Absolutely amazing museum the tour guide knowledge of the place was amazing. Would highly…read morerecommend this to anybody with some time to visit a museum in Suffolk, Virginia.

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.

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.

This is a great museum! It is very cohesive and organized. Excellent display of weapons and…read moreuniforms of the American trooops as they evolved. Excellent WW II uniforms of the German troops. Seemed like a small museum from the outside but it took a couple hours to get through. And the price of six dollars was a bargain for admission.

Loved this awesome museum would go again! They were very sweet! Fun great time loved and wanna go…read moreagain I recommend

Brought my wife and son here. This is the worst $67 I've spent in a long time. Half the exhibits…read morewere closed, and many of the open ones didn't even work at all. There's an observation deck on the third floor that has half-century-old binoculars that require quarters to look through. Quarters! 1) Who the heck carries quarters anymore? 2) I PAID $67 TO GET IN HERE AND HALF YOUR STUFF DOESN'T WORK! Save up a little more of your money, friends, and make the trip to D.C. for the air and space museum there. This place in Hampton is absurd. I will never come back here.

Sophia and I have lived in the Peninsula since 2011, but rarely took trips to Fort Monroe to…read moreexplore its history. Shame on us since we've been to many museums for years. But, it's better late than never. And believe me, it's one you definitely want to check out. For admission, it's free. How it works is we're given a 15 min window for entering and plus, it gives you a chance to look around in the visitor center where the galley takes you to the history of Fort Monroe and how the Civil War changed everything. If you've been to museums in Virginia, just about everything is covered regarding the slave trade and wars between the North and South and against other countries. A lot to take in, but beneficial. After we were done scoping the visitor center, we entered the museum itself. A treasure trove of information to soak in regarding Fort Monroe itself. I just turned 45 years old and I can tell you I learned a ton from this visit alone. And there still is more to gain. It's wonderful to see that the staff put their heart and soul into keeping everything in place. You can do a self guided tour like we did or you can do a group tour. Also, the museum shops have goodies for you to buy. Believe me, you should not leave empty handed when you have the chance. A wonderful visit to a place where you'll leave with knowledge. And there's more on site at Fort Monroe. We''ll be back for some more tours when time persists :)

The Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe is exceptionally well organized and free to visit. Be sure to…read moreswing by the Visitor Center to pick up a timed-entry ticket before heading across the bridge. They also offer guided walking tours throughout the day, though times vary. The fort itself is awe-inspiring- the largest bastion fort by area in the U.S., completed in 1834- and it's incredible to think it stood as a Union stronghold, designated "Freedom's Fortress," where escaping enslaved people found sanctuary during the Civil War. The massive interior arches are a testament to enduring design, and walking atop the fort offers an unforgettable connection to history.

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.

Built in 1894 for Mr. James Wilson Hunter & wife Lizzie. Hunter was a prominent merchant, banker &…read morecivic leader. The home is restored close to original and is in private foundation. Located in the Freemason District, one of the original neighborhoods in Norfolk. Beautiful two story eclectic nineteenth century homes line the street. Parking is off street. Hours Wednesday-Saturday 10 AM to 3:30 PM Sunday 12:30-3:30 PM. Ring the door bell and wait for a guide to answer. Admission is $5 adult, $4 senior, $1 child. No pictures are not permitted inside the home. Gift store on the third floor. Definitely a hidden gem off the beaten path that I have enjoyed over the years. Worthy for visitors and locals alike to check out.

Beautiful Victorian home that offers both guided and self-guided tours. Extremely knowledgeable and…read morefriendly staff were able to share fascinating details about the family and customs of the time. Definitely worth a trip when visiting Norfolk!

VLM is such a fun place to spend the day! They have fun interactive exhibits, a touch tank, animals…read moreand an amazing nature trail! Oh and can't forget dinosaurs! We spent a good portion of our day getting lost in some of Virginia's history, seeing native animals and plants, along with having some fun exploring the interactive areas. This is an amazing spot to check out as a family or even as adults if you have an adventurous gene. They also have a planetarium which was closed when we visited but has since been opened! Excited to return to check it out. They have great Groupon deals for tickets but even without it we found the tickets to be fairly priced for the experience.

This is a fantastic place for children to explore! I came here with my 4m daughter at the time…read morealong with friends and their children. They were mesmerized by every exhibit! Unfortunately at the time we went, a lot of exhibits were being switched out indoors and it was very cold so a lot of animals were not out. The otter is extremely friendly and my daughter loves going to see Nora! Well worth the membership if you and your family consider going more than once. We did eat at the cafe, and the food was not that good. It gave me a terrible stomachache.

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!

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)

We loved going to this museum. We made it a stop on our road trip from NYC to OBX and it was the…read moreperfect place to stop and have the kids explore for a few hours. I would say leave yourself 2ish+ hrs to see and explore everything. Our kids are 4 and 1.5 years old and they both had so much fun. Make sure you buy your tickets online ahead of time. We used our AAA discount. Exhibits include a "pet vet," music space, big fire truck, library, exercise room and market. My one critique would be for the market to be better stocked/ restocked periodically. We go to a local museum where the kid's market closes a few times a day for them to "reset." This could have used a "reset." Overall it was a lot of fun!

So much for kids to do. Even my 15 and 17 year old had fun…read more They have an area called Museum, for me, was the best part. They have about 5-7 tables of attractions where you can sit and solve puzzles, build, draw and experiment. Other than that they had a prop supermarket, bank, fire station, library, train area and so much more!

This is a nice little museum located in the Corporate Offices for Norfolk Southern. It's completely…read morefree and self guided. It's only open M-F so if you are visiting Norfolk on a weekend you will miss out, but if you have time during the week I recommend it to any train enthusiast. It's a short walk (one block) from the newly redeveloped Waterside district and renovated Sheraton Hotel. There are a couple hands on interactive items such as a track signal and train cab. Unfortunately the train cab simulator wasn't working which is one reason I gave a lower rating. I would have loved to play with this feature if it were working properly. Lots of great history not just on the Norfolk Southern Railway company but some great memorabilia in general. Again this is completely for Free which makes it well worth a quick visit.

Nice museum showcasing the history of the various railroads that ultimately formed the current…read moreNorfolk Southern Corporation. It may appear small but there is plenty of content to browse. (I managed to spend about an hour going through it). Great for railfans. Thumbs up: Price (FREE!), location, railroading exhibits.