There is a free section and a ticketed section The tickets are for the battleship. It is a wonderful museum for all ages who can manage some stairs. This is a must do in Norfolk. The free museum inside the building has Norfolk history, battleship history, port of VA info, and naval history. There are many interactive exhibits. The building is temperature controlled with clean bathrooms. Parking at the garage across the street is free for the first 2 hours. If you do the ship, you will need more than 2 hours but the hourly rate at the garage is reasonable read more

i went to nauticus and did the self guided tour of the uss wisconsin battleship museum. we got to go inside the battleship and walk through a bunch of different areas, which was probably the best part because it made everything feel more real instead of just looking at pictures or exhibits. the ship itself is huge, and seeing everything up close was really interesting. i liked being able to walk around at my own pace instead of being rushed through it. the deck views were really nice too, and the giant guns were honestly crazy to see in person because they're so much bigger than i thought they'd be. overall it was actually really fun and i'd definitely recommend it if you're in norfolk because it's something different and really interesting to experience. note -- it isn't handicap accessible, there are a lot of stairs you need to go up and down on. read more

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So good for young kids! We went recently and I was shocked at how much the exhibits had to offer for my sons 18 months and 4 yrs

A Must-See Winterfest Experience! I had such a magical time at Winterfest on the Wisconsin battleship! I went last Wednesday with family, and exploring the ship completely decked out in lights was honestly unforgettable. I knew ahead of time that they offered mocktails and cocktails, but I was not prepared for the surprises waiting onboard--like fresh donuts and spiked hot chocolate! Speaking of which... the spiked peppermint hot chocolate with a shot of white chocolate peppermint bark RumChata has officially changed my life. I don't think I can go back to regular hot chocolate for the rest of the season. It's the perfect holiday drink, and clearly a huge hit with the 21+ crowd. Beyond the festive drinks, Winterfest had so much more to offer, including a charming winter mini circus with magic and other fun acts. It was genuinely enjoyable for both kids and adults. I loved the added light displays leading up to the ship and throughout Town Point Park--they make the whole area feel like a glowing winter wonderland. Even if you can't make it onboard for the full Winterfest experience, the nighttime walk from the Pagoda in lights to Town Point Park is absolutely worth it. Such a wonderful holiday outing for families, friends, and anyone looking to soak up the season! read more

It was $20 for admission into the museum wheee they focus on naval/maritime themed science. Inside there were two floors with interactive exhibit (although there were about 4 broken exhibit) teaching science and some history. The main attraction was the battleship where you can see a bunch of rooms and press a bunch of button on the ship. Very fun and informative showing the history and functions within the ship. It took 2+ hrs to go through everything. Overall a fantastic experience that I would check out! read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

Great for our group of 100 adults and 65 kids. They enjoyed all the hands-on activities and visiting the battleship. Gave a good reduced rate for our group too. read more

Greta museum! Loved how I could check out the boat and the museum. Definitely will take all day to explore. The museum is more for kids but was informational as well. Would recommend for families and then people of all ages as well. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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My friend and I planned a little mom outing to the Nauticus. We've been in Norfolk for a couple years, and had both agreed it had been awhile since we visited. There's plenty of information for adults who are curious about boats, and the different parts. There's a nice view from the 3rd floor. For children, we were surprised at the recent expansion. There's a kids play area that is amazing for children who have sensory issues. My son is a sensory seeker and loves bright lights. This place delivered. It has access for adults to go down the slide with their children. It also just keeps the little ones busy. There are plans to expand the children's area even more, and I look forward to seeing what comes next. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Must visit the USS Wisconsin when there. It was a surreal experience to be on a battleship and get to walkthrough it. Spaces aboard are setup as if it were frozen in time, which was like a time travelling experience. We bumped into veterans during our visit while roaming the ship. The vets were so lovely to speak with and eager to share their experiences and battleship knowledge. The Nauticus museum was nice as well. Had several exhibits available to walkthrough. There is a small kids play/exploratory area upstairs with slides and other activities. Then another area that has displays on import/exporting, water travel, etc. It was a nice 2-3 hour activity. read more

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Nauticus is need of some TLC--tender loving care. The museum looks like it hasn't been updated in years. The exhibits are showing their age and in need of improvements. I did enjoy the film about the battleship Wisconsin, which gave me some history of the ship before boarding it, which leads me to the real reason to visit Nauticus. Actually, there are two excellent reasons to visit Nauticus. The Wisconsin, which you can walk on and through the inside. That's pretty cool! It's huge! Plus they are staff all around to answer questions. The other winner is the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, which is housed on the 2nd floor, and is an accredited museum. We had hoped to enjoy lunch at the Nauticus cafe, but it was basically a snack bar with some salads and fried foods like corn dogs, fried mozzarella sticks, and chicken tenders. Like most of Nauticus, the cafe is outdated compared to other museum cafes. The cafe has lots of nice space for serving and seating. It could be so much better. Now, the gift shop is first rate! They have beautiful nautical home decor items, jewelry, shirts, books, and children's toys. Prices are good. Parking is located offsite, but very close--just across the street in a large garage. read more

