Museums, Galleries & Exhibits

Hampton Roads is blessed with numerous world-class museums, galleries, and exhibit spaces -

Association for Research and Enlightenment
215 67th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10am-8pm; Sunday Noon-6pm
757-428-3588
Free Admission
Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment, Inc., is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1931 by Edgar Cayce (1877-1945), to research and explore transpersonal subjects such as holistic health, ancient mysteries, personal spirituality, dreams and dream interpretation, intuition, and philosophy and reincarnation.

Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum
1113 Atlantic Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Hours: Winter hours - Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm. Summer hours - Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm.
757-437-8432
The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum, located in the historic de Witt Cottage on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, displays art and artifacts documenting migratory wildfowl that pass through Eastern Virginia.

The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
4509 Monarch Way at 45th Street, Norfolk, VA 23529
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 11am-5pm, Sunday 1pm- 5pm
757-683-6271
The Baron and Ellin Gordon Self-Taught Art Gallery showcases self-taught art and its relation to contemporary art with shows, drawing on the permanent collection - 375 folk art works by self-taught artists donated by the Gordons in 2007 - and loans to the galleries. A second gallery, the changing gallery, focuses on works by contemporary artists of international, national and regional repute.

Charles H. Taylor Arts Center
4205 Victoria Boulevard, Hampton, VA 23669
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 10am–6pm; weekends 1pm–5pm.
757-727-1490
Free Admission
Housed in Hampton's former Charles H.Taylor Memorial Library, the Arts Center hosts a series of changing exhibitions throughout the year.

Chesapeake Planetarium
310 Shea Drive, Chesapeake, VA 23322 (in the Chesapeake Municipal Complex)
Hours - Public programs Thursday at 8:00pm. Reservations required.
757-547-0153
Free Admission
Thursday night programs are provided as a free service of the Chesapeake Public School System. Topics change every month and are educational in nature. They are designed to give the individual a general overview of astronomy.

Children's Museum of Virginia
221 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday, 9am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm. Open Monday 9am-5pm Memorial Day thru Labor Day.
757-393-5258
The largest children's museum in Virginia. Over 64,000 sq. ft. of exhibit space, featuring dozens of interactive exhibits and a planetarium.

Chrysler Museum of Art
245 West Olney Road, Norfolk, VA 23510
Hours: Wednesday 10am-9pm; Thursday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
757-664-6200
In addition to maintaining a distinguished permanent collection, the Chrysler offers a comprehensive program of changing exhibitions and education activities for visitors of all ages.

Contemporary Art Center of Virginia
2200 Parks Avenue, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 10am-5pm; Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday noon-4pm
757-425-0000
Regularly changing exhibitions feature painting, sculpture, photography, glass, video and other visual media from internationally acclaimed artists as well as artists of national and regional renown.

Courthouse Galleries
Intersection of High and Court Streets, Portsmouth, VA 23704
Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 10am–5pm; Sunday 1pm–5pm. Memorial Day to Labor Day open Monday thur Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm.
757-393-8393
Housed in Portsmouth's 1846 Courthouse, the museum's exhibits encompass traditional and contemporary art forms.

Elizabeth City State University Planetarium
Jenkins Science Building, ECSU Campus, Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Hours: Monday thru Friday 8am-5pm
252-335-3759
Free Admission, shows by reservation only
Take a guided tour of our solar system and venture out into the unknown depths of our universe. Under a star filled dome, visitors will explore many wonders of astronomy.

Hampton History Museum
120 Old Hampton Lane, Hampton, VA 23669
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
727-1610
The Hampton History Museum is an educational and research center for the collection, exhibition, interpretation, preservation and promotion of the vast historic resources of the City of Hampton.

Hampton Roads Naval Museum/Battleship Wisconsin
One Waterside Drive, Ste 248 Norfolk, VA 23510-1607
757-322-2987
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday: 10am-5pm; Sunday: Noon-5pm
Free Admission
The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is an accredited museum operated by the United States Navy that celebrates the 220 years history of the fleet in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. It is located on the second floor of Nauticus.

