This museum is so cool! We spent a few hours here. The museum is interesting. I thought it was cool to learn about Norfolk port. My toddler loved the kids sections, especially the play areas and the live fish and sharks. You can even touch some of them! There's also a cool deck where you can go outside and get a nice view. We ate lunch in the cafe inside. Food was surprisingly good! I think they make most of it themselves! The battleship was fascinating! It's enormous and you can just walk around and get a sense of what it's like to live on a big ship. It's so huge, and there is so much to see! I was impressed that our whole group all had fun and lasted more than 3 hours! (3 adults who don't love museums, and a rambunctious 2.5 year old boy). There is a lot of walking involved, but I believe is wheelchair and stroller friendly. For us it was easier to walk around the battleship without the stroller, since there are a lot of ladders to get to different levels. But everything was safe and clean. Kid Friendly 5 stars Kids will enjoy being here, and they have tons for kids of all ages! read more

Very nice museum with the added bonus of exploring the Battleship Wisconsin. The museum had a bit of everything. History about shipping and the Wisconsin, a great area for the kids to explore, and a section on sea life and weather. The people were very helpful. read more

Museum - 4 stars, lots of good exhibits and photos. Video of the Japan surrender ceremony is moving. MacArthur was such a prima donna. But the star of the museum is their battleship, the largest the US has ever built. USS Wisconsin - also 4, but could have been 5 if they allowed unescorted access to the engine rooms, always my main focus on these old ships. As it was, I toured with a guide who stuck to his set agenda even though it wasn't mine and I was the only one in the tour group. I just wanted to explore the details that others might see as unremarkable: the smaller panels, the valves, the switches, the cable trays. All those bring back memories. Still, for someone who isn't an ex-navy engine room guy, it's a good tour. The docents (there will be two on the engine room tour) are well trained and familiar with the ship. The engine room tour costs a bit extra. The rest of the battleship is great too, if you haven't been to one and even if you have. Make sure you go up into the #1 turret. There's an extra-cost tour for the command center stuff too. I didn't do that tour because I'd seen it on other battleships and, as I said, I'm an engine room guy. read more

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Great place for folks of all ages, especially those who like history. Good place to visit if you have family in town. They offer a military discount as well. read more

I love this museum!! And I am not a huge museum type person so this really says a lot. My usual trip to a museum is in and out. No more than 2 hours. But I stayed at the Nauticus from 9:45am to 5pm. A historic seven hours for me!!!! CRAZY! It was that good here. The Nauticus is advertised as opening at 10am, but they actual open their doors earlier than that. I arrived around 9:45am to purchase admission tickets ($11.95/ $10.95 if you have AAA membership). I was able to explore the exhibits immediately after I bought my ticket (before 10am). As soon as I walked in, I was greeted immediately and was asked if I had any questions. The only question I had was if I had to pay extra to see any exhibits. I was told admission included ALL exhibits at the Nauticus. AWESOME! I checked out all three floors but one of my best experiences were at the AEGIS Command Center (program at 10:45am, 12:45pm, and 2:45pm). I really learned how difficult it is in the Navy and what little time people have when they need to make decisions in life or death situations on the water!) Another favorite of mine was checking out the deck of the USS Wisconsin. The ship is HUGE. I spent a good amount of time walking the deck because there was so much of it to explore! This ship earned five battle stars in WWII. My favorite of the entire museum were the movies they showed on the large screen theater (located on the 3rd floor). I caught the movies: The Living Sea Octopus Challenge Creature Feature The Blue Realm: Shark Business Warships: Treacherous Waters The theater has plenty of seats and was nicely air conditioned. I could have lived there. There is a cafe on the first floor called The Outtakes Cafe (Quick Cuisine). It has everything from salads, sandwiches, burgers, fries, cold pasta, yogurt parfaits, cookies, etc. The food was pretty good here. I could definitely come back here to spend an entire day reliving my experience! read more

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Went here with some family visiting from Florida and had a great time! Highly recommend the Command and Control tour. We had ours with CAPT Jim Donovan and he was FANTASTIC. If you go during the holidays they have the Wisconsin decked out in lights and decorations. It's wonderful. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

I booked a Sail Away Boat excursion to celebrate our friend and family birthdays. We met at the front of Nauticus, where the staff scanned our tickets and proceeded to usher us to the waiting area just outside the gift shop. We arrived 30 minutes earlier, but 15 minutes earlier is more than adequate time to get there. Free parallel parking out front for 2 hours is available, if you know that you won't be any longer than the allotted 2 hours. However, if you feel safer, there is the city parking garage literally across the street on an hourly paid basis. Casey and John, the sailing instructors, met us and gave a brief summary of safety points prior to boarding the boat and launching. Because it was quite a hot morning with very little breeze, if any, John gave us a quick lesson in the basic anatomy of the boat and basic sailing terminology. He essentially gave us a taste of intro to sailing. It was a brief 45 minute sail, but quite enjoyable just to relax. We will definitely be back for more! read more

