34 Best Stops Between Virginia Beach and Raleigh (2025)

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Overall, a beautiful park with an amazing beach. Ocean is spectacular with an amazing view of the bridges with various boats traversing the horizon. Beach wasn’t busy and had plenty of room for everyone to spread out and enjoy.Has a reception area, shop and other facilities with a boardwalk leading to the ocean. A very nice beach, with great camping nearby.Highly recommend for anyone who wants to camp, or hit the beach for the day!

First landing is like my home away from home. Every year we come to camp and enjoy the beautiful Chesapeake bay area. Clean restrooms and showers, wash sinks, laundromat, camping supply store, spacious campgrounds and miles of beautiful nature trails make camping a zen like experience. The ocean is about a ten minute walk and the bay is alive with dolphins, fish, crabs and waterfowl. This park is well-kept and definitely worth the visit!

First Landing State Park is a stunning gem on the coast. The pristine white beaches are the perfect place to relax and take in the natural beauty of the area.The park offers a rich variety of wildlife, and it’s not uncommon to spot birds, deer, and other animals during a walk on one of the many scenic trails. Whether you’re interested in a peaceful beach day or exploring the diverse ecosystems, this park has something for everyone. A true paradise for nature lovers!

First Landing State Park was formerly called Seashore State Park. First Landing State Park is located on Shore Drive. Admission to the park is $7 per vehicle on weekdays and $10 on the weekends. The right side of Shore Drive is the beach access. The left side of Shore Drive has 20 miles walking, biking, and hiking trails. This is another one of Virginia Beach amazing parks. Many visitors fish, swim, camp, kayak, and boat at Fist Landing State Park. The employees are really friendly. The visitors information center is opened daily from 9 a.m - 5 p.m. The gift shop ,restrooms, and cafe is behind the visitors center. This is an amazing park 🏕️🚴🏻🏖️🏊🏼‍♀️🚣🏼‍♂️

Got my swing on the ladderscape. Walk along the main trail and do all the exercises of you can.Swamp like areas all throughout which was interesting. Trails are quiet for the most part.Heard what sounded like cannon fire which was crazy, and you will see the military jets flying over as well. Looks like you can walk well over 9 miles through the park. NICE!

Stunning. Bald Cyprus Trail is so worth the entrance fee. Definitely take the time!! (Parking is $7 on weekdays, and $10 on weekends). Trail is moderately busy, and you can totally hear all the jets from the military base, but it's still incredibly peaceful. Turtles, lovely birds, and incredible swamp views. Lots of benches as well.

A lovely place for front country camping! So much great wildlife, and a short walk to the beach from the campsite. I will say, wish I would have known we were so close to a military base because the national anthem at 8am blasting every morning was definitely not expected. However, the amenities outshine that! Best camping shower/bathroom situation I’ve ever encountered. The rangers are very helpful and friendly, too. We loved the activities offered for free such as the bay lab. A wonderful trip despite such rainy weather, all thanks to FLSP.

Amazing! Love how private the campsites are! So close to the beach too! The bathrooms could use an update. The store had cute items and a snack bar. The check in was easy and there is a small informative area with info about the park history.I was having issues with my camper lock and got locked out. I found Ranger Noah and he was so kind to dial a local locksmith and let me use his personal phone!I'll be back! I love VA Beach more now that I found this place!

In a long line of high rise hotels that take away from the lovely beach. First Landing State Park stands out as a safe haven against capitalism. It's pristine shoreline is quite lengthy so even on the hottest days there's room to spread out and enjoy the waves.

Such a beautiful part of Virginia Beach. I recommend visiting. The only admission was a parking pass so it seemed fair. Fur babies love the trails. Only downside was the mosquitoes but that's a simple fix.

Awesome park with everything that you could need in the cabins. Dishes, utensils, dish liquid, sponge,pots and pans, toaster, coffee pot, microwave, decorated with beautiful nature scenery, and very clean You do need to bringtowels,sheets, and toiletries. Fireplace as well as outdoor firepit and the beautiful forest! So close to the beach!! Does it get any better? On checking in, the people were very polite and courteous. Definitely recommend.

What a great little park away from the congestion of Virginia Beach! We paid $7 to park all day and enjoyed a quiet beach. My kids loved swimming in the shallow water. We didn't visit any other amenities but they looked modern and well kept. 100%will go back.

Best camping in the state of VA. Well spaced bathhouses with clean, hot showers. Beach is usually clean and uncrowded with private access for campers. It books up quick though, so make sure you plan way in advance! Dogs are welcome to camp for a small added fee.Hiking or biking in the marsh is always a good time as well. You can see some interesting wildlife if you keep your eyes open!

This place was amazing!!! From the hiking trails walking thru marshy areas to first landing beach seeing dolphins swimming and playing in groups. There was a little center at the beginning of the walk to the beach that had turtles, shrimp, and other marine life. This place is a must go to and the scenery is so beautiful! I'm so glad we got to stop here. It's only $7 for a day parking pass, which allows you to go to the trails and bay without paying twice. They also accept debit cards for parking, which was a great thing for people like us who don't really carry cash. I highly recommend it... you can see so much for nearly nothing.

First Landing state park is an excellent park to hike, bike, run, camp and beach. I believe there is also an area to kayak and canoe. Also your four legged best friends are allowed to accompany you. Daily park fee is $7, you can pay in cash or with a debit/credit card. There is plenty of parking at all designated parking areas. The Rangers are super nice and very knowledgeable. The ranger stations have nice cold air and clean running restrooms. There are plenty of trails to choose from. Some are longer, some shorter, and some intersect with each other. The bike trails are marked and have their designated trails too. Bikers are not allowed on the walking trails. Keep in mind we are the guests, and wild animals do roam the trails. Across the trails are the camp grounds and the beach. The beach is much cleaner and has miles of beachfront. The campgrounds look very organized, clean and safe. The camp grounds also have showers and restrooms. I had a positive experience at the state park and will definitely go back to walk the other trails. I highly recommend you to take your family, friends and neighbors. Have fun, respect the trails and don't forget to take a dip in the beach.

We absolutely loved this park. We car camped here for two nights in a Prius. The spots gave plenty of coverage for shade, a picnic table and a spot for a fire. The Bayside was in super close walking distance and the ocean had a shuttle. There is a shuttle provided not just for the different areas of the park, but for downtown VA beach.There are bathrooms and showers at each camp area. The bathrooms were clean and accessible. They had toilets, multiple sinks with hot/cold water and soap, and an outlet. Each camp area also had showers with warm water that didn't require any coins. There was a handicap accessible shower as well.A slop sink and a kitchen style sink for dishes could be found at each restroom area on one of the sides.Next to the park is Fort Story, which has two lighthouses. Make sure you bring your ID and don't have any weapons, drugs or alcohol in your car/ on your person. You can tour the older one and climb to the top. It's an easy climb and the staff is very knowledgeable.

We had a great time in this beautiful place. The staff was so friendly and helpful. The beaches and planned activities were great. I loved watching the windsurfers. We chose an rv site 13 against the road in the upper end of of the park, i however didnt know they offered drag racing all day and night behind my camper as it backed up against the road. It was ALOT of noise to deal with. I feel that area should be made into a play ground or picnic areas since its next to impossible to sleep with all the traffic racing by. If i was a county cop i would set up my radar there and meet my quota in 20 minutes. I will be back but i would choose more carefully and go further down into the park away from the road.

Another gem of a State Park. Very nice campground. Road around the campground is pretty tight, so do some research on whatever site you plan on booking. We were in site 201 and had no problem fitting our 26 foot Cougar. Easy access from campground to the beach.

Parking is $7.No other additional fees.It's a very lovely State Park. There is a beach right behind the park building. There is a wild plants reservation area right across the road. There is an interesting history about Jamestown.You can take dogs to walk into certain parts of the woods. Just need to make sure they are on leash.

Great hike. The trails were very well maintained and marked. We walked Bald Cyprus and Osmanthus trails in one loop. The trails we hiked were mainly tree covered so we walked in the shade almost the entire time.

4.7

(6723)

4.5

(1115)

2500 Shore Dr, Virginia Beach, VA 23451, USA

25 lists

Our visit to Hunt Club Farm’s Harvest Fair was an absolute hit with the entire family, especially our little ones. There’s just so much to see and do, and we spent hours enjoying all the activities they have to offer. For $18 per person, you get access to their petting farm, the Tree Adventure area, and unlimited hay rides, which made for a full day of fun. The kids couldn’t get enough of feeding and petting the animals – they have everything from goats and sheep to many more animals. We did pay an extra $6 for a cup of animal food, which was well worth it, and the option to buy two bird feed sticks for $3 was a unique experience that the kids loved, especially in the aviary where the birds would fly right up to them!The Tree Adventure area was another highlight. It’s a perfect mix of excitement and adventure for young kids, with lots of space for them to explore. The hayrides are unlimited, so we took advantage of that and went on several rides throughout the day, giving the kids a chance to wind down between activities.They also have a lovely pumpkin patch area that was the perfect backdrop for fall photos, and the festive decorations really added to the overall vibe. If you’re looking for a family-friendly fall activity that’s affordable and packed with fun, Hunt Club Farm is a must-visit. The variety of activities kept our kids engaged the entire time, and it’s great knowing that the price of admission includes so many options. We’re already looking forward to returning!

This was my first time here; I definitely went on a very busy day. I loved the Hayride... went twice. 🤭 I enjoyed interacting with the animals, but was dismayed that many of them either didn't have water or it was dirty. The Tree Walk Adventure was so much fun [I didn't even have any children with me 😆😳]. It's a nice activity, I just wish some of the animals looked better cared for.

Insane place to get your Boo👻 on for Halloween. I recommend that if you scare easily to bring a second pair of underwear 😉 all jokes aside, it was an enjoyable time and well worth the entrance price. A big thanks goes out to the cast and crew,you are all awesome talented people 👏 😀

The animals look very well cared for and happy. Several would come running over for food and attention. And they had places to shelter if they wanted to be left alone. The treehouse adventure was so neat! The pond and landscaping was beautiful. Plenty of shade. A couple tips for first timers: you don't need to buy snack sticks for the birds - there are plenty of partially eaten ones lying on the floor of the aviary; there are lots of feed gumball machines so bring quarters and skip the souvenir cup of feed to save a few bucks; you get a wristband and can come and go throughout the day if you want to bring a cooler of food to leave in the car for lunch or something. Decent bathroom facilities on site as well.

I enjoyed my time at Hunt Club Farm! I spent most of my time at the petting zoo. They have goats, cows, and a walk through bird sanctuary. They also have guided horseback rides and a cool playground for children.

Baby goats, chickens, peacocks, birds, and so much more. This place is a lot of fun for kids all ages who enjoy to watch, pet or be fully immersed in with some friendly farm animals. My kids like feeding the goats and birds and then jumping in to catch some chickens.The Tree Walk area is beautiful, challenging and a lot of fun! Kids enjoyed the bridges and watching the turtles in the pond. We had some bad experiences with staff being rude to the kids for running, but thankfully it wasn’t all of them.Worth the money if you’re going for more than a couple of hours! Bring a lunch and have a picnic!

Great place for small kids, the tree walk was lots of fun. Animals are so friendly

My family had the best day at Hunt club farm! We recently moved back to the area and they have added the tree walk to the farm which was incredible!! The sweet baby goats were adorable, all of the staff was so friendly, and the facilities were so well kept and clean. We can’t wait to come back!

Fun outing for my 3-year-old! We went in the middle of the week to change up a week at the beach and my daughter had a blast. Clean, lots of animals, and your ticket buys a lot. Cute snack bar with water and food on hot days. Lots of shady spots to have a snack and take a break.

Great place for family fun and a wonderful experience. Playing with pigmy goats was the best. The parakeet area was tranquil. The kids played on the tree walk for hours.

We brought my 2 year old grandson yesterday for his birthday along with his best friend and they loved it. He was afraid to pet some of the animals & to ride the pony long but he still had alot of fun.

Awesome petting zoo, they actually let you in the pens to pet and play with the animals. awesome place for kids to have come to camp and learn. The grand kinds have come here for the last 5 yrs in the week of July and absolutely love it. Fun, friendly and safe staff.

Love this place:) there are some upgrade such as tree house:) it was great fun.Love animals here goats, birds and moreeeee

This is such a cute and fun place for anyone that loves animals. There's even a cute little shop and a food stand here.

Had a wonderful day with the family. It was very busy and yet everyone was polite and respectful towards each other.A great place to take the little ones out for some wholesome fun.

Nice place to take the kids for a few hours. They are a little pricey to get in, but I do understand that animals take money to keep. Overall, it is a good time and worth the trip. The kids (and the wife) loved the goats amd chickens especially.

We go to hunt club for fall and for their petting zoo yearly, always have a good time. It is priced higher than some of the other farms in Hampton Roads but you also can't beat the location. Being as they are a large farm on prime real-estate I understand their prices.This was the first birthday we'd gone to their & the kids had a blast!!! It was a full 3 hours of non stop fun for the kids. They did pony rides, fed the birds, goats, played in the tree climb...highly recommend for young kids party!!

My family and I loved this place. I was most excited for the funnel cake!! There is a petting zoo, face painting, hay ride, portraits, and more. If you're looking for a family friendly place this is a good spot.

Petting zoo has a lot to offer. I was pleasantly surprised. We stayed about 2.5 hours. Watch out for the ducks and geese - they will bite. The facilities were well stocked with hand sanitizer throughout. If it has been raining, I recommend wearing rain boots. It was a little muddy.

