A little more history for you on what was Seatack Station or more specifically on the neighborhood…read morefrom which it got its original name. Seatack was named so because it was the point on the coast of rural Princess Anne County where the community was the target of cannonballs fired from British ships and was where troops came ashore during an attack in the War of 1812. The isolated stretch of beach place became known as "Sea Attack", and was gradually shortened to "Sea 'ttack", and then, finally to the portmanteau of, simply "Seatack". If you're wondering what exactly the British came ashore for they were trying to steal a few cows that were wandering in the dunes where the boardwalk would one day be. There are some people who will tell you the attack came in the 1700s; those people are wrong. It was most assuredly, during the war of 1812 based off of who confronted the British when they came ashore in the first place; the men who would go on a few years later to serve as the first members assigned to Seatack life-saving station number two Seatack men who were already fishing in the Atlantic Ocean & would pull people to safety after shipwrecks in the 1800's including the 1891 shipwreck of the Norwegian barque Dictator off the coast of Virginia Beach that would inspire the Norwegian ladies/sisters. In Norway, there is an exact replica of the one that we have here in Virginia Beach and the two are looking at one another across the vast expanse of the Atlantic hoping and praying for the safe return of a ship who fell victim to the high seas & now rests forever in the graveyard of the Atlantic. Free Black men of Seatack were life-savers before America ever established U. S. Coast Guard life saving stations and for almost 3/4th of a century were what protected those who met hazards at sea as well as cows who faced danger ashore. Virginia Beach & Kitty Hawk station wouldn't open until (1874-1915) - only Virginia Beach remains while the Kitty Hawk Station Located near Mile Post 4 1/2 on Beach Road; 1874 station is now the Station Six Restaurant; 1915 station a private home. Nags Head (1874-1912) - Last station destroyed in 1962 Ash Wednesday storm. Bodie Island (1878-1923) - Once called Tommy's Hummock. The modern Coast Guard, here in the United States, was created in 1915 by the merger of two other federal agencies. The first, the United States Revenue Cutter Service, founded in 1790 and known until 1894 as the United States Revenue-Marine, was a maritime customs enforcement agency that also assumed a supporting role to the United States Navy in wartime. The second, the United States Life-Saving Service, was formed in 1848 and consisted of life saving crews stationed at points along the United States East Coast. The Coast Guard later absorbed the United States Lighthouse Service in 1939 and the functions of the Bureau of Navigation and Steamboat Inspection via a two-step process in 1942 and 1946. These days the Coast Guard is a branch of the military just as important as any of it's sister services & no longer falls under the Department of Transportation (DoT) as it once did except during times of war, when it fell under the Navy Department and eventually the Department of Defense(DoD) which is now its governing agency at all times. One last thing about SeaTack; its heart exists where the original SeaTack Fire/Rescue station#12 once was on the grounds where the SeaTack Rec Center now stands. SeaTack Station #12 was one of the first fire companies in the United States of America that was owned and operated entirely by African Americans. It remained that way from 1948 throughout the final days of Jim Crow and the station was even around when I first got to town on Feb 3, 1976; I was born at Beach General & I'm as local as the Boardwalk. Virginia Beach Fire/Rescue Station 12 now sits on S Birdneck right next-door to my third elementary school Birdneck Elementary which sits directly across the street from the new SeaTack Elementary; the original is where current & future members of the Virginia Beach, Police Department and Virginia Beach Sheriff's Office train and is also the home of one of Virginia Beach's hidden gems known as Pathways aka Virginia Beach Detox Center a place I hold in my heart because it was my city that took me in as the first military veteran who'd receive detox services at Pathways as opposed to the VA as had always been done previously. This March 16th will mark my 5th year of continuous sobriety so thank you Pathways, City of Virginia Beach, & of course the people of Seatack. Your first patient was a success & God willing I shall remain that way.

This place is awesome! Definitely Family and child friendly!…read more Stop by and enjoy the Historic Life saving Museum quick tour and interactive activities . Its been 10 years since my last visit and the museum is unrecognizable because of all the renovations. Thank you VA Beach for keeping the tradition of lifesaving alive. Free for children under 17 and $5 for Military veterans.

An intensive tour of the Riddick Folly House, our tour guide who's been working and curating the…read morepieces for over thirty year's was informative, funny, and a passionate guide. Be prepared for an hour and thirty minute tour, but it's worth it.