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I don't even like museums and this was fantastic!!! My kids were asking to go back every day during our stay in the area. It's expensive but very immersive and well worth it. Also so, so cool seeing the USS Wisconsin. read more

You can see & learn so much here. The main museum has several floors of nautical history. Even an area for kids to play & learn. Then you can go experience & aboard a Naval ship read more

We are seniors and we loved this educational and interactive museum for all ages. The science interactive exhibits were loads of fun. The war museum was so well done. We spent hours taking in every exhibit Excellent!! read more

My fiancée and I walked in to go to the gift shop. Like we were obviously going that way. Dude sitting at the desk went out his way to swivel around and tell us that unless we pay we can't come in and look around-unless we're going to the gift shop. We obviously were going in that direction but instead we left. The white folks we came in behind just walked right in and around. Love the service read more

Nauticus is a fantastic maritime museum with interactive exhibits and the chance to explore the battleship Wisconsin. The staff is friendly, and the harbor views are beautiful. read more

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I accidentally got my tickets for the wrong day. The cashier and manager were so understanding. They helped me get a new ticket and followed up about my refund for the other ticket. My family loved the lights, s'mores, tour of the ship, and the puppet show. It was a great experience all around. read more

My kids had so much fun exploring the battle ship. They have a new kids area for children to play. It's a very informative place with something for everyone. read more

First time going to Nauticus for my wife and myself and we got to take our granddaughter and our son and we all had a great time a lot of stuff to do a lot of fun stuff and then the topper was going out on the ship walking around out there seeing a lot of stuff I'm hoping we can get back by during the Celebration times when the lights are on. read more

Nauticus - The mural on the wall. - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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We've gone to this museum a bunch of times over the last 6 years and it never gets boring!! We love the new changes made and the children's Aquaticus area! Some things to note if you are coming to visit though: -Construction on New Exhibits is still ongoing. -Peak hours make Aquaticus completely busy with tons of kids running around and there isn't a lot of seating if your child decides they want to play for hours! -Parking is in a garage or in the street in downtown Norfolk. -Ask the Wisconsin tour guides all your questions!!! They love to chat about their prior service or tell you all about the ship! read more

Nauticus - Aquaticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

We love to go here as a family! Always something for the kids to enjoy and see and they do a lot of events/things around the holidays!

We made it back to the Nauticus and the Wisconsin. What a great place to visit. The museum exhibits are fabulous and interactive. There is plenty to do as a family with children of all ages. There is a giant battleship game, shark and horseshoe crab petting area. They had a great exhibit explaining the shipping industry and then you go outside and see the containers and ships. American supply chains at their best! So meaningful. I look forward to going back again and sharing this with my family. read more

This was the first time we visited here. We loved it so much that we got a membership! The interior is definitely something you should do in two separate days if possible. There is so much to look at and take in. The battleship was amazing! I love that they take your photo before entering the ship. We spent close to an hour on the ship exploring just about everything. Dress in layers it can get breezy on the ship, but warm inside as you are walking around. The gift shop is great. So many things to look at. Of course there are some over priced things, but so many reasonably priced items. If you are looking to do something with the family one day or with visitors I highly recommend! read more

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What an amazing day. My team and I went here last week for a day trip and we really enjoyed ourselves. We were going to be at the Half Moone for a luncheon and decided it would be great to do some team bonding at Nauticus. Firstly, I have a newfound appreciation for our Navy! After touring Nauticus and the USS Wisconsin, I am truly in awe of all that goes into amphibious warfare. I had no idea that the Navy was so involved in preserving wild life and many of the other cool facts that I learned! I mean the only Navy I have extensive knowledge in is Rihanna's! LOL I promise, if you love history, don't mind a bit of walking (it's massive) and have an interest in naval and maritime industries - this is a great place to visit. It's also perfect for families as I'm sure children will really enjoy this! I was so sad that I wasn't able to pet the sharks (yes, they have a shark exhibit!) But, I will come back and call ahead to make sure I don't miss the timeslot. I was not expecting to see a massive eel, hermit crabs, and many of the other really cool sea critters that are here. The USS Wisconsin is really a treasure! If you don't suffer from claustrophobia like I do, you'll definitely enjoy exploring this battleship. You literally have to carve out a whole day to see everything that is offered here! I definitely enjoyed it, thanks to everyone who helps to preserve the history of this area and our military. read more