4.6

(3309)

4.5

(332)

2388 London Bridge Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, USA

59 lists

This museum is one of the best in the area. My family & I have visited this museum multiple times and it does not disappoint! Recently we attended the Warbirds Over the Beach event and cannot wait for the next one so we can go again!All of the volunteers/staff are helpful and friendly. Tons of photo opportunities, lots to see and learn!

What a collection! Appreciated the volunteers and the stories! The care of restoring these pieces of history was outstanding. Photos on the wall in the Army room showed airplanes in original condition. We were treated to a tour of the British Air Tower. That guide let the young boys wind up the air raid vs gas raid alarms. First time I ever heard either in person thankfully & hopefully the last! Well worth the $12 donation for military visitors

Docents were very knowledgeable, very interesting!2 hangars attached to the building, with real restored airplanes! Super cool.The 15 year old was entranced.The 7 year old found some docents painting models and they gave him a little mini model snap-together kit to build, which he loved!A good time was had by all 👍👍

There are few places that I've gone to that have as much efficient and effective information presented to individuals who have come. The tour guide was extremely helpful, encouraging, and knowledgeable. The planes were absolutely gorgeous in their historical presentation. The gift store was abundant in options. It was clean and.Beautiful. Well worth the time.

One of the best museums we have visited. The attention to detail of each plane really brings them to life. All the volunteers are very passionate, knowledge and you can see that in the way they describe each plane. This is a place you don't want to miss if you are in the area. Bonus is the dinosaurs at the entrance for the kids.

We had a wonderful visit at the military aviation museum today! We took our tour with Warren, who was very knowledgeable. He made sure to include our children in his presentation and it made the experience fun for the entire family. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone interested in learning about the history of our military in aviation!

My visit to the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach, Virginia was astounding! I had so much fun checking out each and every airplane in the museum. I have to give a shoutout to all the museum staff who made sure everything is well kept and organised. Well done! Also, there’s a part near the entrance that the small ones and kids at heart will enjoy!

My family and I visited today from the Peninsula and we had a blast! We were fortunate to be able to take two birthday rides in the Stearman with Mr. Andy. He and all of the gentlemen who work as either flight crew, or Mr. Tim and another gentleman who worked as a guide in the naval aircraft wing (regrettably, I did not catch his name) were all lovely, very friendly and made our visit extra fun. They were also gracious enough to accommodate us on the addition of a last minute birthday flight as we were originally scheduled for just one. The planes are super cool, and we were also there during a really nice D-Day commemorative event. We plan to return to see the WWI and German hangars. Thanks again for a fun adventure!

This is a must-see museum if you're in the area! There are too many gimmicky museums nowadays that make you pay to waste your time. This museum is legit! They have a lot of ww1 and ww2 planes there in very good shape, many of them operational, as they have a maintenance shop on site. You can take your time and visit at your own pace, and there's a lot of friendly and knowledgeable staff around who are eager to help guide you throughout the hangars and tell you in depth details about the many planes and other military machines displayed. We were lucky to also see a flight demo of a P51 Mustang right in front of us outside the main building, speak with the pilot and hang out with the ground support staff. We also took a tour of a genuine British ww2 traffic control tower that was shipped to US and rebuilt there, and learned a lot from the guide about the life and activities performed by the men and women manning the tower in time of war. A truly great experience, and we all had a great time there!

A very nice place to visit and watch some of the old planes from the past fly. The air shows give’s you the opportunity to see the planes live. Also you can go to the museum and learn about some of the history of aviation when it first began.

This museum is incredible! The website massively under sells it. Two of the aircraft are over 100 years old. Several saw combat, most have an amazing story. The restoration work they do is mind boggling. The guides in the hangars are super knowledgeable.Bottom line, if you like planes or military history at all you will love every piece.

My hubby was thrilled with the amount of WWI and WWII planes on display. The staff was very knowledgeable and helpful. I'm glad we were able to visit the museum. It was a very well worth the trip.

There was a hot air balloon event, food trucks and vendors with thousands of people in attendance. The history museum and hangers were also open to the public and the aircraft on display is incredible. A must visit for history and aviation lovers of all sizes.

This is the second time I’ve visited. First time was for a quick 30 minute stop over. This time we got the whole tour. Excellent, friendly and knowledgeable staff. Incredible vintage and refurbished early warbirds. My wife is not a history buff, but she loved the tour.*note for those visiting during the summer.*One hangar is not air conditioned so if the inside temp reaches over 90° they have to close that hangar for safety reasons so try to get there earlier in the day.

My family and I had a great time at the museum. We loved seeing the old airplanes and the special exhibition on the flight jackets. We wished we’d of gotten to see the control tower. The exhibition on German planes was pretty good, and we found a special inscription on a hangar beam from a forced labor worker.

This was the highlight of my trip to VA Beach!I have to admit, I'm really into American history, and especially WW2. This place is a MUST see! The number planes, was only surpassed by the expertise of their volunteer staff. The German hanger, and the remade flight tower was incredible.My favorites had to be the B24, the corsair, and the PBY.

Wow, what a great experience. Attended on Saturday with the BSA. The director had a merit badge program together, and it was well executed. The instructors were patient and clear communicators, and really knew their stuff. Great stories, great details on the planes and historical events. Highly recommend!

One of the best places we visited this year. Amazing fact that these planes still fly. We even saw one plane land by the museum. The volunteers really made the day with their knowledge of the planes.

This turned out to be one of our best day of our vacation, while in Virginia Beach. Warren, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable funny and allowed me to loads of pictures without feeling rushed.I meant to think Walter for his servicem Warren, if you are viewing this review, thank you for your service.

Great place to visit for plane lovers. Self guided tours. They had 2 exhibits of planes. There's guides that can answer any questions if you have any. Once you're done in the exhibit, you drive down to a hanger to see more planes. Once there, you can take a tour and see more planes in a seperate hanger. We really enjoyed learning about all the history of the planes.There's also a cute little dinosaur walk through upon entry/exiting the park.

4.8

(3051)

5.0

(1470)

1341 Princess Anne Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23457, USA

5 lists

I really enjoyed spending the evening hours with my son-in-law and grandson. They have a park there, pavilions, a large grassy area, and of course the Bay. The sunset was spectacular. The boardwalk is very nice. At Dusk, the police are there on speakers telling everyone you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here. Seriously, they do tell people the park is closing and they must leave. Everyone who arrives should already know because signs are clearly posted.The only downsides - playground is filled with bark. The wet bark did not seem to dry out so well. Which meant there were ALOT of 🦟 mosquitos. Also, there was caution tape partially ripped off. Had no idea why it was there and who ripped it off. There should have been a sign posted as to why it was there.

The beach is so cute and honestly fairly quiet. It seems incredibly clean and pretty dog friendly. For a small beach theres a surprisingly good amount of parking.

Nice little area. Got to walk and swing on the Giants swing benches the park doesn't have a slide but there's lots of running space. There's swings and a little space rocket. And then there is a lighthouse further down the walkway that was okay with it. Nice for a walk

Great beach for the kids. It's the bay, so the waves are typically less aggressive. They have lifeguards on duty and a playground and clean restrooms. Overall, it's a great beach. The downside is having to drive through what seems to be a sketchy area. But two blocks from the beach beautiful homes.

It really depends on the time that you go here, it can be a calm Beach with multiple stops where you can rest and enjoy the scenery, or everyone and their mother is here at the same time, bumping shoulder to shoulder in an attempt to get a spot in the sand. I'mma be real unless a band is playing or an event is going on there's not much of a reason to go here unless you're a local, there are far more beautiful beaches but this one's mine

Fun park and beach, free for the public. I never have a problem with parking, and never too crowded. I do wish they had more food options, but there is a large grass area and some public grills for you to make your own. Park is nice and fenced in, and a public restroom is available.

Awesome local beach. Lots of free parking available. They also have outdoor showers and there are 3 covered picnic area with grills you can rent There is paved Park is open from Dawn to Dusk. Local police will come by and announce that the park is closed to ensure no one is left there trespassing.

I went here with my homegirl and we Love it! It's so peaceful and everyone we met while walking was so nice and open to neighborly conversations.Even the police 🚓 were kind when the beach was closing. They weren't nasty to any of us. They politely, and patiently waited as everyone gathered their belongings and exited the beach ⛱️I drove 1 hour and 30 minutes to go see my girlfriend and I'll be making that trip again real soon so we can visit this beach one more time.Peace of Mind 🌷

Being from New England, I've been missing open water. I'm also now living about three hours away from what I consider a "real" beach.Buckroe is a real beach on Chesapeake Bay. I liked that the beach had a friendly vibe. Free parking in a lot (that fills up by Noon), but there's street parking, also.They have a lifeguard and bathrooms.I think I've found my beach in VA.

New to the area- very nice clean beach enjoyed our time there.I have the Ultimate respect for people and how they conduct themselves is out of my control.However it’s Really sad to see such a beautiful beach a nice family place and to experience people hanging out in a parking lot sitting in their cars or just hanging out and smoking weed /playing loud music. I know you can’t control people, but it’s just so sad that you have to come to a nice family environment and experience this behavior in the parking lot.I hope maybe things get better! 😊

Beautiful place. Police presence makes you feel safe. Lots of families there, and park areas for the kids.We had a Kona ice, but I don’t know if they are always there.

Nice beach, many life guards with a police presence. Clean, well lite area. Only issue was parking. If you are looking for a good, safe, clean beach for you and your kids in which you don’t have to worry about strong rip currents this is your beach. Even had local food trucks driving past. If you are into fishing many places to fish. I plan on returning to walk beach really soon.

Explored this park while on a mission to try and find a place to settle down in Hampton Roads. The beach was so spacious and the walk-out pier was really cool. The playground is also really nice looking. Can't wait to take my kids someday!

Enjoy the peace and quiet of this beautiful beach. I wish visitors would stop leaving their water bottles on the beach.

My husband and I visited this beautiful beach during the summer. Very clean and peaceful. 🥰

Great place to relax and have a fun time. Beach is clean and accessible. It has showers and long walkway near the beach. Not a lot of business around, couple of food trucks with beverages and fast food.Parking is limited and it gets crowded during summer. You can bring your tent and other stuff, but it’s not pet friendly. Pets cannot go into the beach but you can walk on the sidewalk.Nice place overall.

We love to get under the pier and just hang with friends on sunny Sundays. We’ve been doing this for over 15 years! Bring your own food and drinks or order from a food truck. We do miss the bands that used to come on Sundays.

I love this beach! It's usually not crowded. I've seen young people walking around cleaning up trash.My friend and I picked out Styrofoam in the water. Wish people were more careful about their trash around our waterways. But, if citizens are proactive in cleaning the waters and beaches, we can have a beautiful, enjoyable beach ⛱️

We went on purple flag day( jellyfish alert). The lifeguard was very nice to explain this to my son. We still ventured ahead and had a great time. He was able to meet a friendly kid an they had a blast together. The beach could use a little sprucing up but otherwise nice. There is also a playground on site but we did not get a chance to use it. There was a cop at the end of the night making the announcement that the beach was closing. However you can't really hear it. We only understood because we were leaving and walking in that direction. So if you see the cop at the end of the night it's time to get ready to leave. Have a great time.There was a green flag out this time. However my son and another little girl were stung by a jellyfish. So we gave some aid and ointment to the other family. Then I cleaned up my son and we left. Be careful everyone. I was told jellyfish are out until September when the water turns colder.

Beautifully maintained love the walkways, swings, rinse off areas, playground and adorable lighthouse.

4.6

(8130)

4.0

(427)

100 S First St, Hampton, VA 23664, USA

17 lists

Perfect fun for a family with kids or just for adults. Lots of info and interactive exhibitions. We went there on Sunday, and found free parking along side of the street. The building was well maintained and clean. There were three floors with an observation deck to explore. The admission was $22.50 for adult. We were there for a few hours and had so much fun. But the penny press machine was down so my wife was disappointed.

We loved the Virginia Air and Space Museum. We had kids from 6 to 13 with us, and all the children and adults loved it. We wish the observation deck was open and some of the exhibits were close, but we still had tons of fun and spent 3 hours there!

The IMAX movie was great and there were lots of interesting exhibits. The observation deck has a nice view of the harbor and there are several games for children. Parking was free across the street in a public garage.

Been a while since we visited the museum and we were not disappointed. The IMAX theater is always a treat. Love the games in the planet gallery! There is a new section for the little ones that is absolutely adorable!

A lot of hands on activities with astronomical objects and knowledge. Good for kids of all ages as there are sections for toddlers, sections for young age kids, and sections for older kids.With many airplanes and space shuttle models, people can see the history of rocket improvements in human history. This is an ideal place for someone who loves spacecrafts and aircrafts.We are here for the summer camp and my son loves here so much that he doesn’t want to leave everyday. The counselors are all very friendly and supportive. My son makes friends in here with the same interest and I am so grateful for this.I also find that the things in their gift shop are carefully chosen. A lot of cute products.

Got in with ASTC reciprocal tickets. Would not have thought about going otherwise. Great place for kids. Plenty of things to climb and explore. Really cool there is an airplane they can get in and get in the pilot seat

Un musée de taille modeste mais abritant plusieurs modèles d'aéonefs peu communs. On peut y trouver notamment un YF-16 et le démonstrateur technologique de la NASA F-18 HARV. Le musée est bien lumineux et les expositions thématiques sont bien conçues. De nombreuses activités à destination des enfants sont également proposée. Un excellent musée!(Translated by Google)A modest-sized museum but housing several unusual aircraft models. There you can notably find a YF-16 and the NASA F-18 HARV technology demonstrator. The museum is bright and the thematic exhibitions are well designed. Many activities for children are also offered. An excellent museum!