Hampton University Museum
In the Huntington Building on the grounds of Hampton University, Hampton, VA 23668
Hours: Monday thru Friday, 8am-5pm; Saturday Noon-4pm
757-727.5308
Free Admission
Founded in 1868, the Museum is the oldest African American museum in the United States and one of the oldest museums in the state of Virginia. The collections feature over 9,000 objects.

The Hermitage Museum and Gardens
7637 North Shore Road, Norfolk, VA 23505
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
757-423-2052
The Hermitage Museum and Gardens consists of 1908 historic house museum with a world-wide art collection and contemporary exhibition galleries, surrounded by twelve acres of formal gardens and natural woodlands and educational wetlands.

Hunter House Victorian Museum
240 W. Freemason Street, Norfolk, VA  23510
Hours: Open April thru December only - Wednesday thru Saturday 10am-3:30pm; Sunday 12:30pm-3:30pm
757-623-9814
The Hunter House Victorian Museum was built in 1894 as the family home for Mr. James Wilson Hunter and his wife Lizzie Ayer Barnes Hunter and their three children. The interior features original furnishings and decorative art.

Isle of Wight County Museum
103 Main Street, Smithfield, VA 23430
Hours: Open Monday thru Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
757-356-1223
Free Admission
Interpreting local history, the museum's exhibits include prehistoric fossils, Native American and Colonial artifacts, a country store and the museum's most notable artifact - the world's oldest, edible cured ham. The 1902 pork product exemplifies the patented Smithfield curing process.

Jamestown Settlement
2218 Jamestown Road, Route 31 South, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm (until 6pm June 15 through August 15)
757-253-4838
At Jamestown Settlement, the story of the people who founded Jamestown and of the Virginia Indians they encountered is told through film, gallery exhibits and living history.

Jewish Museum & Cultural Center
607 Effingham Street, Portsmouth, VA 23707
Hours: Saturdays, Sundays, Monday 2pm-4pm
757-391-9266
The Jewish Museum & Cultural Center houses artifacts and exhibits that reflect the history of the Hampton Roads Jewish community.

Lighthouse Portsmouth Museum
Intersection of Water and London Streets, Portsmouth, VA 23704
Hours - Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm. From Memorial Day thru Labor Day, Monday thru Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm.
757-393-8591
Built in 1915, the Lightship Portsmouth served for 48 years off the coasts of Virginia, Delaware and Massachusetts helping mariners avoid dangerous shoals or enter safely into harbors at night.

The MacArthur Memorial
198 Bank Street, Norfolk, VA 23510
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm
757-441-2965
A visit to the MacArthur Memorial provides a unique glimpse into the 20th century and can renew your faith in those American values of Duty-Honor-Country, values which motivated Douglas MacArthur as he served our nation through some of its greatest crises and finest hours.

Military Aviation Museum
1341 Princess Anne Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23457
Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm
757-721-7767
The Military Aviation Museum, located at the Virginia Beach Airport is home to one of the largest private collections of World War 2 and Korean War era fighters, bombers, trainers and seaplanes.

The Mariners' Museum
100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm
757-596-2222
You’ll find one of the largest international maritime history museums filled to the crow’s nest with prized artifacts that celebrate the spirit of seafaring adventure. Explore over 60,000 square feet of gallery space with rare figureheads, handcrafted ship models, Civil War ironclad USS Monitor artifacts, paintings, small craft from around the world, and much more.

Muscarelle Museum of Art
Lamberson Hall on Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, VA 23187
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 10am-5pm; Weekends Noon-4pm
757-221-2700
Located at The College of William & Mary, the museum's collection features more than 4,000 works of art from many cultures and historical eras. The strength of the collection is the holdings in English and American portraits of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that have national importance.

Museum of the Albemarle
501 S. Water Street, Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 2pm-5pm
252-335-1453
Museum of the Albemarle is the northeastern regional branch of the North Carolina Museum of History. Serving thirteen counties in northeastern North Carolina, the Museum allows visitors to explore the history of the oldest section of North Carolina, many times considered the birthplace of English America.