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Good Looking Don... Let's start there. One of the friendliest employees there. Took the time to make jokes when all we were doing was waiting on the elevator. Took the time to get on the elevator and actually walk us to the Battleship. Who does that? Don did that. Really added an extra spice of joy to an already great day. There is so much to see at this place and they are steady adding more exhibits. If you live in the area and enjoy marine biology and wildlife along with military history or you have kids then becoming a member would be well worth it. There would constantly be something new to see. Feel free to touch a couple of the marine animals, catch a short 3D movie that will teach you something along with being entertaining, have your pic professionally taken on the ship (they hold the pics online for up to six months if you would like to purchase them later), enjoy seeing below deck on the Wisconsin (even with the basic ticket). There are a few handicap parking spots right on the grounds, for everyone else the best parking garage would be on Plume due to convenience. read more

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We had sooooo much fun!! My two year old surprisingly enjoyed herself as well. A huge factor in us visiting with a 2 year old is price. The special for locals is $7.57 for admission. Usually triple which I would not pay at this time. The building has a ton of interactive items and age appropriate fun for all ages! There are even some fish, sharks, ect to look at! Interactive play like a giant battle ship game, chalk board, and boats to play in. The gift shop was huge with a ton of well priced items. The USS Wisconsin was really cool! You really felt like you were living the life of a sailor. There were so many rooms to look in and hallways to walk. It was as safe as it could be! read more

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We did the "Command and Control" tour of the USS Wisconsin. It was really interesting and informative. Our tour guide, Charlie, was a wealth of information and you can tell he really loves his job and the ship itself. I would recommend anyone with an interest in Naval history or ships in general to take this tour. And be sure to visit Deck 2 where you can wander around and explore on your own....it's actually quite amazing the amount of freedom they give you to look around on your own. read more

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16$ worth every dollar! So so cool I only did the tour of the boat and that was enough. Definitely skip everything else unless you have kids or want to learn more specifics. Such a great experience. A must if you are in Norfolk read more

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Pleasantly impressed by the size of this museum. We were traveling thru Norfolk and stopping just to see the USS Wisconsin really but the Nauticus was worth the 16/person admission. Could have skipped the 3D 22 min movie included with the ticket, but the rest covered battleship history, nearby ecology and sea life (we got to touch a shark) in various exhibits that my son didn't want to leave. Battleship itself was rather impressive, even when we were rained on out there. Got to take a look inside a turret, too. read more

Nauticus - Pic from the stern - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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I enjoyed this museum a lot. I liked being exploring the USS Wisconsin. This was a very good outing as I love museums. A worker was there cleaning and disinfecting the entire time. Definitely a worthy trip. read more

Terrific naval and martime museum. A group of us were in town for Harborfest and took the afternoon to tour Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin. My husband is retired Navy and served on a battleship so touring the "Wisky" with him was a most interesting experience. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

This is a great place to take the family for an adventure for a couple hours. It's just the right size of museum to go through, with the battleship as a plus. My kids loved walking on the bridge of the ship and going through all the decks on the battleship. It is set up just right for kids, you can move through the museum quickly. It has lots to do but yet not too big for children to finally get bored of it or get tired. There are plenty of hands on things to throughout the museum. The balance/demonstration between what's in the oceans around the earth, and our ecosystem, and what our Navy has had to offer for this country over the years is very good. We kind of just stopped here fly-by-night Sunday. Next time we are in Norfolk we will go back and take more time to check things out. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Definitely worth going to view and board a battleship. This is great family fun and you can get some cool pictures!

Great museum with loads of interactive and interesting exhibits for all members of the family. There truly is something for everyone here. The crown jewel is the USS Wisconsin battleship - a lady of the sea that a a great story to tell. Well worth a visit ! read more

Held an event for 150 plus people. Sound and tech were great for our presentations and the staff was very helpful.

This is a wonderful museum! So many interesting exhibits. Very educational! Something for everyone!

