the surf museum with my son for a change of scenery and some air conditioning. For just a few bucks we could read up on the history of the area but this place wasn’t really made for kids under six.

Plenty of exhibits, lots of history to be shared and even a fun video. If you read everything it would take an hour but a fast stroll can get you in/out...

Having the privilege to visit this museum during off season I had the honor to receive a tour from Ms. Dana Sizemore Executive Director. Dana brings a small town museum of a time past generation to whimsical life as she captures the time frame of the erra wonderfully. Believe me, its definitely worth a stop and will be remembered long after another enjoyable day at...