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My husband recently agreed to go with me to the Nautica Museum and USS Wisconsin Battleship Exhibit Experience in Norfolk Virginia on my birthday. The exhibit was more vast than I was expecting to be though in a positive way. I would say if feasible/possible try to allow at least 45 minutes at a minimum andor longer to explore the museum and the actual ship. There is a souvenir ship, exhibits of different time periods representing various military engagements (for instance during the historic military engagements in the United States during the 1860s, exhibits of what was going on during World War II, the 1950s-1960s era etc. The employees my husband and I interacted with at the museum and when we went towards the direction of visiting/sightseeing the ship were also very friendly. Stewards Of The Sea exhibit, Voices From The War exhibit, pictures of what some of the sleeping and eating areas look like on the USS Wisconsin, ship's store, what looks to be holiday/christmas lights across the ship representing the current holiday season, public affairs office and more are available to view on the ship exhibit. I feel very fortunate/lucky that my husband agreed to treat me to visiting the Nauticus Museum/USS Wisconsin navy ship exhibit recently on my birthday. read more

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Very happy we stopped here as it was incredible to be able to tour this historic ship. To be able to touch something that has been involved in so many historic moments was truly amazing. See this ship and the museum if you are in the area. read more

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My review is like a partial review because I did the Winterfest Christmas lights on the Nauticus which includes entry into the museum building and you can walk through on the second floor and read about the ship and learn about it before you go into the actual USS Wisconsin itself. Everything was well-run with staff to direct you and signage so you knew where to go and what was and wasn't open and available during the visit. The gift shop was open for looking around when you were done and all bathrooms and elevators were accessible to the guests inside. I absolutely loved the ship itself and the decor and lights - all staff were very friendly and willing to take any photos you asked them to take and I loved the cafe with snacks and the walk-through elf experience under the deck. I learned a lot and was FINALLY able to set foot on this ship that I have seen for 15 years while living here and never actually been to! This was a very well-done experience and worth the price of admission! Keep doing it! read more

Came for the Christmas light experience and they really blew it out of the water! I have never visited before so I was glad to finally pay Nauticus a visit. The bridge leading to the entrance was so cute, especially with the lights. Gift shop filled with so many goodies. We opted to take the stairs up to the ship and man was it a journey! I really liked being able to see parts of the ship decorated and reading up on what that area was. Employees were full blown in holiday spirit and Nauticus will definitely be on my Christmas lights list every year. read more

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If you are looking for something to do with your family during the Christmas season, look no further! The lights at Nauticus are spectacular. A must-see if you are in the 757 area. They have a cafe shop, animatronics inside the USS Wisconsin that are incredible, and amazing lights throughout the entire shop! It was beautiful and magical! 10/10 read more

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I attended the Nauticus after Dark event and it was the perfect way to experience the museum. They offered drinks, alcoholic and non, finger foods, arts and craft, karaoke, the permanent jeweler Link'd by Loud, and a live guitarist. Being able to walk around with a mature crowd I was able to take my time and learn about the area. The history here is vast so it was nice to not rush and enjoy the interactive exhibits. read more

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This museum is one of the best parts of the city! And Norfolk is pretty cool, too! This museum would take a good few hours just to get through... and then there's the battleship! Ah! I visited it once a few years ago, but today got to go back with my husband and 2 boys- and they all loved it so much, especially my oldest. Getting to see and feel and take in what it's like to live on a real US Navy battleship is really a one of a kind experience, and you really get that here. They have gone to extreme measures to make sure you get to see just about every corner of that ship inside and out, and it is just thrilling. It's also very clean and safe enough, making for a fun experience for everyone. The museum has a few twists and turns and tons of exhibits before you even get to the battleship, and it's really interesting. I thought, how much maritime info about this ship (and others) could you really put in a museum... little did I know, it's a lot! read more

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We went to WinterFest and it was amazing! They had so much to see on the ship. The lights were phenomenal and there was even stuff inside of the ship to see. It was cool walking all over the ship. They even have a little restaurant for snacks and drinks. They have time specific time slots for you to go, but you can stay as long as you'd like. It's hard to social distance due to the tight spaces and walkways on the ship, so we wore a mask the entire time. There was a tree lighting ceremony and to my surprise, the grinch came out haha he was amazing and funny. read more

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We went for Winter Fest. Well worth it! We all had an awesome time! First time visiting for winter fest for me. The family had been last year. Live music and lights lights lights everywhere!! read more

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This is a beautiful sight to see!!! Definitely recommend bringing your family - kids will LOVE IT!! Many small restaurants and stores in the area if you really want to spend some time on the Waterfront. read more