Really enjoyed our visit here. It has been many years since I used to visit with my son. The prices are quite high it was going to be 40 plus dollars for myself and a 94 year old retired air force pilot. We managed a discount and did enjoy the museum. My friend found the plane he used to fly in model form and hanging from the rafters. He was amazed that they were real planes. After visiting the exhibits, we stopped by the snack bar, where he had a blue bunny sundae.

Overall fun experience. I wish there were more things to see and more interactive exhibits. The imax show was awesome and the concession stand was an unexpected gem. The facility was very clean and it wasn’t that crowded. I think a full day at the museum would ensure the visit was worth the price.

Do your children (or you) have a hankering to sit in the cockpit of a decommissioned commercial airliner and flip every single switch? This is the place for you. Press the buttons, click clack, pull back on the wheel, and pretend to be a pilot.It was nostalgic to walk around inside that old aircraft with ash trays at every seat! You guys remember those days? Every seat, pilots included, even in the restrooms. Absolutely wild.Overall the center was much smaller than I expected, but the kids' play area is truly excellent. It has multiple interactive spaces for young & younger children to learn safely through play. You can sit on a bench and watch as they run around, climb and generally goof off in the open for a while. Highly recommend for school-age kiddos.

School field trip, so it was short but sweet. We were able to see the IMAX movie, a classroom event about subzero Temps with liquid nitrogen, and explore some of the exhibits. It's definitely worth our visit.

Not really big30 min to watch cinema thereAnd 1 more hour to see all exhibits

Much smaller than anticipated but I really enjoyed my visit. First time here and it was very pleasant. I went during the weekday so it was not busy at all. I love how the displays are setup and each area has very descriptive details about the displays. I even got to go to the kids section and color an airplane. This was a wonderful way to spend my birthday. I will definitely be back and tell others to visit.

I have always loved this museum. There is so much to see and do. I only wish the tickets weren't so expensive. At least offer a senior or veteran's discount.

Great air & space collection, engaging for kids over 8 & some play & craft distractions for younger ones.Great learning experience for older kids. However, many of the interactive simulations require too much hand eye & technical understanding to be fun for under 10s. Hampton is a bit dismal but safe on weekdays. Parking is free in a public garage--entrance in building with "British Shop "Would be nice to have disabled & veteran discounts.

School day for most so not crowded. Wide variety of exhibits but not a very big place. There are IMAX movies covering different environmental/space topics but it is an extra $10/person charge to see each one. The one my grandson wanted to see was only 28minuets long & small bag of popcorn was almost $8 so kind of pricey at $20. PS movie wasn’t long enough to finish the popcorn.There are interactive sites however it would be kind of chaotic if there were a lot of kids there. OK for a rainy day that a 6 year old had off from school.

What an amazing aircraft history display. Really enjoyed the Informative IMAX movie - Big Sky

Perhaps I’m just spoiled from having the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in my backyard here in DC, as well as the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center just a short drive away from me, but this attraction totally missed the mark. Very little to explore here, an IMAX screen that has blurry resolution, and Artemis signage that is now outdated to the point that it is actually inaccurate. This place gets bumped from a 2 star to a 3 star due to their friendly staff.

I would judge this to be a good, much smaller version of the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. Loved the information panels on the ladies of "Hidden Figures". They had some good interactive games and activities for the little ones.Unfortunately when we went, multiple exhibits and interactive experiences were not functioning or gone to be updated. It was a bit pricy for it's size, but I consider it a donation.We spent about two hours at the museum with a twelve year old. I believe it would be a good half day experience with smaller children.

Great place for young and old alike. Many exhibits with aircraft and space vehicles. Many interactive exhibits.

Interesting place to stop by and check out. Spend a few hours hanging around. They have a imax theater with some cool shows you are able to watch. Simulation games are pretty cool to play.

This was a fantastic find! My niece wanted to go back after visiting on a school field trip so off we went and had a great time! There are so many exhibits that are interactive as well as a kid's play area to get wiggles out. Everything from airplanes, ship models to space and planets was available to see and learn about. We didn't visit the cafe but I did notice they had one as well as a very cool gift shop. Restrooms are clean and there is plenty of seating in all areas if you need a rest while the rest of your party explores. There is also a viewing area on the 3rd floor if you don't mind a few stairs.

4.5

(2384)

4.0

(559)

600 Settlers Landing Rd, Hampton, VA 23669, USA

+61 other lists

Second time here. This is my second visit, and I’m so happy to see all these treasures again! The Chinese Buddhist statues and Tang Dynasty horses are amazing, and I also really love the various Impressionist pieces on display. The mix of Asian and Western art makes this museum truly special, and I enjoy every part of it!🥰

I love museums, so visiting them was excellent—great artwork, glass, work, crystals, and beautiful. Bring a camera in many rooms with artwork for a picture-perfect backdrop. There's a remember tree; you write notes in remembrance of a loved one.

The Chrysler Museum is one of the best museums in the area for free! Stopped in for a tour and only made it through the glass section of the museum. There are multiple levels so getting to see everything in one day is a feat that we didn’t accomplish on our trip. There’s so much to see and learn.The gift shop is really cute and has a lot of great stuff! The cafe is a separate place from museum & owned by Taste (separate review otw!). The outside of the museum & garden area is well maintained for visitors. Parking and entry were simple.

An enormous and stunning collection of paintings, sculptures, glassworks, and multimedia pieces. Spent 5 hours walking around and basking in every minute detail in every room. During my visit, the museum was hosting a field trip for an elementary school. Never seen a group of kids so engaged when their guide was teaching them how art can make you feel.

It’s a must location to visit.I am not a type of person who is much into a museum but this museum is entrance free, and offers variety of arts which keep entertaining me the whole time. Plus, free parking.I expect to experience a live making glass demonstration but it’s at 12PM which I could not make it.Overall experience was fun, glass exhibition is very interesting I love it.Highly recommend for everyone to come.

As a lifelong Beatles fan, #PaulMcCartney as my favorite, this McCartney photo exhibit got me there from North Carolina! It was a wonderful experience, curated nicely, and enough space for all us Beatles fans to linger. It was great to see things from his perspective. As we walked out of that exhibition, we were astonished to see the others. Wonderful art and antiquities were found throughout the museum, which was a beautiful building.Thank you to the person with the connections to make this happen, and thank you to the museum staff today (3/29).

Incredible Phenomenal Educational Museum! My first time here & well-worth visit again & again & again etc. Parking $0 is wonderful.Perry Glass Studio next door (part of this museum)is amazing! Did the 12-1pm glass demo here where the experienced artist along with his assistant made a glass object from start to finish. The process was so well-explained & he was very open to questions during & after the demo. I applaud them all!Now I will sign up for classes at the Perry Glass Studio. Surrounding outside are beautiful with magnificent outdoor sculptures & The Hague River to view in front of the Chrysler Museum of Art. The museum staff including in the lovely museum shop are very welcoming, helpful & efficient!Unbelievably the museum fee is $0.I am now a proud Member of The Chrysler Museum of Art (10% discount for members).Thank you to the museum staff & curator(s)!

Finally free. It used to be so expensive to get in. Thank you to whoever made this possible. I would have lived going there with my daughter when she was younger, if it hadn't been so pricey for us.The glass shop demo was wonderful yesterday. I also got to see the ODU students making items. A docent was giving a tour, small group, just me! They're in the process of putting up some new exhibits. I'll look forward to a return visit to see them.

This is a fabulous, must-see art museum. It is amazing that the museum is free admission. And free parking. And the lunch restaurant was so delicious. Like, fancy delicious food

I have waited a while to write this review to see if my feelings changed over time. They have not. Went in not expecting a lot. Figured there would be some cool glass pieces and not sure what else. Let me just say, don’t miss the first floor. Upon entering we went to the right and checked out the glass pieces. Not sure how some of these were created. Wow. Then we went to the left side to see the McCarty Photographs. These are a don’t miss set of photos. They tell some fantastic stories of history of himself, the Beatles, girlfriends, and others. We eventually went to the other floors. The whole time we kept thinking about how cool those photos were. One of the other outstanding features of this museum you may not think about is they put the don’t miss items on the first floor. So if your old, hurting, handicap, or just want the highlights, they make it easy for you.Well done to the museum staff!

This is a gem of a museum! Admission is free, and there is so much to see here, from ancient Egyptian artifacts to grandiose American landscapes to contemporary video art. They have collections that feature pieces from all around the world, especially from regions and eras that I wish museums would pay more attention to.The building itself is a labyrinth of themed rooms beyond a beautifully decorated and bright atrium. It's easy to spend several hours wandering around. My only complaint is that a few of their spotlights are flickering or burnt out, leaving some pieces and portraits in the dark. I believe that this is an easy fix that will greatly improve people's experiences.I was extremely impressed by their glass exhibition, which features glass from all around the world (from ancient to modern) and an impressive collection of Tiffany Studios pieces. I believe that they also host glass blowing classes and workshops. In all, this is a must-see in Norfolk!

Great collection for glass, the core strength of this free and sizable museum. Highlights include big names such as tiffany (lovely wisteria lamp) and a rare variety of galle pieces (france). The gift shop is well stocked in glass. The temporary exhibit are a bit more 'eclectic' but they try to broaden the museum's reach so that it's not too much about glass only.

A very complete museum, great expositions! Amazing world renamed artists and great ancient cultures galleries! We have an amazing time traveling thru art and culture. 😃

Highly recommend this FREE museum in Norfolk if you have an hour or two and enjoy art and history! Has a range of historical cultural art around the world, including Asia, Europe, and Africa. Has modern galleries for art as well, including glass made art pieces. Don't forget to check out their glass blowing studio just adjacent to this museum! Lots of parking available. Bring the whole family to enjoy this gem of Norfolk and Hampton Roads community.

It's a beautiful museum. Contemporary art isn't my thing, but I did enjoy the ancient statues and statuettes from around the world. I would definitely still recommend anyone, local or visiting, to give this place a shot at least once. It's freeee..

I will admit, I'm not much of an art person. But I took my daughter here to see what it was about, I was surprised. I really liked all the historical artifacts, and my daughter really enjoyed the contemporary art.

A beautiful museum, and it’s free - what’s not to love?Lots of varied exhibits, the lady at the front desk was very helpful explaining where to go, and the map is fairly clear - once you realise they have painted the walls in the same colour as the section on the map you can’t go wrong.I started off reading everything in detail, but after 2 hours they were closing, so I had to speed up through the older paintings upstairs and skim them.Great glassware section, and I loved the Beatles exhibits. (The photo with Muhammad Ali is awesome).Highly recommended!

Stopped at the glass studio to watch the noon demonstration. The artists were informative and fun to watch and listen to. I wish the other attendees had been quiet (other than asking questions) but they were busy chatting with each other instead of paying attention so that was distracting. But the presentation was very good!!

Beautiful museum! They really work hard to make art accessible in every way.

A wonderful free art museum. Super clean and very handicap accessible. Two stories of awesome art work. I really like the Roman era work. Admission is free and there is a free parking lot adjacent to the museum. They also have a great gift shop and food area. The staff is super helpful. You can spend two hours or more there.

4.8

(2725)

5.0

(1036)

1 Memorial Pl, Norfolk, VA 23510, USA

+48 other lists

Nice clean place. The second and third floors had a lot of inactive stuff that both kids and adults could experience. I'm not sure what % of the boat is open to explore, but it was enough to get lost a few times trying to find a friend.

Amazing navy museum! 3 floors of facts and fun! They have amazing original boat equipment to touch and see. History at every turn! Not just the writing with pictures on the walls but films and documentaries playing. Educational games and brain boosters and even not so educational games like the old sonic. I personally loved the huge battle ship game! Once you circled all there is is see there (which could take hours) be sure to board the battleship itself! It's HUGE! You can play where they shoot the guns, go see where they slept and ate and bought things. It gives you a great respect for our Navy and the sacrifice they make to serve our country. Thank you all who have and are serving💙

Absolutely loved our visit! It has changed a lot on the last few years. There are loads of interactive exhibits. The sailing on is fantastic! The kids had fun with riding the wind surfer and spinning with the wind! That whole room was very cool. I personally loved the interactive book. Where you place a book on the table and a story comes to life on the pages and around it. Love that most of the exhibits were in working order! Some museums locally have had exhibits that have been closed for years. Highly recommend visiting this museum ☺️

Toured the battleship and museum. A great place to see and learn about the U.S. Navy and Chesapeake Bay. It's more than just the battleship. Has a lot of interactive activities for kids. Don't wear a dress if you plan on going in the battleship.

Spectacular tour of the ship but was really blown away by the innovative interactive area on the upper floor! Learn the dynamics of sailing, a must visit! Especially awesome for the kids, but educational for all. Two thumbs up! 👍 👍

We enjoyed our visit here. The battleship was great to explore for the entire family. It’s not stroller friendly on most parts so keep that in mind. We were able to take turns and explore the ship though. We all loved the experience.. including our 4 year old! There is so much to see when you get to explore the ship.

Nauticus is definitely worth a visit for a self-guided experience! The interactive exhibits are great for children, and we particularly enjoyed the regionally specific information and displays. Combined with the USS Wisconsin and the Hampton Roads Naval Museum, Nauticus offers a fun, full experience. Without those, the other exhibits can feel a bit sparse, but the facility itself is beautiful and well-maintained. There’s also a large gift shop with a wide variety of items.Most of the staff (except for one at the admission desk) were friendly and knowledgeable. If you’re visiting Norfolk, put Nauticus at the top of your list. And for locals, the USS Wisconsin alone makes it worth multiple revisits.

