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Nauticus the National Maritime Center

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Barber E. Lane
Barber E. Lane
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3 out of 5
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3
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Nauticus National Maritime Museum

  • April 12, 2004
  • Rated 3 of 5 by denmother04 from Austin, Texas
The building which houses the Nauticus National Maritime Museum has three floors-- the first is the cafe and gift shop, the second has a lot of information about naval history and free access to the battleship Wisconsin. The third floor is the fee-for-entry maritime museum, with films and interactive exhibits such as you find in a typical children's museum. My recommendation is to stick to the second floor unless your kids are particularly motivated to explore the upstairs exhibits and really do the activities. The films and exhibits are best suited for older children (maybe ages 10 and above?).

From journal A Williamsburg Family Vacation

Editor Pick

Nauticus National Maritime Center-Part 2

  • September 4, 2003
  • Rated 4 of 5 by Taylor252 from St. Louis, Missouri
Nauticus National Maritime Center-Part 2

The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is on the second floor of Nauticus. It begins with the revolutionary war and talks about the role of the Navy through the many conflicts in our countries history. Many of the displays are pictures and uniforms of the various time periods. At the end of that tour is the entrance to the Battleship Wisconsin. My understanding is that battleships like the Wisconsin are no longer being built. This is one of the last. You can purchase a self guided audio tour for around $3 that fills in information about the various things you will see on the deck. The most impressive parts of the ship are the huge forward 16" gun batteries. We have a 3-D camera and I wish we could share that picture with you. The guns are BIG (see picture below). The ship is still owned by the navy but is leased to the Naval Museum for now. The Wisconsin was in many battles and has earned 5 battle stars. I truly don't know what that means, but it is one of the facts told to us by one of the volunteers on the ship. Many, if not all these volunteers are former sailors who served on the Wisconsin. The amount of information they have is overwhelming at times!

Another part of the Nauticus complex is NOAA National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration. I love weather stuff so this was high on our list. On the 3rd floor of Nauticus is their exhibit called 95,000 Miles of Coastal Knowledge. It explains the part NOAA has in keeping ships safe that are approaching the U.S. They can be reached at: Phone: (757) 627-7072 E-mail: jim.dixon@nauticus.noaa.gov.

There is also a Tupboat Museum that we didn't have time to see. The admission costs for Nauticus are: adults $9.95, children (4-12) $7.50, AAA/Senior/Military $8.95, children 3 and under are free. It is a place of many piece parts and I think most anyone of any age can find something to do here.

From journal Williamsburg-Lesser Known Sites Worth a Visit!

Nauticus, National Maritime Museum

  • February 16, 2003
  • Rated 3 of 5 by Barber E. Lane from Lake Forest, California
For a change of pace from the saturation of history found on the Williamsburg side of the bay, we traveled about 45 minutes to Norfolk's waterfront for a day at Nauticus.

Price of admission includes touring the Hampton Roads Naval Museum on the second floor to learn about naval history, the Battleship Wisconsin tour tied up next to Nauticus, and the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration touch screen computer displays. A replica of a ship's wheelhouse is available for those who wish to try their hand at reading the instruments and navigating a ship. A tour of a tugboat at the Tugboat Museum can be arranged for $2 and is located next to Nauticus.

The Battleship Wisconsin was the largest and last battleship built, and saw extensive action during World War II. You can take a self-guided or audio tour of the ship.

If you'd like to take a two hour tour of the largest naval station in the world, cruises to Norfold Naval station leave from Nauticus.

Nauticus is open 10am to 6pm most days. For more information, visit nauticus.org.

From journal Williamsburg-Best Family Vacation

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