Nauticus - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

A hodgepodge collection of exhibits of things nautical with the ultimate focus being the USS Wisconsin battleship. As Norfolk is the absolute quintessential military (specifically Navy) town, this attraction is a must-see. While somewhat disjointed, the Nauticus museum has displays about the 1907 Jamestown Exposition, a working seaport, weather (NOAA), local history (a small area-specific naval museum, a children's area, and a theater showing 3-D movies on a variety of seaworthy subjects. Depending on your level of interest, you could spend an hour or 3 at these exhibits. The true highlight of Nauticus is outside connected by the 2nd floor gangway to the ginormous battleship. Even without a guided tour, we easily spent over 2 hours wandering outside and inside the USS Wisconsin. This ship is NOT ADA friendly and the difficult accessways/stairs can be tough on the knees. But I recommend seeing as much as you can to better understand life on a Navy ship. The battleship is 887 feet long with 3 full levels to explore and a few smaller levels above deck to look at. Given the size of this ship, it's easy to see how over 2500 crew could work and live on this floating town. Plenty of facts and anecdotes about life on a battleship are presented on display placards and a small museum area in the ship. It's easy to see how you might not be able to meet with a crew friend for days on this massive ship. While most folks might be wowed by the views, guns and turrets found on the main deck, the highlight of my self-tour was found one deck down where the seamen did most of their every day living (e.g., mess, galley, library, chapel, etc.). If you have 1 day free from touring the Williamsburg/Jamestown/Yorktown area and find yourself in Norfolk, visit Nauticus and you won't be disappointed. read more

Nauticus - The USS Wisconsin is part of the Nauticus museum - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

This is a great little museum with a lot of science and family friendly exhibits. They cover everything from NOAA operations to naval history. Watching my father-in-law take in and share with my kids his experience in Vietnam (USMC) as we walked through that section was powerful. It was very chilly (actually snowing) as we went out to the USS Wisconsin so we skipped most of it. This is definitely a full day experience. read more

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Definitely a fun place to visit in Norfolk whether you're a visitor or a local! I used to live a short distance from Nauticus and always loved walking/running/biking to the boardwalk that wraps around the USS Wisconsin. Beautiful views, especially around sunset. Nauticus is right downtown on the water, so f you're planning to be on Granby St, or in MacArthur Mall, the Selden Arcade, or townpointe Park, you can easily walk to Nauticus for a little tour. The inside of the museum has a lot of interesting history that you could spend hours reading about, or walk through more quickly to just stop at places that stand out to you. There is also a big section about the aquatic life around the area, with big whale bones and live fish to watch in tanks-- stuff that kids of all ages love! There are also some fun interactive displays, making it especially good for kids. The best part in my opinion is the ship tour; it's so fun to get onto the deck of the Wisconsin and underneath to see what life on a ship is like for sailors and to do a little pretending. They have almost of the rooms set up as if the ship was still being used, so it brings life and relatability to the retired ship. I do recommend visiting Nauticus when I'm Norfolk, or revisiting if you're a local who hasn't been in a while--there's always something new to learn! read more

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Wow, so much packed in one building!! Historic pieces, science, art and more! Something for everyone. The ticketing line was very slow but once you got past that, the areas were clean, minimal people in each spot, and easy to follow. Loved the giant battleship and fish spot for kids. Models and facts were good. I didn't take a lot of pictures inside! I loved the live animals too!! It's always fun learning about what's in the water around you! The sharks were cool. read more

Nauticus - Trash sea sweeper - Museums Near Me - Norfolk, Virginia

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Some friends and I decided to go to Winterfest 2020 and see the lights on the Wisconsin. We have to go through the museum to go onboard the ship. I regret that we didn't have a lot of time to take our time and see all the wonderful museum has to offer; but what I did see I loved! Nauticus is a definite must-see since it's located in Norfolk, VA, our very own NAVY town! I will update my review once I've had the chance to fully experience Nauticus. read more

Nauticus is naval museum and home for the battleship Wisconsin. They have many type of ticket. Because the weather not permitting, we skip some of their offer. We got the basic ticket for the museum and the battleship. If the weather is good, you should take the boat tour to tour the harbor. You can get close to the battleship and carrier that dock in the harbor. The basic ticket includes the 3D movie, science area touch tank, museum, walk on the battleship. Just this alone, the trip is about 2 hours. If you add the boat trip, it will need more time. In the museum they show the ship section got hit by torpedo. The layers of the steel got peel off. The battleship has machinery room that can make the repair part of the ship. Amazing. Some of the interesting things is see the women navy uniform in the old time. The 3D movie show the carrier with plane take off and landing. read more

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Visited as part of a cruise destination we found Nauticus to be an enjoyable historical experience. Many exhibits explore many interests. The "Message In A Bottle" exhibit was fascinating. Reading the various personal comments provided a unique experience. The large battleship game offered fun for all ages. The highlight was the Battleship Wisconsin Tour. The guided tour is approximately 90 minutes and covers four (4) levels of the ship. We found the "Combat Engagement Center" to be especially interesting. We found our tour guide to be extremely informative. Reasonably priced and certainly highly recommended. read more