Nauticus
One Waterside Drive, Norfolk, VA 23510
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm. Memorial Day thru Labor Day, open daily 10am-5pm.
757-664-1000
Naticus educates and entertains with engaging and interactive experiences that celebrate Hampton Roads' connections with today's maritime world.

Norfolk Botanical Gardens
6700 Azalea Garden Road, Norfolk, VA 23518
Hours: Daily 9am-7pm
757-441-5830
Norfolk Botanical Gardens has grown from humble beginnings as a WPA project to an 155-acre garden filled with thousands of plants. More than thirty themed gardens are spread across site.

Norfolk History Museum at the Willoughby-Baylor House
601 East Freemason Street, Norfolk, VA 23510
Hours: Wednesday thru Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday Noon-4pm
757-441-1526
Free Admission
The Willoughby-Baylor House, built in 1794, houses the Norfolk History Museum, which showcases various aspects of Norfolk’s architectural, commercial, maritime and military history through objects from the Chrysler Museum’s collection and other institutions and private citizens.

North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
374 Airport Road, Manteo, NC 27954
Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm
252-473-3494
The Aquarium includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, auditorium, classrooms, meeting rooms, and a gift shop. In addition, there are daily programs featuring live animals, marine life videos and special activities.

Peninsula Fine Arts Center
101 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm; also open Tuesday evenings, 5:30pm-8pm
757-596-8175
The Peninsula Fine Arts Center is the premier arts advocate in the region working to create a stronger community through ART. Featuring dynamic changing exhibitions, thought-provoking educational programs, a year-round studio art school, an interactive gallery for children, and family friendly activities, Pfac has something for everyone—art is what you make it.

Port Discover
613 East Main Street, Elizabeth City, NC 27909
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 1pm-5pm
252-338-6117
Port Discover is a new hands-on science center for kids and their families to explore and interact with the science around them.

Portlock Galleries at SoNo
3815 Bainbridge Blvd., Chesapeake, Va. 23324
Hours: Tuesday thru Friday 10am-5pm; Weekends Noon-4pm
757-502-4901
The cultural renaissance in Hampton Roads continues with the distinctive Portlock Galleries at SoNo. Located in the heart of South Hampton Roads, we encourage you to stop in and discover this cultural destination in SoNo, the South Norfolk Historic District.

Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
2 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23704
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm. Open Mondays 10am-5pm Memorial Day thru Labor Day.
757-393-8591
The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum explores the fascinating history of America’s oldest and largest naval shipyard, which is located on the Portsmouth waterfront.

Presidents Park
211 Water Country Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23285
Hours:  Open and closing times vary varies with season
800-588-4327
Walk among 42 magnificent 18 ft. tall monuments and get acquainted with them as individuals and as leaders.

Ripley's and Believe It or Not! Muesum
1735 Richmond Road, Williamsburg, VA 23185
Hours: Labor Day thru Memorial Day - Monday thru Thursday 11am–7pm; Friday thru Saturday 10am–11pm; Sunday 10am–8pm. Memorial Day thru Labor Day: Open daily 10am–Midnight.
757-220-9220
In true Ripley’s Believe It or Not! fashion, the museum in Williamsburg, Virginia houses artifacts that span almost all of human history, and even earlier in some cases.

Suffolk Museum
118 Bosley Avenue, Suffolk, VA 23434
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday, 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
757-923-2371
Free Admission
For over 14 years the Suffolk Museum has brought to the citizens of Suffolk a well-rounded group of exhibits, visual art classes, performing artists and almost anything else that can fit into the "art" category. The museum is also home to the Suffolk Art League, founded in 1976, which provides additional programming opportunities for Suffolk citizens.

Suffolk Seaboard Station Railroad Museum
326 N. Main Street, Suffolk, VA 23434
Hours: Thursday thru Saturday 10am-4pm; Sunday 1pm-4pm
757-923-4750
The restored Main Street Station displays a two-room HO-scale model of Suffolk in 1907. Railroad memorabilia and gift shop.

