Newport News Museums

The Mariners' Museum - USS Monitor Center

The Mariners' Museum has been designated by Congress as America’s National Maritime Museum, The museum features maritime exhibits from around the world. The USS Monitor Center showcases the “Battle of the Ironclads” display and as well as a full-scale Monitor replica.

Virginia Living Museum

This attraction has nature-related exhibits where visitors learn about animals such as wolves, eagles, sea turtle, fish, frogs and more. Special sections encourage enthusiasts to touch live crabs and fossils and other forms of nature. Living exhibits depict Virginia’s widely varying environments from the mountains to the coast including representations of the Chesapeake Bay and limestone caves. The museum also houses an observatory, state-of-the-art digital planetarium theater, live animals and native plant gardens. Shops include the Wild Wings Museum Store and the Wild Side Café.

Virginia War Museum

Located in Huntington Park is the Virginia War Museum. The institution has U.S. military displays including collections of personal artifacts, weapons, vehicles, uniforms, posters and more from 1775 through the present. Galleries include Women at War and Marches Toward Freedom which document the roles of women and African-Americans in the military. The Visions of War exhibit showcases the museum's outstanding propaganda poster collection. Gifts are offered for sale in The Duffle Bag gift shop.