If you are interested in learning something special; fond of astronomy and space, want to see the nation’s historical places - Hampton gives you such an ability. Here’s the list of must-see museums in Hampton, Virginia:
VIRGINIA AIR & SPACE CENTER
Downtown Hampton 600 Settlers Landing Road
757/727-0900
Your imagination will soar when you visit the Virginia Air & Space Center, the visitor center for NASA Lngley Research Center and Langley Air Force Base. This world-class facility features more than 100 “hands-on” exhibits that tell the story of air and space exploration, plus the new Adventures in Flight gallery. See the Apollo 12 Command Module, a Mars meteorite and a three-billion-year-old moon rock.
Visit the technologically advanced 3D IMAX Theater and see an IMAX film on a giant five-story screen with 16,000 watts of digital-sound.
HAMPTON HISTORY MUSEUM
Downtown Hampton, 120 Old Hampton Lane
757/727-1610
Experience the historical excitement of “four centuries on the bay - from the sea to the stars.” From Native Americans and the early colonists, a bustling port, the infamous Blackbeard, “contrabands” and the Civil War, the rise of “Crabtown USA”, to modern Hampton. Guided tours provided through ten galleries of permanent and changing exhibits.
The Museum is open Monday-Saturday, 10-5. Closed Sundays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Day. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, active military, active NASA, children 4-12. Under 4 free. Group tours (10 or more) $3. Home of the Hampton Visitor Center and Museum Shop.
Call 757/727-1610 or 800/800-2202.
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY MUSEUM
Huntington Building, Hampton University
757/727-5308
Founded in 1868, the Museum is the oldest African-American museum in the U.S. and one of the oldest museums in the state of Virginia. The collection, one of the largest and strongest of its kind in the Southeast, contains over 9,000 artifacts and works of art including traditional and contemporary African, Native American, African American, Asian and Pacific Island art; fine arts; and objects relating to the history of the University. A changing gallery showcases works of both new and established artists.
Open year-round: Mon-Fri, 8 am-5 pm; Sat, noon-4 pm. Closed Sun. Closed major holidays and campus holidays. Free admission.
CASEMATE MUSEUM AT FORT MONROE
Casemate 20, Bernard Road
Fort Monroe
757/788-3391
The largest stone fort ever built in the U.S., Fort Monroe is headquarters for the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Within the historic fort’s stone walls is the Casemate Museum, which chronicles the history of the fort and the Coast Artillery Corps. During Civil War, Fort Monroe was a Union-held bastion in the center of a Confederate state. In the Casemate’s Civil War area, learn how “Freedom’s Fortress” helped shelter thousands of slave refugees and see the cell where Confederate President Jefferson Davis was imprisoned.
Open year-round: Daily, 10:30 am-4:30 pm. Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25 and Jan. 1. Free admission.
THE COUSTEAU SOCIETY
Downtown Hampton 710 Settlers Landing Road
757/722-9300 or 800/441-4395
Opened spring 2003, this downtown waterfront site is the U.S. headquarters for the Cousteau Society. The gallery displays world-renowned photography, models of Alcyone and Calypso, as well as artifacts from past Cousteau expeditions. Gift shop available.
WINTER: Wed-Fri 10 am-4 pm, Sat 11 am-4 pm, Sun 12-3 pm
SUMMER: Wed-Fri 10 am -4 pm, Sat 11 am-4 pm, Sun 12-3 pm
Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Closed Sat Labor Day -Memorial Day. Free admission.