This review is based solely off of the overnight stay experience that we had at Nauticus. My daughter is in the scouts program and we were instructed to show up at 6:30. We were on time, and were lead the way to the Battleship Wisconsin. Once aboard we were immediately shown the bunks on which we would be sleeping, and then lead to the restrooms. After everyone was settled, they called us into was was almost like their mess hall and proceeded to go over the rules. Now, while I understand that this is a historical artifact, we were thoroughly drilled by the staff. The rules are laid out as: 'you do what we say, you eat, drink and go to the bathroom as we say.' This was challenging, because it's already a foreign situation to all in attendance. They perform a very thorough and interesting tour. We saw a few rooms in the ship and were educated by a man that had been in the service for many years, so that was great. Afterward, we were instructed to use the restrooms and then lead to the actual museum portion of Nauticus. They had some activities for the kids, which was great. Here's my issue.. while I understand that they are carefully attempting to preserve this vessel, it was very much like boot camp. They legitimately tell you when and how you will do things. It seemed a little overwhelming for the kids. We were not 'scheduled' to go to bed until 10:20, which was, at least for my child, much later than their typical bed time. You're expected to eat dinner before you go, and they then keep you awake until four hours past that time. We were told that snacks and water would be available, but we did not make it past that time. My child was very tired and very hungry. You are not allowed to take snacks of any kind, but are allowed to purchase them until the staff deems it appropriate. It just wasn't what we considered to be a 'fun and free' activity. It's almost as if you're being punished for being on the tour. Maybe a little like jail. Not worth my $70, to be completely honest, but that's just my personal opinion. I will not return. read more

Visited the museum with my daughter and granddaughter on Women in STEM day. What a great experience. My granddaughter was excited by many of the displays that students were showing. I learned about 3D printers and saw one working. Still blows my mind. I learned about wind turbines from a Fifth grade girl. Wonderful. We will go back. read more

This was well worth the $15 to get in. It was a great place to bring the family and just your friends. They touch all ages and use plain language to explain things of what everything is. Has lots of kid interactive sections. Has lots of models and pictures. The battleship was amazing to walk the deck and and go inside. The inside was amazing to walk through with small note explaining who worked there or lived there. Made you really understand how they lived in the ship. Also made you understand how you could get lost if it was not for the signs. Lots of displays show how it could have looked and it made you really wish you were the captain on the ship. Great place. Don't think just go! read more

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We didn't tour the Maritime Center and I didn't actually board the USS Wisconsin (no time!) but we did take a bit to walk the dock around this massive ship and grab some amazing pictures of this very historic ship. There were only four of these ships ever completed and with the naval connection to Norfolk, the Wisconsin was retired to here as a memorial to some amazing days of service. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

No discounts of any kind offered right now. That is what we were told at the window. A lot of interactive activities are closed for covid-19, which is understandable. They do require a mask and they do have hand sanitizer available after you walk out of designated areas. A short video is offered and that was our favorite. Well that and the submarine that is great for kids and teens. Sadly I'm giving a 4 star because I went with two 18 year olds who didn't want to read and no appreciation. They behaved for the video and everything else they acted like toddlers. Oh and a very nice surprise was a knowledgeable women explaining how they cleaned the ship. She was friendly and kept the girls engaged, which was nice. I wish we could've paid a teen or child's price for them. They were visiting and I definitely would not bring them again. Foe four "adults" it was 70 dollars. I will be back with just my wife and I. We appreciate and enjoy the history. Parking across the street in a garage. It was 4.50 for us. Also nice place to eat outside when you exit. Nice tables and shaded. They were quick to pickup any trash. Very good food and nice breeze. When you're done you can walk around the ship and keep walking. Very beautiful and nice breeze coming in from the ocean. read more

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Great display and the number of people allowed in per Tour was wonderful. The cost of the tickets beverages were reasonable and in line with any event. The family highly recommends and the eight and 10-year-old gives it five stars. read more

Nauticus - Girls at Nauticus. Happy New Year! - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

This is a really cool tour! We paid extra for the Top Of The World guided tour, which was definitely worth it. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, and he clearly enjoys giving these tours. It was interesting to explore the battleship. read more

Seaside museum for the whole family. I loved this place if only because I got to walk on the Battleship Wisconsin BB-64. There are other attractions here but I did not really bother with them. I really wanted to see that bad boy up close and personal. It is an awesome piece of machinery and even though it was built like 50-something years ago, I would not tangle with it today. There are also the obligatory souvenir shops and the food court which was rather on the shitty side and dirty. Overall though it was a nice day out. read more

The first thing you need to know is that the $15 tour gets you much, much more than a walk around the battleship. The Nauticus center next to the ship is a museum devoted to everything ocean-related, including shipping, ships, the Navy, and even a bunch about marine life. There are lots of fun activities for kids, a nice souvenir shop and even a cafe. I had planned on being there an hour or so and we wound up spending the entire afternoon. Once you get to the ship, you can explore to your heart's content. There are docents to answer questions so you don't need to pay for a guide. read more

Nauticus is the name of the complex downtown that houses the USS Wisconsin, Hampton Roades Naval Museum and from where you can take a boat tour of the surrounding waters and Norfolk Naval base. It is a large building with parking available across the street. Entrance to the building is free and that's where you can access the battleship, museum and gift shop. Impressive looking building next to the impressive looking battleship. It's a nice addition to the downtown area. read more