We had such an amazing tour! Lee was so personable and knowledgable and really took his time…read moretaking us through every room in the house.

uhm got to be the best darn museum iv ever been to, I LOVE THE HAM, this was originally a school…read moreproject on where I wanted to go for vacation and I accidentally looked up fun facts about virginia insted of fun facts about Barcelona (don't ask idk how I misspelled that) and the ham poped up, and what used to be a stupid joke turned into me actually getting to see the ham! and Iv got to say I did talk about it a lot and my parents wanted to go to the beach for vacation so we chose Virginia Beach! (We do live like 18 hours away) so due to my lack of spelling , and brain cells I proud to say iv seen the oldest ham in the world! (and peanut)

Fantastic experience! My 13 year old son said, "Wow" right after we left. He loves history…read more Very knowledgeable and friendly staff! They have a scavenger hunt for the kids to get them engaged. Really smart. This is our second visit. $2 for adults and kids under 18 are free. You get to see the worlds oldest ham and peanut! Definitely a must visit. Check them out!

My husband and I recently participated in the 400 years forward tour in Hampton and visited the…read moreHampton History Museum as apart of our trip (https://www.visithampton.com/400yearsforward/). One of the amazing things about this museum is that although it is small there is so much great information in this building. Although we were there for an hour we could have easily spent the day there reading everything and speaking with the educators there about 1619, the history of Hampton, and connecting to the history of Virginia. We look forward to getting back to the Museum and giving it the time and attention it deserves!

Being born and raised in this area and being away for so many years, I visited this museum as a…read more"tourist". We had the entire museum to ourselves which was exciting but sad because it shows people aren't ready to return to visiting places like this. I am glad I went. Although I've always held a bit of skepticism on how a museum will articulate slavery, I must say this museum goes into the history respectfully enough for children to understand and learn. Zero glorifying and straight historical fact. My mom has partial mobility issues so I would have liked to see more seating throughout. Navigating the museum from start to finish is like walking through history on a timeline. Easy to follow. I wasn't expecting to see them touch on NASA and how much it is connected to this area for the last few decades so there's a multitude of things to take from your trip here. Upon leaving, the staff provided friendly service to where else you can learn more about the area. They are well informed with plenty of resources right there in the main galley. Sadly due to the current health situation with covid, some recommended places were closed. Overall, it was a pleasant journey through that areas background.

Found by accident just driving by. Solid collection, if not extensively displayed. If you are into…read moremilitary history the shortcomings are irrelevant, so drop in. There is a small fee for admission, but it doesn't go to waste.

A self guided tour through out the history of the United States wars. They had so many different…read moreartifacts it was hard not to spend hours wondering through the building staring at different items they had placed on the walls. Some of my favorite items included creepy old gas masks, the war propaganda posters and the tank they had outside the building. If you are really into old guns this would be a great place to go because they have so many of them. It's really neat to see how everything has evolved through history including the clothes, grenades and even the silverware. I definitely recommend this to everyone in the surrounding area.

The U.S. Lightship Service began in 1820. The Lightship Portsmouth was constructed in 1915. She…read moreserved for 48 years off the coast of Virginia, Delaware, Massachusetts helping Mariners avoid dangerous shoals, or enter safely into harbors at night. Typically, ships would anchor at a strategic location sea and remain there for months at a time. The maximum crew during service was 15 men. In 1964, the vessel was retired to Portsmouth Virginia and renamed according to the custom of naming lightships after the site were they were stationed. It's cool to see off the water because it's lit up at night. I volunteered as a docent a year back in early 2016 and it was a rewarding experience. In 1989, the Lightship Portsmouth was designated a National Historic Landmark. Today it's a museum with quarters are fitted out realistically and filled with fascinating artifacts, uniforms, photographs & models. It's worth a visit. There are few remaining examples to tour in the country. Exurbs..."Lightship Portsmouth"

It's on land! From afar it looks like it is in the water…read more It is unfortunate that is is closed for the season because I totally would have taken a tour on that ship. I'm kinda geeky like that. This is just right outside of the Renaissance Hotel and within walking distance of the Elizabeth River Ferry. If anything, you could get a great waterfront walk in after snapping some pics with this light ship.

I decided to stop into the Mary Pretlow library for the first time today and visited the Oceanview…read moremuseum today. It is located in a small area inside the library. Even though it is small, the museum has alot of memorabilia. It even has a cart from the roller coaster that was at the amusement park.

Great to step back into time and recall the memories of times past. There are lots of photographs,…read moreexhibits, HS yearbooks and much more to see, including "artifacts" from the old amusement park. While there say "Hi" to Charlie (Friday-Saturday volunteer) and pick up an OV cap or T-shirt...and check out all the old amusement park memorabilia.

Love the atmosphere and gallery space that is provided. The staff are amazing and I always take…read moreinterest in the various exhibitions that the showcase. The facilities are clean and easy to maneuver through no matter the exhibition.

This is Old Dominion University's fine arts gallery. There are two sections: one for self-taught…read more"folk" artists another used for student exhibitions and bringing in shows from professional artists. This is a free gallery, open to the public, with regular fantastic shows.