Just incredible to see up close and walk a ship with so much history. The staff was friendly and facilities well kept. Only issue was the entrance could use a better system as we had to go through awkward hinged doors to a small room to check in that multiple family can’t fit at the same time.

I really loved this place, although I was hesitant to visit first. Navy is not really my primary interest, but I was pleasantly surprised about how good this exhibition is. Needless to say my kids enjoyed it a lot as well, not to mention my husband who was exploring this place for hours. Nice surprise.

A.museum for everyone. My husband is military, so when I first saw it, I thought this would be more towards him and not the entire family. We all had a blast, and the kids had a ton of stuff to do inside away from the ship. We had a party member who got a little claustrophobic in the ship, so knowing she had a safe place to go ( the museum) made it so the rest of the party could enjoy the tour. You have two options, a self guided for the same price as admission and a personal tour, which is extra. We did general admission and had a blast. The only downfall is no parking unless you have a handicap.pass so we were lucky enough to have one because the street parking was limited close by.

Great experience with the family! I love My country and the time I served in the military. It's great to see places like this museum where they hold a military carriage in history. I do not want to see our history gone. Thank you to all the men and women who volunteer on this vessel. Everyday and thank you for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. Worth a visit.

Exploring the USS Wisconsin is an absolute blast! ☺️From the bridge to the engine room, you get a full-on experience of this iconic battleship's story. Plus, I absolutely love the sensation of being able to roam around on deck!

My visit to the Nauticus aquarium in Norfolk was an unforgettable experience. The facility masterfully combines aspects of a marine science center and a maritime museum, providing an engaging and educational environment for all ages. The exhibits showcase a diverse range of marine life, from colorful tropical fish to massive sharks, each presented with detailed information about their habitats and roles in the ecosystem.One of the standout features of Nauticus is the interactive touch tank where visitors can get up close with starfish and small rays. This hands-on approach greatly enhances the learning experience, especially for children. The staff at the aquarium are exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly, always ready to share interesting facts and assist visitors.The Battleship Wisconsin, which is part of the Nauticus experience, adds a historical dimension that is rare in aquarium settings. Touring this historic naval ship offers a poignant glimpse into the past, with well-preserved artifacts and stories that bring history to life.Overall, Nauticus in Norfolk offers a rich and varied experience that combines marine biology and naval history in an accessible and fascinating way. It's a must-visit destination for anyone interested in the wonders of the ocean or maritime heritage.

USS Wisconsin had a lot of work done! Three floors to explore inside the ship showcasing the crew quarters, kitchen, mess hall, communication room, dentist office, officer country, and more! There's even an air conditioned room with cameras that show all of the rooms if you don't want to make the trek.My wife waited outside while the kids and I explored where she could not go, as she is wheelchair bound. An older gentleman worker (who I believe was one of the tour guides) was so kind and took my wife around the accessible areas. She had a wonderful experience!

Hey guys, I'm back again with another review for ya. I have many reviews to catch up on so many more to come. Nauticus! So, for this place, I can say I enjoyed myself as much as the kids. There are areas for everyone to like here. Some areas I found myself trying to pull the kids away from and some areas they had to pull me away from simoly because it was that interesting or that much fun. This Naval exploration museum, as Im calling it, was a good family fun place to visit that impowered us with naval knowledge that we would not have otherwise been exposed to. It is a good experience for all.

Really good museum for the entire family. One floor is dedicated to a more historical look at naval history, and might be a bit too much for younger children. But upstairs there's a small playground,science center, and auditorium that my 4 year old loved.The tour of the USS Missouri entertained our entire party and was definitely a highlight of our visit.We stopped by on a very slow day. I can imagine on busy days the space might feel a bit cramped in some areas. But we had plenty of room to run around in and really enjoyed our morning at Nauticus.

It was alot of fun, so much to see deff need atleast an hr and a half to see the museum and the USS Wisconsin. The museum is a/c, but touring the Wisconsin got hot the day we were there and lots of steep stairs. We all loved it and were totally fascinated seeing everything so upclose

The work they have done and continue to do to make this a living history exhibit is superb. We paid for the Command and Control guided tour (I highly recommend paying for one of the guided tours, self tour is not going to do it) and had a small group with Bill Filbert. I don’t know if you can request a specific guide but let me tell you, if you are going on a tour with Bill you’re getting your money’s worth. Incredibly knowledgeable, he made it funny and interactive. He took his time and answered any questions, got the kids and adults involved and kept everyone engaged. 10/10 would recommend the tour with him specifically. The museum is well done but there are a lot of sections that are closed or not finished, would recommend waiting to do that part until it’s finished. There is a small aquatic animal section but don’t come expecting an aquarium. There is also a kids interactive section upstairs, definitely a good place to follow up after the boat tour if you have kiddos and they need to burn off some energy.

Haven't been there in over 10 years. It was a very nice experience! Just enough interactive exhibits for our kids to learn about sailing and in a good hour on the Wisconsin itself!

We got our tickets through play pass (viator) which also comes with passes to the zoo and 10% off the mermaid market. After our Elizabeth cruise/lunch buffet we stopped by the Nauticus which was an amazing visit. Definitely a site to see in Norfolk

Wonderful experience! Great informative historical exhibits. We didn't take the guided tour of the ship, but the self guided tour was amazing. My only issue was that the science museum on the 3rd floor was lacking slightly, but I can hardly fault them for that since they just got done with renovations when we were there, and I'm sure they'll be adding to it in the future. What they did have was good enough for the kids though.

Great opportunity to see a piece of history. Take it! Great views, whether you take a guided or self tour. We had great weather. The crew was there for questions and they were helpful.

Very cool place. Although much of the building was under renovation, the naval museum and USS Wisconsin were open. We had a great vip guided tour of the command and control centers, as well as being to explore the entire ship on our own. It's very informative and interesting. A definite must do when you're in the area.

4.7

(1750)

4.5

(1120)

1 Waterside Dr, Norfolk, VA 23510, USA

18 lists

The USS Wisconsin tour is a fantastic experience for all ages and interests, and our group thoroughly enjoyed our visit. It offers an excellent look into naval history, the technology of the era, and some fantastic views of Norfolk. This was hands-down the highlight of our time at Nauticus.While some areas of the ship may be challenging to navigate, the main deck is quite accessible. Every year during the Christmas season, the holiday lights are spectacular! There’s a cute gift shop on board, and we heard you can even stay overnight on the ship as part of a group experience. The mannequins throughout made the experience even more memorable as they would scare some in our group especially when you come up on them suddenly. The staff were knowledgeable and helpful, bringing the history of the ship to life.It’s easy to imagine what it was like to live aboard this ship and to put yourself in the shoes of the sailors who did. Make sure to plan enough time to fully explore and appreciate this incredible piece of history.

What a great experience for all ages. You visit the WWII Battleship after touring the naval history museum. There's a kid section in the museum that is informative and educational. They offer a guided tour (additional fee) or just walk the ship on your own.Cost of entrance to museum and battleship: $17.95/adult plus tax is $19.25.They did a wonderful job preserving this piece of history and documentation. They describe the ship and life aboard it quite accurately.Wear comfortable foot wear as the ship is huge and lots of walking.I highly recommend this visit as it details a part of the US military history!

Wonderful experience, would love to tour a carrier. This would be a great field trip for kids and families. The museum inside was also well worth the trip. Drove in from Ohio to Virginia beach the to Norfolk to see the Wisconsin. I personally got a little claustrophobic below decks can't imagine what it was like to work down there. The bravery of the soldiers and sailors should never be forgotten. We did the self guided tour and will likely go back again some day.

Awesome place to go, so much to learn, free to explore so much for a couple of hours, very reasonably priced entrance fee and very kind sailors aboard that give information about the ship! A must see if you are passing by the city! ⚓🏙️ 🚢

Very interesting experience, you can do a self guided tour of the ship and the small museum. There's a gift shop. Great for history lovers and military.

This is an amazing experience. Took 2 teenage boys. They loved exploring the ship and the Discovery zone on 3rd floor of building. I highly recommend this! Especially for only $20 per person.

I've never been on a Navy ship. It was so cool and massive. I definitely want to do it again when it's not so hot. The ship in certain places was hot. This ship is massive while walking around on the different floors.

The Wisconsin is an amazing ship! Downtown Norfolk, it looks like it just idled up to the city!This ship saw service from the 1940s - 1990s. Was redone, retrofitted and reconfigured for modern warfare. It’s big!Well kept and maintained, good tours and a really neat experience. Worth a visit.

This has been a remarkable experience for me and my family. We just felt so much pride and awe when we visited this shop, it is such a majestic view. Although I am not that much interested in navy topics, this was a very enjoyable experience for me and I learned a lot.

Great experience. Massive ship and lots to explore. So huge you can loose weight walking through it for an hour. Great place, also be sure to check out the gift shop. Definetly recommend going here

we were on the ship for a college graduation. Really beautiful ship, very aesthetic and has great views. You can definitely tell that there’s a lot of history behind this ship.

They let you go on an unguided tour of the ship. There were people working there to explain things if you had questions. The ship was beyond impressive. Except for the bridge and gun turrets you can see pretty much everything else. Well worth a visit.

The USS Wisconsin is a must-see! It was an amazing and educational experience, walking through this massive battleship and learning about its incredible history.It’s awe-inspiring to think about how the brave Marines lived and served under such tough conditions, all in the name of bringing peace and protecting our freedom.The exhibits were well-presented, and it felt like stepping back in time.The staff was knowledgeable and added so much to the visit.Whether you're into naval history or just want to explore something unique, this place is fantastic. Highly recommend!"

Very cool big boat. Also extra cool it’s named after our fav state. Some interesting history through its service. Seeing it up close really makes you think about all the awesome people who served on it. They allow you to see a few internal decks. But a lot is off limits, which is unfortunate. I really wanted to see the bridge and engine room and that was not possible. Also banged my noggin a few times, but I’m over 6 ft so if you’re tall be careful.

This was an amazing experience for me and my family. We spent 2.5 hours exploring every level of this amazing battleship and learning about its history and the BRAVE service men and women who dedicate their lives to this beautiful nation and the protection of our people. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SERVICE MEMBERS AND THEIR FAMILIES!

Great time on the USS Wisconsin in Norfolk. Battleships don't seem to be very large when you look at them on TV compared to an aircraft carrier, but let me tell you, they are big! Equivalent to a 20 story building. We got over 5,000 steps in, and we did not cover anywhere near the entire ship. Your ticket gets you entry to the ship, and you can walk around to your content. However, I do recommend going ahead and spending the extra money for one of the tours which gets you access to a different part of the ship and someone who knows a lot about those areas.

The Naval Museum and the USS Wisconsin are a good way for families to learn about the US Navy from the Revolution to Desert Storm. The third floor has a science area for kids to enjoy. We were disappointed they don’t validate parking n the deck you’d need to park in to visit.

A great place to visit and learn history of the BB-64 battle ship as well and me and my best friend Todd took the kids here in 2018 as well a few other friends to which we all had a blast seeing the ship and the museum as well.

A Monument to Naval MightMy tour of the USS Wisconsin was an unforgettable experience. This iconic battleship, a testament to American engineering and naval prowess, transported me back in time. From the imposing exterior to the intricate details of the interior, every aspect of the ship was a marvel.The guided tour was informative and engaging. Our knowledgeable guide brought the history of the Wisconsin to life, sharing fascinating stories of its wartime service and the men who served aboard. Exploring the ship's various compartments, from the engine room to the bridge, provided a unique glimpse into the daily life of sailors.The Wisconsin is more than just a museum piece; it's a living history lesson. Stepping onto its decks, I couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and respect for the ship and its crew. If you're a history buff, a naval enthusiast, or simply looking for a unique and memorable experience, I highly recommend visiting the USS Wisconsin.

Great place to visit. There is a lot to see. Very educational. Just be mindful that it is a lot of walking and going up and down stairs. The stairs are narrow and a steep walk down/ up the stairs. Also, in the hallways going through the doors, you do need to step up to go through. Some areas have AC, but many areas do not. It's definitely a great outing. You won't regret it! There is no on street parking you will have to park in the garage,which is very close to the entrance.

Always amazing to see such a formidable ship right here downtown. I highly recommend the Nauticus museum to learn more about the history. The inside of the ship is as awesome as the outside.

This is the 3rd Iowa class Battleship I've visited. The ship is in great shape and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. The highlight of today's your was getting to meet a gentleman (who turns 89 next week!) that served on The Wisconsin in the early 50s. He is a true treasure chest full of stories and experiences with this awesome bit of engineering. I should note there is no onsite parking (Google lies) but there are two parking garages literally across the street.

We loved visiting this place! Going through that ship is remarkable, and trying to understand what sailors go through to live on a ship, they have to be remarkable people to live a life, such as that. I can’t walk through this place without thinking all those that have served to protect me and my country, and you are greatly appreciated! I’m thankful for museum such as this to help us understand more about our history and those that have fought for us to be able to continue to have history!

Our tour of the USS Wisconsin battleship will always be a memorable moment during our visit to VA. We learned so much touring the ship, the time it took to go through everything was well worth it! So many interesting rooms and so much to see. I am happy that my fiancé who is in the Navy took us here and educated us about this ship as our children who are 9 and 7 years old will never forget this experience as well. The museum as well was very nice! I would revisit here many more times as this is a great place to visit and well worth the cost!

