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.

Portsmouth's Naval Museum is odd in that unlike any other maritime museum I've visited - there are…read moreno exhibits actually sitting in the water. There's a lightship on display, but that's sitting outside an apartment building, and the rest is contained within the walls of a small but well-kept building in Old Town Portsmouth. Admission to the attraction is $2. That should adequately manage your expectations should you decide to make the tip out here. That said, the price is a great value for what's here. The museum covers the history of Portsmouth/Norfolk and those shipyards, because it is impossible to understand the history of each without understanding how integral shipbuilding is to the course of these cities. I'm a big WWII guy, but I found myself spending most of the trip in the Civil War section. It seemed like there was a whole lot more collected from that era. The WWII stuff wasn't quite what I had hoped. Overall though, an hour spent here won't hurt you. And there's plenty to see around this town as well.

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.

Went here on 11/15/20 while walking down the boardwalk. For a $2 per person voluntary donation, you…read morecan check out historical waterfowl decoys used in hunting ducks to sell their meat at the markets and to supply local restaurants. These handmade decoys are quite rare due to the fact that hunters used to burn them for firewood if they were damaged after the hunting season was over. I enjoyed the film in the museum and wish it was available for purchase. It showed how these decoys were made by hand, including using shards of glass to sand the birds, prior to the advent of commercial sandpaper. I learnt that aside from glass, dried sharkskin was used to sand down wood. The only thing that would make this museum 5 stars would be to add placards to the exhibit so you could know what exactly you're looking at without needing to ask the volunteer docent. While we were sitting in the rocking chairs on the porch of the museum, a volunteer was leading a hands on woodworking demonstration which was neat.

Cute little museum that is free. You can see all kinds of duck memorabilia and get an insight into…read moreduck hunting and its history. The man who runs it is pleasant and lets you do your own thing.

I came to the museum after a visit to the VA Hospital located beside Hampton University's campus…read more It was very relaxing. It's FREE!! Well at least for today. The rep says it's always free but that is hard to believe because of the high quality and depth of the exhibits. This museum hosts an internationally ranked Native American collection. It was featured on a travel show as a must see location. I am a local but until the show reminded me that this museum was highly prized I did not even think about coming here. They have a decent Black History display. I enjoyed the experience. A great treasure trove of historical information that is varied in nature. A wonderful way to spend my afternoon. I went outside to view the Emancipation Oak and the site of the first school in American run by free black woman. Her home was burned to the ground because she refused to stop teaching slaves to read. The entire tour uplifted me and educated me about areas of Black and Native American history that I did not learn in school. Great experience for the enture family. This museum is a great local and national treasure. Please visit the Hampton University Museum.

A must see for anyone interested in African American, Native American, and African arts and…read morehistory. Free admission.

This was my first time taking a cruise from Port Norfolk and my first time on this carnival ship,…read moreCarnival Magic. I believe this ship debuted in 2011 give or take a year, but I had a great time up here! We arrived to the port at our designed time and it was a breeze to get dropped off and have our luggage picked up by the concierge. This was my husbae first time cruising, so he thought the lines were long, but actually as a 2nd time cruiser, I remember the lines being long, but they went fast, as with this ship. The ship is not the largest, but there is so much to do onboard. Things to do such as: gamble, slots, blackjack etc., activities for the kids young and older (teens), tons of places to eat from, unlimited ice cream, hot tubs, movie nights, trivia... basically it is what you make it because every day and night something was going on. The lido deck is like the party place to meet up and get in the pool. While the pool is not huge it looked as though it served its purpose for those wanting the pool vibe. I loved the gym and hot sauna set up. There is a full bball court on the ship and a water slide too. If you have not checked out this ship, please do so. I highly recommend. If you are thinking about cruising alone or with friends, family etc. you should fairly enjoy yourself onboard and if you decide to get off at any ports. During my cruise, we stopped in Bahamas - very nice! Take care, have fun and enjoy life :)

Old, crowded and dated best describes this ship. It's you and 3600 other people. There really is no…read moreplace to escape the crowds. The food is hit or miss and the best bet for lunch is the burger bar. Getting off the ship during stops is a nightmare. I've been on Holland, RC, and Norwegen in the past and this ship and experience doesn't compare to any of those. I think it's a one and done for me on Carnival.

Ordinarily, plantations would not be on my list of places to visit, given the history of slavery…read more However, I discovered a statue of Grace Sherwood while living in Virginia Beach, and I was intrigued. I had mentioned this to one of my students, and she suggested I visit Ferry Plantation House. I planned a tour with her as I was interested in their ties to Grace Sherwood and stories of paranormal activity. The tour did not disappoint, and I'm always interested in history when it is presented in creative ways. I appreciated that they include tales of the slaves that were a part of the plantations past. As for the paranormal, I felt very drawn to a particular tree on the property. Though, nothing felt menacing, I did get pushed on the stairs after visiting an upstairs room where a former slave women spent a lot of time with the children of the plantation. The push was on my leg leading me to believe it could have possibly been a child. Lastly, I did stop by the gift shop at the end of my tour. My favorite purchase was a Ferry Plantation tea blend. It's worth a visit if you are interested in Virginia Beach history or the paranormal.

I came Ferry Plantation house this past Saturday the 21st. I have been vacationing for years at the…read morebeach but due to the rain and to look for alternative things my family and I could do. While researching I cam across the story of Grace Sherwood (not going to ruin it) which lead me to the plantation. After researching it I decided it would be a great place to drop by to put the story in motion. Since it is fall and almost Halloween I knew my stepdaughter would love it. We unfortunately could not get tickets as I waited last minute so we couldn't go into the house but just roamed the property. They have signs all around of historic significance and just seeing the house puts everything into perspective. I will definitely be back to tour the inside of the house and we heard from a volunteer who was arriving as we were leaving they do tours on Thursdays and Saturdays as well as was in the process of setting up for an event (some kind of funeral/mourning) that they do every year. If we lived closer we would definitely attend. No matter if you believe in the paranormal side of things or not it is still a great place of history located smack in the middle of some beautiful million dollar homes on the waterfront.

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.