Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum

This Museum maybe be small but it’s full of amazing history covering Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and the Norfolk Greater Area from the Colonial Era to today.

The Museum also includes a tour of a lighthouse ship the Portsmouth during warm weather.

We really enjoyed this! The retired battleship USS Wisconsin is just outside. My kids loved the ship, they could have spent hours longer on board, even though it was frigid outside. They loved exploring it. Maybe next time we’ll take one of the guided tours:

Fantastic, easily overlooked museum. The exhibits cover the history of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard, a center for warship construction and repair since the revolutionary war. You'll also find exclusive relics from long gone ships, such as USS Chesapeake, CSS Virginia, and USS Texas (BB-1). Fantastic for Naval history buffs and anyone interested in local history. Add to that friendly staff and a surprisingly robust gift shop!

Great museum. It's not large, but you can get a good view of the history of Portsmouth and the shipyards. Free, but they suggest a $2 donation per person.

Great local history in a great location. If you love history, the Navy and ships, take the time to visit! For the price of a donation, it's a can't miss!

Such an interesting place to visit telling about local naval history. The young lady at the ticket counter was very pleasant and helpful.

Really nice museum, and the story in that area. Really interesting.

What a lovely museum! The docent was so wonderful and informative, and good at explaining things to kids. It was clean and bright with great exhibits highlighting local history from revolutionary war to the present. There was a free craft for kids and admission is donation.

Came across this accidentally when something else we were planning to do fell through. An unexpected pleasure. It's small, but if you actually read all the displays and took your time, you could still spend a couple of hours. Very, very nicely done, with a lot of real artifacts on display.

Entry was free this day. Interesting history and artifacts. Enjoyed walking through the timeline.

Enjoyed my visit to this local shipyard museum. The displays follow a timeline approach and represents the area during different periods.
Also the is a light boat and lighthouse lens displays very nearby that were very easy to see too.
The ferry ride over to the museum from Roanoke was simple and easy to use.

The guide at the museum not only knew so much about the museum but the surrounding areas to visit. Well worth a visit.

The staff were super friendly. They had activities for the kids, and there’s a lot to learn in this tiny but mighty museum.

Recently Renovated, Very educational, Very informative about WWII

Really neat with two kids corners

Very insightful and full of local history. A must see if you're into maritime or shipping. Please visit and help support this wonderful museum. All you need to get make a donation with money.

There is a great deal of forgotten history for the area on display.

Really helpful and friendly people!

Parking garage is off Water St (behind city jail) then it's just a block away. It holds the attention span of a 2 yr old for about 15- 20min...perfect place to go if he/she likes boats/planes/space vehicles.

Amazing little museum we stumbled on. Staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. Definitely worth your time