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This nautical themed science center isn't huge but it does offer have some nice exhibits. The exhibits provide history lessons as well as hands on learning. For example, you can learn about the birth of iron ships and tap out a message via Morse Code. The crowning jewel of Nautilus is the battleship USS Wisconsin. As part of museum admission, you get to tour the decks of the Wisconsin but to learn more about this 70+ year old battleship, you should buy the ticket for the 90 minute guided tour. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Spent the weekend with a bunch of Cub Scouts at the museum. We arrived early and toured the museum. It was huge! It was surprising how much was on the third floor. Around every corner was more. We enjoyed it all. The one thing that I would NOT do again was the "Hurricane Phone booth". It was $2 to feel a hurricane. If felt like a hair dryer. The tours were great. The ship was awesome. The weather was rough so we didn't actually get to sleep on the ship, we went into the museum. They put us in different areas which was nice. However, they turned off the HVAC after the museum locked up for the evening so I about melted. Also, they had activities on ship. Basically it was "here's some string - go do some knots" or "here's some paper, color your own crest". It should have had a bit more interactivity to be really notable. Would I do it again? Absolutely. Would I come prepared with our own program activities? Absolutely. read more

We came here at the request of my husband on a hot July day. First up, AAA discount. Awesome! Secondly, there were staff members selling bottled water for $1.00 on board the USS Wisconsin. It was awfully hot and I really appreciated that water was available and at a decent price. Third, the ship (boat?) is amazingly restored. We enjoyed walking around all of the decks and especially seeing how the crew slept 30 to one room! After that, we ambled back into the museum. It is huge! Not only is it big, it is informative, hands on, and interesting. Very happy that we made the stop here on our Virginia trip. read more

I have been on many ship museums . One of my favorite things to do. I must say that this one, sadly, was very disappointing. Very little of the ship is open (after 6 years of work) you would think they would have more. Most of it is the crew quarters which is very repetitive. No sick bay, none of the magazines. You have to pay $20 extra per person to see the bridge and engine room with a tour but I hate tours and I have seen the bridges on the ships which almost the same except for the view. I guess they spent too much money on the museum which is nice but really very empty for the most part. Go to the naval museum tours in charleston (carrier, destroyer, sub and a nuclear merchant ship for $28) or the battleship in mobile Alabama and you will see what I mean. Harbor tour much better value. read more

Were very excited about trying this place. Gota sitted and ordered our food. One minute after tje waiter brings the food, he says his shift is ending so he ia bringing the check. Didnt tell us another water would take care of is if we needed anything. Nothing. Pretty tacky. read more

There were some hands on exhibits that were closed because of covid, but we went in the middle of the week and it was like having a private tour. We got to see everything they had. Very informative. We took the battleship tour too, and my young teens were actually paying attention to our guide, so you can bet he was a good storyteller. So glad we stopped by. read more

Well maintained museum. Staff was very friendly and interactive. The museum offered allot more then the USS Wisconsin. Live sharks and plenty of hands on activities through the entire museum. read more

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Have been here a few times and this year went to the Dickens Christmas Towne display running this month. It was great and very interactive. Our family had a great time and the staff was great, to include the performances. Make sure to hang out with Geoffrey the talking Christmas Tree. read more

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Very interactive experience and good spot for kids because they have different games in the museum. Really valued going inside the battleship and exploring it, even though it was over 100 degrees outside. Highly recommend checking this out if you're in the area. read more

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Nauticus is a maritime and naval museum in Norfolk, VA. Its exhibits tell the maritime history of the 'Hampton Roads' area and the history of the U.S. Navy. The exhibits are well done and very informative. The museum also includes several exhibits on the Hampton Roads biosphere, the sea, and the weather. The Hampton Roads Naval Museum is part of Nauticus. I enjoyed learning about the development of iron ships starting with the USS Monitor and the CSS Merrimack during the civil war and their battle nearby. Included with your admission is access to the battleship USS Wisconsin, America's last battleship. It was interesting to see how sailors lived on this ship, what tasks they had to and what tools and technology were available to them at that time. The Nauticus is an interesting activity for tourists and I would highly recommend it if you're in the Norfolk area. read more

Very cool place to visit if you're in the eastern Virginia area (for vacation or if you live there and never saw it). It's a little costly to get into, but worth it. Museum is very detailed with lots of exhibits. Very kid-friendly and had enough interesting exhibits for the adults as well. The Battleship Wisconsin itself, very cool! The volunteers are well informed about the ship since most of them served on the ship or are military veterans. It gets a little confusing when you're trying to navigate it yourself, but you can find everything. I didn't see everything but saw enough to want to return if I make it this way again. Just a word of warning if you are in a parking garage in Norfolk by this museum, don't park in a "reserved spot." They get a little upset if you park in their spot. We just got a note, but could've been worse (i.e. getting towed which didn't happen thankfully). read more