4.8

(5822)

4.5

(1688)

1 Waterside Dr, Norfolk, VA 23510, USA

9 lists

Ah, the historic Yorktown Battlefield, a gem of American history. The site where pivotal moments unfolded during the Revolutionary War. The meticulously preserved grounds transport you back in time, allowing you to relive the courage and determination of those who fought for independence.The interpretive exhibits provide a comprehensive understanding of the siege of Yorktown, showcasing the military strategies employed by both American and French forces. Walking the earthworks and standing on the battleground, one can't help but feel a profound connection to the past.The attention to detail in preserving the historical accuracy of buildings and landscapes is commendable. The visitor center offers a wealth of information, complemented by knowledgeable staff ready to answer any questions.As a history enthusiast, I appreciate the immersive experience the Yorktown Battlefield offers. It's not just a collection of artifacts; it's a living testament to the sacrifices made for freedom. Whether you're a seasoned historian or just curious about America's roots, a visit to Yorktown Battlefield is a journey through time that's both educational and moving.

The ranger talks are really good, you should try to listen to one in addition to the museum and video inside. The app is a bit goofy as it's not clear which direction to go for the various stops, I kind of gave up on it and just drove around and figured it out on my own. If they added a map with directions on it, that would be a massive improvement. At any rate, this national park will really make you reflect on some things. I found it incredible the redoubts were stormed quickly with just bayonets, given the steepness and sheer difficulty they must have faced.

Battlefield tour is amazing. Be sure to take the encampment tour as well. All at your own pace by car and aided by the app. Take the time to get out at each stop and take it all in!

Outstanding monument and visit to a historical American revolutionary site. Very well maintained and easily can spend a day here with both history and some fun beachfront activities nearby. This is where America began. Cool

It was a great place to learn about the Revolutionary War and what role Washington and Cornwallis played. It sent chills down my body when I was reading about Cornwallis's surrender and what effect that had on the outcome of the war. Amazing! The entire region is a vast wealth of history. Highly recommended to all who value freedom over tyranny! Thank a veteran!

Love the history here. I like the flow of the presentations and descriptions of life on the colonies, the struggle for freedom, and how it affected every person living there. If you are a history nut, give yourself time to walk, read, and listen to the displays and rangers. Going back today to take family on the driving tour.

Amazing experience walking the same grounds our founder and forefather fought for our country! My husband and I did the driving tour. Made super easy and user friendly with the app. The staff made the directions very clear for having the best experience and making the most of our time here. Great experience! Wonderful staff.

We happened upon this late one Saturday afternoon. Whst a treat. The little driving trails were quiet and pristine. It was so amazing to feel so isolated. It gave a real feeling of going back in time. It was the golden hour of the day so the sun was setting in a way that made this little gift even more beautiful. The deer that we saw were "on cue" We encountrted a few others who were enjoying this beautiful evening in this beautiful place. However, mostly it was just us and nature.

Self driving tour to go view the actual siege of Yorktown, like the mounds that was built along with the redoubts. The visitor center is worth some time to learn more about the siege and how it all built up to that moment to end the war.

Great visit on the red battlefield drive route. The gold route can’t lie was not that great and definitely not given the same love as the red.

We had a great experience! Right next to the beach and we were able to capture drone shots and panoramic shots of the statue! Great place to take in the history of this nation and was a crucial turning point in our society. Great place to meet people , food, and to get away with the family and have a peaceful time.

We enjoyed the cannon firing here and the park ranger who gave the presentation was good at her job and entertained the crowd while being informative. Heat was blinding so we didn’t stay long.

What an amazing job they have done at the Yorktown Battlefield and Visitors Center! The National Parks locations are always top-notch! So impressive. They do a great job honoring our history! So much to see and learn in Yorktown.I wish I had more time to spend in the great museum and gift shop. I did find two shirts in the shop priced better than in other historic locations.The driving tour was great and even better with the National Parks app audio guide.Yorktown is a must-see for any history buff!I highly recommend it!

Some very interesting exhibits in the visitor center to include General George Washington's actual field tent.Grab a map to follow the driving tour for the additional sites.There is a movie to watch at the visitor center, too.

This park preserves the original battlefield of the final war of the revolution, the conflict between General George Washington and General Cornwallis of the British army. A video presentation is available on the campus and a motor trail, approximately 13 miles long, tours the area where the American and French troops were fortified against the British. The fortified earthen embarkments (called redoubts) are visible along the tour. An app is available for download that narrates the tour. It is well worth the time and effort to tour the area.

I went during the maritime heritage and sea shanty festival. It was a lot of fun and there were lots of pirates! Many groups were performing, and there were local artists with booths as well. It wasn’t actually in the center but rather down the street and around Yorktown. Parking was a bit cramped but other than that it was a blast!

Gorgeous place to spend quality family time. Parking and trolley 🚎 are free, so you can park in one spot and enjoy the ride around town. If you're going to the beach, you can't park inside the parking garage, but you can go either to the top floor or any other open parking.

A nice historical park with a lot of history, artifacts, and souvenirs.❣️❣️❣️❣️Yorktown, as it shows on the top of the building, "The final winning of America Independence".

The last time I was here was during the pandemic & the Visitor Center was closed...so happy things are back to normal. The rangers are very informative. We listened to a ranger's 1-hour talk...he was fantastic! I highly recommend the talk! It was really hot, so the normal walk that goes along with the talk was very brief & we stayed mostly in the shade. The museum has some nice artifacts & displays & a short film. There are 2 sets of bathrooms & 2 water bottle filling stations (1 was out of order). From the Visitor Center, you can take a free trolley or take a short walk to historic Yorktown & the waterfront. There's also a driving tour accompanied by an app called "Yorktown Tour Guide" by American Battlefield Trust. The battlefield tour is 2 parts. The first part has more to see & reasons to get out of the car. The second part is a longer drive with less to actually see...besides beautiful fields & trees. The ride is pleasant. 😊

4.7

(1726)

4.5

(1698)

1000 Colonial Nat'l Historical Pkwy, Yorktown, VA 23690, USA

6 lists

Enjoyed our time browsing through the museum and seeing the demonstrations outside. They had recently opened up a small Cafe that has simple lunch items like sandwiches and sodas. I had a latte which was made well and reasonably priced.

This museum is amazing!!!! A must visit for anyone with kids or the history lover💗 it's an amazing experience for the whole family. My kiddos like museum and history so this visit was a one of a kind experience. They loved everything about it. From the staff dressed up in colonial outfits to the stories they had to share. Very educational wish more kids could experience this.

We really liked this museum. The price is good/fair. The farm and camp are really cool. I love that it felt like we were stepping back in time to see what life was like. The actors really play the part. The cat was absolutely adorable as well. The museum had a lot of stuff to look at and even things you could touch! I also really liked the sections with the short films you could watch. I would definitely recommend checking out this museum next time you’re in Williamsburg/ VA beach.

Never learned this much at school! The exhibits are very nicely done. The staff is helpful. The reenactments are fun. Lots of walking. Wheelchair friendly.

This is my first time visiting this museum. I was blown away, absolutely beautiful museum, so much care and detail has gone into making the experience so fulfilling. We really enjoyed the theater battlefield immersement. So, much history. The farm in the back is a must-see. They even cook meals from the revolution era, I believe, for staff meals.

This is a must stop on your historical tour of VA. The inside is full of lots and lots of fantastic information, great artifacts, and one really cool movie on the siege.Outside it just stays fantastic with a fully set up camp and farm that have characters in time piece clothing answering questions and giving presentations and demonstrations.

Incredible museum, there is so much to see. The short film that played in the siege theater was incredibly immersive, and very well done. I would be remiss if I had not mentioned the reenactments outside of the museum as they were nothing short of amazing. All of the reenactors were very knowledgeable, nice, and committed to staying in character. The musket shot was super cool. Overall, a very enjoyable and historical educational experience that is also affordable. I look forward to returning again someday!

I really enjoyed my experience here, lots to do and alot to see. Definitely cannot experience everything here and the surrounding museums all in one day. The place overall was very clean, interactive, and the gift shop was reasonably priced as well as the cafeteria. Yorktown is a story of enlightenment and the next level of society taking civilization to a greater good.

Overall a nice experience.When we went, getting to the museum was very straightforward and there was plenty of free parking. This was an October Sunday. We entered the large lobby and got our stickers which indicated purchased tickets.Unfortunately on this day the heat was out so it was a bit chilly inside.Exhibits. They were quite detailed and well thought out although I imagine that younger visitors would get bored since much of it was discussion about ideas and involved a lot of reading.It was interesting seeing how different sides interpreted events such as the Boston Massacre and the revolutionary war itself from the native, British and slave perspective as well as the colonists.It was a bit easy to get swamped in the details and for the casual visitor, it was difficult to follow the sequence of events although the exhibits did try.One exhibit was a short movie simulating seige combat at Yorktown in a mini iMax type theater that was an enjoyable immersive experience.Outside the simulated encampment was decent. One actor demonstrated loading and firing of a typical musket for example.We decided to skip the orchard farm portion. We have an annual pass so may see it at another time.Gift shop. The typical stuff. Not much more to add.Conclusion. Overall worth the visit but may be a bit dull if visitors have no strong interest in the Revolutionary War.

The American Revolution Museum was amazing. My teenager loves history, and he thoroughly enjoyed the museum. I appreciated the curators' attempts to present a well-balanced retelling of history. I was very impressed by the artifacts, videos, interactive elements, and the overall presentation of the museum. We greatly enjoyed our time inside and outside of the museum. I gave the museum 4 stars because the women pictured below was rude to my children and seemed like she didn't want to be bothered. She acted as if we weren't worth her time. I sense that she wishes it were colonial times so she could treat us as 3/5 of a human being. She also didn't offer my children a sample of the food she cooked, which was set out on the table as samples. She can work on her personality.

We absolutely loved our visit here. I came with my 93 year old air force veteran friend, and he thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a little cold for him so we had to cut our visit short. We will be back. There is so much to see and learn. The place is huge. The staff are so welcoming and friendly.

Great museum and though outside reenactment campsite is small it was well done. My only regret was going too late in the day. With kids the outdoor stuff is most interesting and kid friendly. Inside is more adult focused but there was one exhibit where you can type in what liberty means to you and the kids enjoyed that because they show up on electronic lanterns hanging on the tree in the exhibit. If you go with young kids, just set your expectations. Everything is stroller friendly. Would definitely go again without the kids to read more signs.

Full 5 stars! Excellent and well kept museum. We spent so much time here! Our kids had an amazing time (one is a toddler) with all the interactive exhibits and living historians. I recommend it as a cheaper alternative to Colonial Williamsburg. Obviously there isn't as much to see as a whole town, but for the price, you get a full 1700's experience.

You arrive to a large parking lot that is wheelchair friendly.The initial desk staff is friendly and very helpful in getting you started.The exhibits are well lighted and layed out logically.There are several short movies that make the exhibits much clearer.The artifacts and writeups are clear and concise.Love the use of hologramsOutside recreations of a farm and encampment bring it home when you speak to interpreters.Thur knowledge of all aspects of colonial life during the American revolution era is astounding.An amazing bit of history that made us who we are.

We were in town for son's USCG A School graduation, but had to make time for history. Not too busy on a Friday. Very nice museum and experience. The cast were very friendly and knowledgeable. Nice displays of artifacts with some interactive displays. We only did one video. It was very nice and a surprising experience. Fully immersive theatrical experience with fun "4d" elements. We only had a couple hours to spend there before flight out, so we had to rush. I definitely plan on going back if we are in the area again and plan to spend more time.

The newest of the Museums in the triangle. Definitely a lot to see and read. There is a theatre experience that is a must do. Could easily spend several hours exploring.

Always a very immersive and engaging experience. The museum is well designed for the historian looking for interesting artifacts and informative displays along with family friendly exhibits for the novice interest in Revolutionary history. The outdoor encampment and settlement area are fantastic for introducing a hands on experience to life in colonial times, a wonderful compliment to week of touring in and around Williamsburg. Have visited this new museum and site on multiple trips, always a very rewarding experience. Highly recommend.

Very nicely laid out exhibits and enough room for groups of people to read the information that is displayed without crowding. The outside reenactment area was very clean and as well nicely laid out. Individuals that were there reenacting time period rolls were very knowledgable. Highly recommended if you are planning on visiting this side of Virginia. Price was great!! Thank you!!

We were visiting from TN. We really enjoyed it. Excellent exhibits and the outdoor yard was wonderful.

4.8

(3324)

4.5

(1417)

200 Water St, Yorktown, VA 23690, USA

22 lists

We visited as a family (kids ages 7-13) and had an incredible time. The exhibits were very informative. We really loved the replicas of the ironclad ship the Monitor.We were given scavenger hunts for the kids when we paid the $1 admission. These really kept our kids engaged throughout the whole museum. We spent about 2 hours in total, but it would still be worth it to go back.

Stunning natural beauty. Stopped by on a whim. Took a short walk on the Norton Trail. Came to the bridge and stopped there. Absolutely the most peaceful place. Then I looked down over the water and saw the 🐢 🐢 🐢 turtles. Wow...beautiful creatures. These aren't the loggerheads by the sea, these are Snapping turtles of various sizes. Amazing sight. Do not feed any wild life in any park. But especially here. These turtles can snap a finger in a minute. I watched them from the bridge. Safe distance...next time I'll go further. Loved it💜

I have been to museums all around the world and this place is absolutely amazing.There is so much to learn about history here, and the artifacts are absolutely wonderful to see this is a must go if you are anywhere in the area. If you love history and museums, I 100% guarantee you will absolutely love this place, and the admission is only $1, and it should be more... I added photos, so check them out.

If you've never heard or seen this place you should definitely come and check it out. The ticket price per person is only $1.00. My son really enjoyed it and wants to go again sometime.