US Army Transportation Museum
300 Washington Blvd., Besson Hall, Ft. Eustis, VA 23604
Hours: Tuesday thru Sunday 9am-4:30pm, closed Federal Holidays.
757-878-1115
Free Admission
The Army Transportation Meseum is devoted entirely to the history of the U.S. Army transportation from colonial days to present. It offers a unique glimpse of the importance of logistical support to the Army.

Virginia Air & Space Center
600 Settlers Landing Road, Hampton, VA 23669
Hours: March 16 thru May 20 - Monday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm. May 22 thru September 7 - Monday thru Wednesday 10am-5pm; Thursday thru Sunday 10am-7pm.
757-727-0900
The Virginia Air & Space Center features interactive aviation exhibits spanning100 years of flight, more than 30 historic aircraft, a hands-on space gallery, unique space flight artifacts, and more.

Virginia Aquarium
717 General Booth Blvd., Virginia Beach, VA. 23451
Hours: Thru May 22nd - ppen daily 9am-5pm; from May 23rd thru September 7th - open daily 9am-6pm.
757-385-3474
Explore over 700,000 gallons of one of the best aquariums and live animal habitats in the country at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. Check out our hundreds of hands-on exhibits, outdoor aviary, nature trail, and marshlands.

Virgnia Beach Public Schools Planetarium
3080 South Lynnhaven Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Hours: Public programs presented every Tuesday evening at 7pm (closed in August)
757-648-4940
Free Admission
Originally constructed in 1969 as part of the technologically advanced Plaza Junior High School, Virginia Beach City Public Schools Planetarium has served as the school system’s source for astronomical enrichment for 38 years.

Virgnia Living Museum
524 J. Clyde Morris Blvd., Newport News, VA 23601
Hours: Labor Day thru Memorial Day - Monday thru Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday Noon-5pm. Memorial Day thru Labor Day - open daily 9am-5pm
757-595-1900
View endangered red wolves. Get up close to a loggerhead turtle and moon jellies. See fish with no eyes and frogs that change colors. Touch live spider crabs and fossilized dinosaur tracks. It’s all at the Virginia Living Museum, Newport News, where living exhibits depict Virginia’s natural heritage from the mountains to the sea.

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame
206 High Street, Portsmouth, VA 23705
Hours: Now thru May 24 - Tuesday thru Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 11am-5pm
757-393-8031
Established in 1972, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum now honors more than 200 Virginia athletes, coaches, administrators, educators and journalists who have made a major impact on the world of sports.

Virginia War Museum
9285 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23607
Hours: Monday thru Saturday 9am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm (The museum ceases admissions at 4:30 pm)
247-8523
Established in 1923, the museum traces American military history from the Revolutionary War to the present. The collections include over 65,000 artifacts of which 8-10% are on display at any given time.

Watermen's Museum
309 Water Street, Yorktown, VA 23690
Hours: April 1 thru Thanksgiving - Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-5pm; Sunday 1pm-5pm
757-887-2641
The Watermen's Museum's mission is to preserve the heritage of those who worked the water in the past, the tools they used, and to present current uses of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, ecological needs and preservation. The museum does this through artifact displays and education.

York County Historical Museum
York Hall (Lower Level), 301 Main Street, Yorktown, VA 23690
Hours: Tuesday thru Saturday 10am-3:30pm; Sunday 1pm-3:30pm
757-890-4490
Free Admission
View artifacts from Yorktown's past including Native American tools, Colonial Yorktown, Revolutionary and Civil War, and 20th Century exhibits of USS Yorktown, The Naval Weapons Station and more. Additional exhibit space at Museum On Main, 408 Main Street, in Yorktown. Museum On Main open weekends only, 2:00-4:00pm, free admimission.

Yorktown Victory Center
260 Water Street, Route 1020, Yorktown, VA 23690
Hours: Open daily 9am-5pm (until 6pm June 15 through August 15)
253-4838
At the Yorktown Victory Center, America’s evolution from colonial status to idependent nation is chronicled through a unique blend of timeline, film, thematic exhibits and outdoor living history.