The Mariners' Museum and Park
One of the largest maritime museums in the US, housing original components of the Civil War ironclad “Monitor,” including its gun turret and steam engine, along with lakeside park trails.
The Mariners’ Museum is located in Newport News. Designated by Congress as the National Maritime Museum of the United States, it holds tens of thousands of maritime artifacts. Its most popular feature is the USS Monitor Center, run jointly with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). It displays the rotating gun turret, steam engine and crew relics of the ironclad “Monitor” from the 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads, along with a full-size replica of the ship. Other galleries feature ship models from around the world, figureheads and small boats. Outside the museum is a park of about 220 hectares, with a lakeside loop trail of roughly 8 km. Admission costs about $20. The museum is about 30 minutes’ drive from Williamsburg.
Opening hours
Wed–Sun 09:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Yorktown Battlefield
- Yorktown Riverwalk Landing & Historic Village
- American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg
- Water Country USA
- Colonial Parkway
- Williamsburg Winery
- Capitol (Colonial Williamsburg)