We had an amazing experience at The Mariners' Museum and Park in VA! There is ample parking. Restrooms are cleans. The exhibits were captivating, providing a fascinating journey through maritime history. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable, adding depth to the visit. The park surrounding the museum is picturesque, offering a serene escape. A must-visit for history enthusiasts and anyone looking for an enjoyable day out.Ohh Yaa! Guess the entrance fee. It’s $1.00, yap you heard it right. entrance fee is just a buck.

I was in town on a business trip and stopped here to kill some time before my flight home and was pleasantly surprised. Upon entering, I was greeted by the docents who were very knowledgeable and provided tips on how to best navigate the museum and exhibits.The highlights of the museum are the artifacts from the USS Monitor. You definitely want to watch the movie on the Battle of Hampton Roads between the USS Monitor and CSS Virginia. There's also the International Small Craft Center located in a separate building and an informative exhibit on the America's Cup yacht. But my favorite exhibit was the Miniature Ship Models of August Crabtree.

My interest in visiting this museum wasn't very high, but once inside, that all changed. I ended up spending almost 3 hours here and had to leave because it was getting close to closing time. There is so much history here, and you get to see actual pieces of the Monitor. It was very interesting, to say the least. There was also an exhibit of miniature ships made by August Crabtree. Absolutely a worthwhile visit. This is a great place to visit for both children and adults. Just make sure you leave enough time to enjoy it properly. Admission is only $1, so if you run out of time, you can always come back.

This museum is beyond exceptional! We had an amazing visit. The entire USS Monitor exhibit is so well done and interactive and incredible. All in a museum that only costs $1 per person, I literally cannot recommend this museum more!

We once think this is a museum of telling history, but after we visited, we agree this is the museum for education, better to visit with your children. The most exhibits are modern ship models, and they will show how this model was made. Maybe the story behind the model will insist many people to learn.

Museum is a great historical masterpiece that is well maintained. Educational, too (solid learning outlet). Beautiful Noland Trail for walking, jogging, sightseeing. Wildlife (deer, raccoons, squirrels, owls, woodpeckers, heron, ducks, turtles) is plentiful but steer clear of humans. Trails have tree roots, wood steps, and wood bridges (uneven terrain). Trails could use maintenance.

Loved it!! I'm visiting from GA and didn't really know much about it. The Battle Theater movie is a MUST and it was very educative on what happened between the two ironclads. The rest of the exhibits made a lot more sense once I watched that.The life size Monitor was fun to walk on, and the small part of the replica CSS Virginia that you can go inside was fun too.The scavenger hunt for kids kept everyone super attentive and involved and because it's basically just a checklist, kids of most ages can participate.We had a wonderful time!! I highly recommend it if you're in the area. Plus, it's only $1!!

I cannot believe it is only a dollar to get in. The exhibits are phenomenal and the collection is comprehensive. I cannot wait to go back. The Monitor display is so cool. Make sure to watch the film in the gallery to understand why it is so important.

8.15.2024 me and my son went here and it is a very nice history. Nice place to see if you're near this area. I recommend going in here and having a look at all the history that there is here to see and to learn about.

Amazing! If you are in the VA Beach area, definitely go see the museum. $1 admission which means basically free!

Enjoyed the walk around the museum and the museum itself. Would definitely come back and visit again

Wonderful museum. Only a dollar a person to get in. Great exhibits and helpful and knowledgeable staff. A hidden gem in museums.

So much to see and read. They also had interactive screens with videos. It took us 3 1/2 hrs to go through because we like to read the info and watch all of the videos. The garden is pretty too. The Cafe wasn't open because it was a Monday, I guess. They also have a reasonably priced gift shop. The people are very friendly. I can't believe it cost just $1 per person.

The best dollar you will ever spend! We spent hours here. Our entire family had an absolute blast! Very interactive and the scavenger hunt was challenging enough to keep us occupied for a while.

oh my God if you love those this place is for you! They have hundreds of thousands of boats and models and anything that has to do with nautical theme!!! I’ve never seen so many boats in one day!!

Great museum. For only 1$ it really worth going there. The highlight will be the international ships building.

4.8

(3017)

5.0

(968)

100 Museum Dr, Newport News, VA 23606, USA

1 list

4.5

(132)

Chesapeake, VA, USA

1 list

So expensive! We paid $460 for 6 people to spend 3 hours there. Another $60 in parking for 2 cars. I probably won’t go back. Everything inside was crazy expensive too. $4.99 for a Diet Coke. $16 for a pretzel & churro. There is not a lot of shade. They don’t let you bring food or drinks in either. I wasn’t impressed.

Wonderful day of play with my teens. We enjoyed the variety of water rides, food, and treats. Staff was friendly and helpful. Lockers weren't too expensive. Bring your waterproof phone cover and be prepared to drop your shoes at each ride and be soaked.

Where do I start? Is everyone’s question as soon as you cross over the ticket check in. It’s a hustle and bustle of water activity. Looking for an adrenaline rush? Water Country USA is the place for you. Single day parking is $32, and your ticket got you covered for all the fun in there. You can choose to dine in for $50 with a bounties of choice to pick from or save by eating from your car in the parking lot, no food is allowed inside the park. We loved every bit of it.

First timers LAST WEEK! We had a great time if you are gonna stay in the park all day get the meal package! It will save you a small fortune! Some of the lines where long at times but the kid pool had plenty of entertainment as did the splash pad and wave pool the kids rode everything in the park some several times! Be early get a sheltered place to sit!

We got 3 days passes for 6 people at a great price and we enjoyed Water Country on a Thursday. Almost no lines or very short lines all day. We got to the park around 1:30pm and stayed until 7:00pm closing. We got to ride every ride and relax in between. Know ahead of time the park is cashless and basic parking is $32.00. Bring picnic lunch to save money and eat at your vehicle; re-entry same day is allowed, get your hand stamped before leaving for lunch/ break. Bring your own beach towels, we left our valuables in cubbies before each ride and everything was safe, never rented a $25 locker. Food and drinks are very expensive, but thankfully complimentary ice water was available everywhere.Go to website for answers to these FAQs:Water Country USA Frequently Asked QuestionsGet answers to our most commonly asked questions.Trip planning is stressful enough, so let us help you find the answers to your questions before you get here. You'll find driving directions to our water park and what airports are nearby, as well as locations and services in the park.Water Country USA General QuestionsWhere is Water Country USA?Does Water Country USA close for capacity?What time does Water Country USA open?How much does it cost to park at Water Country USA?Will I be required to show ID to enter Busch Gardens and Water Country USA?May I bring my own food and beverages into Water Country USA?Does Water Country USA offer front-of-line access for their rides and attractions?Can I take pictures while on a ride or attraction at Water Country USA?Are lockers available for rent at Water Country USA?What is the best way to dress for a visit to Water Country USA?What do I do if I lose something at Water Country USA?Where is the Welcome Center at Water Country USA?Where do I find a map of Water Country USA?What is Water Country USA's cancellation/refund policy?Does Water Country USA have a First Aid Station in the park?

Great time for the kids. Great things to do. The queue to the different slides can be long, but they move fast. Big enough & clean. I got all-day dining tickets for my kids. I think they are no deal : too expensive for what you get, in my opinion.

We took our tween and three year old for the day on a Sunday. It wasn’t as crowded as I expected. It’s a lot smaller than the map lets on. I thought we’d have to walk a lot from ride to ride but we didn’t. My toddler loved the splash pad, wave pool and the cow-abunga area. We really like that the wave pool has a count down clock so you can see when it’s going to start again. Tot was also big enough to ride with us on the Big Daddy Falls. He also loved Hubba Hubba Highway. He could swim and float with just his puddle jumper jacket. My husband, tween and I just swam it. It’s best enjoyed with a life jacket though. The park has plenty of free life jackets available throughout. While the tot and I stayed in the splash pad for a while, my husband and tween went to ride other rides together. They had a blast. The bathrooms are pretty clean. I recommend using the family restroom with a toddler. We didn’t get any food here but we did stop on our way out to get some candy and chocolate covered strawberries and s’mores. We had a great time!

Excellent! Most things were open. The lazy river was drained. Unsure if that was permanent or cuz of staffing issues. But the Hubba Bubba Highway was open and I would go there over the lazy river any time! Daughter had an absolute blast!

We were there on Weds. Crowds were decently large, but unfortunately they didn't have enough staff to run all of the rides. We waited twice as long for multiple rides because they only had half of the tubes running due to being short lifeguards. (For example they only had 2 out of 4 tube slides running because they only had one lifeguard at the top and 1 at the bottom instead of 2 and 2.) Therefore we only got half as many rides as we would have gotten to go on if they were fully staffed because lines would have gone twice as fast. It's hard to believe with the amount of $ we pay per ticket, the high cost of food and the $32 per car that they charge that they can't pay life guards enough $ to want to work there.

Bought the 2 park fun card and 1 annual pass for parking. We were in the area for a month and this is the best way to do theme parks for us.We would go at open and leave when it got busy. The park is nice with shade throughout don’t know what others are talking about, I’ve been to parks without shade and this place has a lot. Could use a bit more water on the concrete in a few areas. Tons of great slides, no wait hardly for the first few hours.We would pack food and eat at the picnic tables outside in the parking lot if we wanted to do a full day. Water bottles are allowed inside but no food. Bathrooms were fairly clean and well stocked.Enjoy!

We were there this past weekend and rented the cabanas- We have rented before years ago and I would say now save your money- for $400 not worth it at all one of the side boards were broken and with kids right beside the hubba hubba highway not safe at all if you do not watch your kids- same price as before but they used to give you souvenir towels, they also would put your name on the cabana and my kids thought that was great and they could not be bothered putting the four letters up . Not a great experience but the water park is fun over all

It took about an hour for any ridesIf you like to wait it okay but with kids it’s very hard for those long wait

Great water park to have a fun day with family . Water slide and water splashing .Specially if hot day our day was cut short do to raining day the park was closed for safety reasons .... check the weather if u planning to spend almost a whole day over .Our day was short and base on time there over 2 hours they wont refund the payment or give you another time to come back !

We visited on 6/22, and many attractions were closed or not fully operational, including the wave pool, which is a main attraction for some guests. However, you could still get in the pool, but there were no waves. For the amount of money that some people pay to not only travel to this establishment but also to enter the park, all attractions should be working and up and running. It's truly a disservice when they are not.

We have a season pass to Busch Gardens but today was perfect weather so decided to try out Water Country USA. Crowds were there but park was clean and well attended. Our only real issue was Quik Que lines delayed regular rider lines exponentially but I'm certain that's the point as they are hoping to drive sales of QQ. Bummer.Otherwise, we had a splendid day!A free beer for Season Pass holders was definitely a perk! 🌞🍻

We use to love this place! But like with everything these days the service is lacking. They had 1 out of every two rides closed. When one broke I had to go up to find out what was going on, then pass along the information. They finally made an announcement after everyone had been waiting for a hr. Rides are still a blast, and it's mostly clean... bathrooms got gross at the end but that's the customers fault too.

Water country is a fun place for family and friends, who enjoy playing with water. The water park offers vendors where you can get souvenirs and gifts to remember your water park adventure. The long lines to wait for get in a ride are still the worst parts of the adventure. If they could have elevators that take groups to the top faster, it could be better.

It's a fun park with great rides but unfortunately the low staffing levels ruin the experience. Rides with 4 slides have 1 employee up top and only 2 of the slides are operational. Other rides all have 1 staff member up top and it seriously slows loading times. Like you wonder why the line is at a standstill. One employee had to call management so the line didn't move for 15 minutes. All the lines didn't seem that long but took forever. You see that sameissue in other reviews. We came on a Thursday. So i will not be back until i can confirm that they have fixed this issue. Is it a money savings ploy or they really can't find staffing? Regardless, the park experience is greatly diminished.

Management!!!I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the handling of my recent visit to your park on June 30. Despite paying $74 for parking for two cars and $184 for four tickets, a severe thunderstorm began shortly after our arrival, and we were only able to enjoy the park for one hour. This was particularly disheartening as we had driven four hours from our home to visit.I have called your customer service twice and was initially advised to fill out a claim form on your website, with assurances that the issue would be resolved. However, I received no response. During my most recent call, I was informed that tickets are non-refundable regardless of the time spent in the park. This policy seems both unfair and lacking in empathy for your customers’ circumstances.My family and I planned this trip carefully, and the abrupt closure of all attractions due to the thunderstorm left my children in tears. On July 1st, I requested rescheduled tickets so we could return within the next two weeks before our overseas flight on July 12. Despite this reasonable request, no action was taken.Given the circumstances, I am now demanding a full refund for both the parking ($74) and the tickets ($184). Charging $37 for parking per car for an hour is unreasonable, especially when the park was closed due to weather conditions beyond our control.I trust you will address this matter with the urgency and fairness it deserves. If this issue is not resolved promptly, I will be forced to consider further action, including filing a complaint with consumer protection agencies.

Water Country is a perfect family destination! The variety of water slides keeps the kids entertained, while the lazy river is great for relaxation. Everything is clean and safe, making it a worry-free experience. Plus, the food options are family-friendly. We had an amazing time together and can't wait to go back! Highly recommend for a fun day with the kids! 🌊👨‍👩‍👧‍👦✨

4.5

(9884)

4.5

(2541)

176 Water Country Pkwy, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA

4 lists

We lived in Williamsburg, VA, when my kids were younger. We did the payment plan for all 5 tickets. This was the best decision we ever made for our family. We all enjoyed it so much for those two years. Now my kids are teenagers and we want to plan a trip back. Plus, their waterpark, that's close by, is great, too. To me, this place is better for all ages than Disney in Orlando, FL. Halloween and Christmas were some our favorite times.

Always a great place to take the whole family to. They have many ways to get around the park to include a train. They also shuttle to and from the Germany, Italy, and Ireland parking lotsIf you’re a single rider like my self the have a lane for that for most of the roller coasters.Food and drinks are also affordable, but I’d recommend buying a food pass.

Visited on a Sunday, and there was a special on park entrance tickets. They were half off. Parking made up the difference as it is now $32.00 for regular stalls and $64 for up front.Shuttle was convenient and quite a few, so the wait wasn't bad.The entrance to the park was fast and easy.Great food and entertainment (park shows). This visit was in mid-October, so they had their Halloween decorations as well as the characters walking around and scaring visitors.The rides were good but a bit disappointed as a few 3 - 4 roller coasters were not running.All bathrooms were nasty.

This place was absolutely incredible. The attention to detail and the theme of the rides was great... Some of the best roller coasters I've ever been on. My only complaint was we went in June and it was the hottest I've probably ever been and I'm from Florida. Prepare for that if you go in the summer months.

This has been and remains hands-down, the most beautiful theme park we have been to in North America. The grounds are well-maintained, clean, and curated to fully enhance the entire experience of the European theme. The rides are also well-maintained and at this point, the most fun, thrilling, and smoothest of most coasters on the east coast (InvadR excluded). The food is good and while not cheap, is on par with most theme park fare. On our most recent visit, the crowds were not too bad which makes all the difference. We do not visit or will not stay if there are too many people. This park has developed an issue with a lot of younger people in group harassing people and getting into fights with one another. They have instituted a Chaperone Policy but it remains to be seen if it will be effective. The parking still remains extremely expensive ($32 as of October 2024). There appears to always be at least 1-2 coasters down for every visit, especially Pantheon. In all, this is a must-see for theme park and coaster enthusiasts. Just be aware that your experience can be greatly impacted by the size of crowds.

It took quite a while to get to a parking spot and about 30 minutes to even get into the park, and it was around 12:30. I did also wish that there were more shaded areas for the hot days, like the day we went. There were a lot of options for food and souvenirs, but of course it was quite expensive. We watched the Celtic show there and it was very enjoyable. The rides we went on were fun, but my favorite part was hands down the Lorikeets! We spent at least 20-30 minutes with them. They were so cute and friendly. The staff did let us know how to approach them. I would come back just to see the birds.

It's so easy to see why Busch Gardens has repeatedly (33 years?) been voted 'most beautiful amusement park.' Many years ago, the Loch Ness Monster was the first (big) roller coaster that I ever rode. I'm proud to say that the exact same sentiment now applies to my 8-year-old daughter. We went straight to it upon entering the park and absolutely loved it. Her second ride was front seat!The park is beautiful and clean. The variety of rides, games, and attractions are plentiful and very fun. The roller coasters are great; Pantheon is my favorite. For the younger ones, Elmo Land is also really nice with rides and water features.All staff that we encountered were professional and courteous, including Guest Services.It was a great Father's Day (and the next day, too!). We look forward to returning again soon!

Had a wonderful family trip to this beautiful park. Was a pleasure to spend the day walking and exploring the well designed, and elegant park layout. It was a hot day, but so many trees helped to easily find shade when needed. The lines for attractions moved quickly and the staff were friendly and attentive. Was much too big to see everything in one day. Will need a couple of days to really do the whole park.

This Park is beautiful. We went the first week of June on a weekday, and there was absolutely no crowd whatsoever. Just walked on to every ride. The drawback to this "off season" week is that almost no food places are open, and most of all the small drink stations are closed. The park is also very large and spread out. It is difficult to figure out which way to go to get to a particular attraction. If it is crowded, I doubt you would be able to explore the entire park in one day. The only reason for 4 stars is the parking. First, they have what appears to be 10 stations to pay for parking when you fist pull in, but there is only 1 person handling 2 alternating lanes, so it takes forever to pay. Also, the parking lot lines are completely worn off, so it is hard to see where to park, and there is only 1 person guiding you. The exit from the parking lot is also not well marked. The whole parking thing needs to be changed to be more efficient.

This was me and my boy's second year coming down to Williamsburg, Virginia, to go to the Bush Gardens. We love the way Bush Gardens is set up into different countries and cultures to help kids see things like that. The Disney part is great, but they do need to add different characters within what they have for the little ones. As of the rides, they are excellent. As of prices to go to Bush gardens, they are reasonable as long as you look for specials that they run all of the time, you can get good deals. Prices for inside are typical amusement park prices. When it comes to the all day, eat packages or if you just want to have drinks, you can buy a drink and get free refills that day and pay 2.50 for refills any day after that, which is awesome. My opinion on the food is not the best. But it gets you through the day without having to leave.

As proud season pass holders at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, we can't say enough about the endless enjoyment and value this park provides. The inclusion of parking with the season pass is a major plus, making our visits even more hassle-free and enjoyable.Busch Gardens Williamsburg goes above and beyond in their support for the military community. They offer free day passes annually to military personnel and three of their family members, showcasing their gratitude and commitment to those who serve. Additionally, their free preschool (ages 3-5) passes ensure that even the youngest members of the family can join in the fun without any extra cost.The park is renowned for its incredible shows and events, providing entertainment for all ages. One event that stands out for us is their Christmas celebration. The park transforms into a festive wonderland with stunning light displays, joyous music, and holiday-themed attractions, creating a magical atmosphere that's perfect for the holiday season.Overall, Busch Gardens Williamsburg offers a remarkable blend of thrilling rides, top-notch entertainment, and exceptional customer service. Our season passes have been an excellent investment, granting us unlimited access to all the fun and excitement this park has to offer. We highly recommend Busch Gardens Williamsburg for unforgettable family memories and year-round entertainment.

Surprisingly not crowded on Father's Day so it was enjoyable to walk around and get on not-so-long lines for the rides. I'd say their roller coaster rides are impressive. And they do have a few rides and animals that toddlers could enjoy.. I will say that they did not have that much rides for 5-8 yr olds who might be too scared for the bigger rides but also too big for the toddler rides. Other than that, I still say it was enjoyable today. And we also truly appreciate the annual free military tickets plus up to 3 more free tickets for dependents.

We were part of a large group, 180+ people. It went very well. The children loved it. The provided lunch was good, not great. The employees were very good. The park could use better signage and way-finding. The park app did not help much. The giant fans were refreshing on a hot day!

My first visit to this park and I had a great time. I had never been to Busch Gardens before and I am a native Virginian. I would definitely visit again. The lines weren't to long for rides, there was plenty of shade, and it a great atmosphere. The food was good and the prices was fairly reasonable. If you are looking for a friendly atmosphere and great time.. Busch Gardens is a great place to visit.

Great place for entertainment for all ages! Toddler park is filled with everything the littles love to do. Rides for dare devils and rides for those who don't like all the twists and drops like the bumper cars, pirate ship, and tea cups. Games that will run your pockets but I have seen many winners. The park is now cashless so bring your card. They even offer free ice water at the drink shops. Wear comfortable shoes because you will get your steps in.

Went on a Friday; (8.1.2024) low or no wait times for all rides, longest wait all day 45min for DarkCoaster. Quick Pass cost was $100 per person on the date of our visit (more than our 3day passes per person) and so we opted not to buy them & take our chances. As it turns out we didn’t need them ! Clean, beautiful Amusement park with lots of really fun rides! Beautiful wildlife exhibits, shows, tons of food options for every taste pallet, multiple displays of public art and enhanced landscaping everywhere!! Massive compliments to the staff & the park for offering free ice water everywhere!! Definitely recommend visiting on a weekday vs. weekend just for crowds & wait time advantages. I recommend highly to Buy your tickets online prior to your visit avoid the big lines at guest services upon entry ; also watch for discounts regularly; they change. We will return for sure! 👍 👍👍 (Family of 6 all over age 18)

We had a great time for two reasons. The weather was perfect and it was not crowded. That said, this park just kept finding ways throughout the day to disappoint. First, I would strongly suggest BG invest some money into software to improve the customer experience. The app is a piece of crap. It is super glitchy and constantly closes.$30 for parking is really steep. It just is. Not having a good, detailed map available is absolutely inexcusable. If you are not going to provide a paper map that people can very quickly look at see where they've been, see where they need to go, mark off their must-do items... then at least put a good map on your app. That is, after you fix the app so that it actually works. It would be really great to be able to make a list of your top priority items , and then be able to see them on the map, and remove them as you do them.. anything at all that allows your user to plan their day, literally, anything. Food was okay but line wait times are crazy, I can only imagine how it is on a busy day.

Great theme park with friendly staff! Enjoyed my time there with my wife! Lots of fun coasters and other rides... We also enjoyed the jukebox show! We used the free military admission tickets and didn't need the quick queue pass to enjoy rides with relatively short wait times! We also enjoyed the aviary and seeing the rescued animals throughout the park.

We had a good experience here! There are a lot of big roller coasters and unique rides! I think the layout of the park was a little confusing and needed some more signs. But overall, it was a great amusement park and I highly recommend it all ages. My favorite ride was the Pantheon roller coaster.

This place is awesome! I only give it 4 stars because the operations left a bit to be desired in my opinion (some rides closed kind of early) and the food could have been better for the prices. I assume some of that is staff issues, as pretty much everywhere has right now. I was very impressed that they had Alpengeist back up and running within 2 hours of our arrival! Overall, we had an excellent time and we will be back, definitely worth the 4 hour trip! 🤘

I'm giving this place 5 stars for a few reasons. This was the highlight of our vacation and the best theme park I've ever been to as of yet. The rides were very well built (especially the coasters) and SO MUCH FUN! There was plenty of shade, lots of fans, the lines weren't long at all (no need to buy the speedy pass).The all day dining was absolutely worth every penny as well! They hand out free water if you need it in case you don't want to buy the pass. We only ate once all day. You get a tray with meat, sides, a drink and dessert, but you can grab drinks of your choice every 90 minutes. The different countries all around the park was very cool and the park is absolutely stunning. It was a little difficult to find some of the rides though. The park is so vast but set up a little confusing. It was a great time though & We will definitely be back!

4.4

(38872)

4.5

(9225)

1 Busch Gardens Blvd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA

Simply beautiful! I’m just in awe of this little gem and history. So serene. So worth the stop!

Very interesting and informative tour of this church. The oldest brick structure church in Virginia, it was built in the late 1700's. The grounds feature a graveyard in existence since before the construction of the church. Our tour guide was very good. An excellent way to spend an afternoon.

Visited for the first time today after hearing about it at the Smithfield Farmer's market. A beautiful old church that's stood the testament of time (nearly 335 years!), Thomas was a fanatic tour guide with so much knowledge to giv. The grounds are well kept, picturesque on a nice day like today and somewhere I'd totally go again.

This is an interesting little church. I appreciated the honesty of the guide in stating that the dating of the church is still unknown. She explained how the church game to be and its significance in the area. She allows detailed the restorations that have occurred.

I would have greatly preferred a self-guided tour with interpretive placards. The tour guide gave jumbled information and repeated herself three or four times. While the site was interesting, ultimately I don't feel like I learned much about the importance or history of the church.

I have taught this church in architectural history courses for many years, and it was a thrill to finally see it in person! Our highly intelligent and passionate guide was very knowledgeable and provided a thorough and nuanced account of the church’s construction, use, and significance in Virginian and American history. This is a must-see building! We are so grateful to the people who care for it and keep it open to the public.

I love tours, learning about history, and facts. Even if it’s something I’m not even interest in, it’s just cool to know. This was an awesome and informative tour. Our tour guide, Maggie F., was very professional, informative, sweet, and answered all our questions. If ever we come back then I’ll request her.

Our church (Grace Church of Richmond) had a WONDERFUL private tour with John today! Highly recommended for ANY CHRISTIAN! Very historic and informative!

We went on a weekday when it was not very busy and ended up getting a private tour. Our guide,Leslie, was a very sweet and knowledgeable lady. We went inside the church and out in the cemetery. We greatly enjoyed it.They are only open certain days so be sure to check their website to make sure they are open.

Gloria LaBoone was our guide while we visited. Guide was very knowledgeable. Very interesting tour of old brick church from 1685. Well preserved and worth the visit. Tour lasted about 45 minutes in length.

This is a gorgeous hidden gem in Smithfield! It is well worth the trip for the aesthetic beauty alone. The tour was also a great help in letting you know what life truly would have been like in rural Coastal Virginia for the early years.

Such a gorgeous venue! The church and grounds are breathtaking. Colin was so helpful; he answered all of our questions and was so patient. After our ceremony and outdoor pictures it started to rain and Colin saved us by driving us on a golf cart protecting bridal gown and makeup! We loved it so much we had our reception there as well. A giant tent fit perfectly and dozens of "candles" made for a romantic vintage theme. They worked with us every step of the way. We chose right before sunset giving us gorgeous pictures inside and out of the church. We look forward to returning and enjoying the memories of a wonderful day.

We totally enjoyed our tour and and the Museum Educator Gloria LaBoone. We were on the last tour of the day and she took her time and made our visit enjoyable.

We stopped at St Luke’s in Smithfield on our way to OBX. We are so happy we did!The church and property are both beautiful and full of history.John was our tour guide and he was phenomenal, funny and we could have listened to him for hours.

4.6

(103)

5.0

(494)

14477 Benns Church Blvd, Smithfield, VA 23430, USA

7 lists

Beautiful park with multiple walking trails, a bike trail and kayak rentals. Perfectly maintained and what looked to be a great play area for kids. Definitely recommend!

Nice trails under a nice tree canopy. Multiple overlook areas with bench. Pedestrian and bicycle trails with picnic areas, kids play area and dog park. Very close to nature and wildlife(saw 5 deers in 30 minutes). Clean and quiet place to relax. Will be back soon.

What an amazing place! Nature and beauty around every turn! Many trails through hills and valleys, over rocks and through the dense trees. Open green space with no sounds but nature! My bestie and I had a lovely breakfast under an umbrella of trees on one of the several picnic tables, close to a children's play area and the awesome dog park. I can't wait to go back and explore more!

We love our park!! Trails, dog park, kayaking ramps, and special events the town throws! Well maintained and a peaceful place to escape!

Only for the love of nature. Trails are terrific for cardio. The seating along the trails is a great touch for those moments you just want to stop, sit, and take in the sounds of God's creation.

This is a peaceful park to walk your dog and put your headphones on. It's beautiful looking up at the canopy of trees overhead. The people passing by generally smile, nod or just saw hello. It's a good vibe.

Drove out to Smithfield with the intention of enjoying the trails with my spouse in her wheelchair. Unpleasantly surprised that trails are not wheelchair friendly. Wheelchairs do not push easily on loose gravel. Unfortunately, we were unable to get more than about 30 yards and realized it was just too difficult to maneuver. The scenery was beautiful and several people walking dogs were friendly. Sad that such a beautiful park does not have handicap accessible trails.

A beautiful park right next to historic Smithfield. Really impressed with this. Lots of lookouts over the marsh, very clean and well maintained, includes a dog park and a unique playground as well as a kayak launch. Beautiful shaded and unshaded trails alike. I would be here all the time if I lived nearby.

Lovely park with scenic views, nice walking/ hiking trails, a dog park, and family picnic and play areas. Very well cared for and well worth the drive to Smithfield. I'll definitely be back!

Great trail and bring plenty of water. Also, Smith Field is a nice area to see. This park does featur kayaking at 25 dollars to rent one. This also comes with a life vest.

Love this park. Come here every few months. Honestly only 4 stars because I think the detour out of here recently from all the building was a hassle 😅. The park is always beautiful and they have kayaks you can rent.

I take my dogs to walk on the trails here every day. They are all about 1.5 miles long and very peaceful. There are puppy clean up stations all throughout the park which is great because I don't have to worry about carrying a poo bag the whole time I'm walking. There are also several benches set up in serene locations to listen to the birds and for peaceful contemplation. If you visit keep an eye out for painted rocks or consider leaving one of your own.

A very nice trail network and well manicured grounds add up to a very nice, scenic visit. There are trails that connect to the Historic Downtown, which is very nice to extend your hike and maybe take a little break at a cafe or shop. Kayaks are available for rent at the river. A great place to visit and beautifully maintained.

Such a nice place to walk around and explore!

Fun place to chill! Didn’t expect it to be so cute but it was. Trails were easy to walk with cute views. I wouldn’t call it extraordinary… but it was a nice place to walk and hangout with some friends. Will definitely go again for a day picnic.

There are some good walking trails here! People hide painted rocks on the path and my children love finding them ❤️. We love to come out here for the water view from the pier... and looking at Smithfield station. Very peaceful and nice.

Attended Smithfield Wine & Brew Fest, always my favorite day of the year! An excellent event for a great cause. Plenty of wine, beer, and water (that's me) for anyone looking to enjoy sunshine on the water, live music, and friends.

Had a great time at the bacon & bourbon fest!

4.8

(1017)

5.0

(192)

705 Cedar St, Smithfield, VA 23430, USA

Miss Joyice was my tour guide. She was knowledgeable and patient. The building is fun for local and visiting history and architecture buffs.Improvements would start with updating the windows (using a historical repair company). When you arrive, you will enter the tour where it is at. The issue is that those already in-progress have to wait for you to be brought up to speed for that floor. It's fine if the tour has just started in that area. It's not so great when that area is almost finished. The museum should have two tour guides available to help with that. That's what made Miss Joyice so great, she kept it all together. My 90-minute tour took 3 hours because 2 groups joined (one left early) at different times.There is no wheelchair access due to the building structure. There are four levels, and you will visit all of them.

What a great experience. A must see when visiting the Tidewater area. So many museums have everything distanced from you. Here is a place you can get up close and personal with history. Many artifacts can be handled with the guides permission.

Joyce was so pleasant and very knowledgeable. She was able to answer all of our questions. Our tour did take a little longer than expected, but we thoroughly enjoyed every moment. Definitely would recommend!

We were visiting family and wanted to find somewhere with Suffolk history and charm and Riddick Folly House did not disappoint!Lee took us on a 1.5 hours tour (fairly priced) of the 4 story mansion and was able to keep our children who are 10 and 6 engaged and interested. You could tell Lee has a passion for what he is sharing and is very knowledgeable. He would ask us questions and wouldn't even mind answering silly questions.If you are interested in Greek revival homes, carved moldings, intricate furniture, civil war memorabilia and history this beautiful museum will not disappoint.Also, the gift shop had many items true to the character of the home that were reasonably priced. I bought quite a few great items.

I am very interested in History. And I do like visiting different historical places. Especially, I like house museums to see how people lived those days.We visited this house on Sunday. Luckily for us it was only two of us during the tour. It was amazing! I do recommend it. Unbelievable, narrating, informative.1000 out of 10!

My sister and I stopped by here on a whim today. We've lived in Suffolk as children and passed by this house numerous times, but have never stopped in. At first I was skeptical, especially when our guide said a tour of half the house would be 45 minutes, but we went for it and I'm so glad we did.We were short for time, but 45 minutes felt like 5 minutes because we could have spent HOURS touring the house and talking to Lee. Riddick's Folly is a breathtaking time capsule of life for the Riddick family and a peak into life in the 1800s. You can tell that each room has been meticulously curated and each piece in the house truly has a story.Lee is a wealth of information and was such a joy to talk with! His excitement about the house is contagious, he was able to answer even the most off the wall questions and was so open about personal experiences and opinions on the house.Overall I really just can't get over how awesome the tour was. I've been to a lot of museums and taken lots of tours, but I've never experienced one as up close and personal as this. We can't wait to go back and see the other half of the house!!

Not handicapped accessible on the weekends. The tour guide was super knowledgeable. It is a LONG tour, could be faster. A beautiful house altogether.

This place was Awesome. Our guide was also the curator for the house. He was so knowledgeable and spent several hours explaining all the rooms and wonderful exhibits he has gotten over the years.I hope someone will take on this role for the future of this great piece of history.

I visited this place on November 21st and took my two nieces. It was interesting, educational, and an eye opener for me. We will never be able to fathom the difficulties of this time period. Yes, some had it better than others just like today but we all should be grateful for what we have. The strangest thing happened to me as I walked into one of the rooms...I was being touched (literally) by something I could not see and felt stifled. Nonetheless, I began to ponder on whether something from that time period was trying to get my attention. I would recommend people to visit and enjoy the history.

This museum is a Great place to go to in Suffolk, VA for those who love History, antique, and just simply want to spend an edifying quality time with family members. There is something for everyone there to learn from. The Director/ Curator, Mr. Edward King was the one who gave as the guided tour through out the house. It was a delightful time to be guided by a man who loves what he does there and is very knowledgeable and even recite a historical letter in the mantuary. It is definitely worth the time and money to visit this Gem of Suffolk, VA. I hope the Riddick's Folly museum may be preserved for generations to come and there will be others who are as kind, humorous and enthusiastic in their service as Mr. King Edward and the other lady Sophie who works there. Thank you!

Joyice was great at explaining the history of the house and it's residents, with lots of "hands on". She also explained much of the history of many of the artifacts, which was great.

4.8

(92)

4.5

(96)

510 N Main St, Suffolk, VA 23434, USA

4 lists

If you are coming to Jamestown, you should absolutely go see the original spot where the colonists landed. They had active archaeological digging to test water levels in the soil to monitor the preservation of artifacts, which was a really neat thing to see.They had a fantastic museum that really gave me a true perspective on some of the harsh realities that the colonists experienced when they first landed.The greatest part about purchasing the tickets to come see historic Jamestown is that you can also use those tickets to go over to the York Battlefield and enjoy that, too. And once purchased the tickets are good for the whole week so even if you don't have the time to see everything in one day you can always come back throughout your stay

This is an awesome place just to walk the grounds to see everything restored and preserved from over 400 years ago. The view of the James River is beautiful, and it must have been very interesting starting the first permanent English settlement in North America back in 1607.

So amazing to see an active archaeological site, to hear about the history, and to learn about the process of discovering and preserving the artifacts and building remains. Any time that we can stand in the same place people did centuries ago, and learn a bit about what their lives were like, it's pretty fascinating.I also did the 'In the Vault' tour which was easily the highlight of my trip to this area. On this tour, we saw some of how they preserve the artifacts found here, the projects some of the archaeologists are currently working on, and learned fascinating details about some recent discoveries and the processes used by the conservators and curators. If you're at all interested in archaeology, this is an amazing opportunity to go behind the scenes and see things most people don't. I think this tour only happens once a month, so check the schedule if you're interested, and definitely buy tickets in advance.

It was cool. Where comfy shoes, not saddles bc it is quite a walk to see all the exhibits and lots of gravel pathways. I appreciate how much available seating sprinkled about so when you get tired from walking and need a break, a bench isn't far away.You can tell they took care and time setting up the exhibits. It is easy to understand the history that took place here.

This was my second visit as I was here in 2011 with my husband and children. This time I was with husband and parents. My dad has done genealogy and has found our ancestor was Abraham Piercy so a little different visit knowing this enjoyed the tour guides enjoyed the museums it was a great visit barring the fact hurricane Helene was upon us

This place is absolutely awesome! It was like walking through history. We don’t even have time to see everything it was so big! There’s a museum and a whole outdoor exhibit.

Unique experience of visiting this very first permanent British settlement in North America, right beside the James River. Between the waves of visitors to the site, you can have some quality alone time feeling the cool blowing wind from the river side and mind-conversing with the remains left by the small community that once lived and struggled here to prosper. The site is still be excavated by archaeologists and volunteers.

ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!! This is a MUST for schools whether local, or even out of state!! The knowledge found here for children and adults is beyond comprehension! This information is HISTORY IN THE MAKING!! To have visited today and having met a few of the archaeological team currently digging to continuously unearth artifacts dating back some 400+ years to earlier settlers of the Colonial Era when John Smith uprooted the Fort there at Jamestown, and well, … it quite breathtaking for a historian such as I to be standing in a place where the first democracy took shape. There are absolutely no words to express the surrealism of standing in this place. But then to turn and see the name of your ancestors on the wall or yet the very root of your family’s last name and thus your heritage, right there … it’s astounding!! When visiting Williamsburg, VA I recommend staying at Aldrich Bed & Breakfast where you have the opportunity of selecting several personal guided tours from Mr. Tom Patton, he and his wife Sue Patton are the Innkeepers. Mr. Patton is a Licensed Tour Guide. You have the opportunity of selecting a tour of Jamestown Island, Colonial Williamsburg, and/or Yorktown with Mr. Tom Patton. Feel free to visit their website aldrichhouse dot com. Mr. Patton has a knack for making the history of Williamsburg come alive as you tour, ITS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. You literally feel as though you are there during that period!

I came here 40 years ago and took my family. Great learning experience on American history. Well done. Great park rangers.

The location of the original fort was new to me. It was amazing to see the footprint where the English colonizers landed. The indigenous people and culture is important and there were artifacts in the new museum near the old fort. The artifacts are amazing! There is a cafe on site. The active archeological digs are informative. Walk the boardwalk trail to the old fort and pay the entrance fee there and it's only $15 if you don't have a lot of time and want to see one Jamestown thing in a few hours. The old fort is the best.

Very interesting historical place. Our guide Mark was phenomenal. We actually stayed all day to hear his afternoon tour

I haven't been back here for 30 years since I was a child, and I returned today with my kid and got to relive my childhood. Place looks so much better than what I remember as far as the museum areas go, and I'm happy they got as much going on as they do as this is an excellent place to preserve. Would highly recommend and I'm more than likely to come back with the family to tour the grounds a little more slowly. Had a wonderful time!

Highly recommend this historic area that contains both National site with interpretive signs and remaining/restored ruins along with past and ongoing Jamestown Rediscovery (VA) efforts which continues to bring stories to life. Take time in the museum to see the unearthed treasures (and then go back to where they were found!). Tasty sandwiches at the cafe. Archeological staff eagerly shared their recent finds and educated us about the phases and their ongoing efforts. SO glad we chose this over Jamestown Settlement as we were looking for actual historic sites.

This historical site has many interesting stories of the past. The walking areas are self guided tours. One tour guide is available in the old church. The kids enjoyed learning about the role of archeologists in the Ed Shed. The one drawback is that you will need to pay twice once for the initial Jamestown area and one for the bay area/church/barracks.

The site itself is pretty cool, albeit presented without much fanfare. Favorite part is definitely the archaeological museum that they have, whose staff are top notch knowledgeable and very interesting to listen to - in particular one Native speaker, I believe his name was also Daniel, gave one of the most in depth looks into the history of the first peoples here I'd ever heard.

This is the original Jamestown settlement. There is the US National Park and the Preservation Virginia area. There are two separate admissions. The Preservation Virginia side host the Archaearium Archaeology Museum, the Memorial Church, statues of John Smith and Pocahontas, and a fort replica. The National Park side has an obelisk monument and the grounds of the new Jamestown Settlement.

I would give it 5 stars but they have fenced off the best parts of the historic areas requiring a separate $15.00 entry fee. I was told this started in October 2023. Sort of a shame what the powers to be did here.

If you enjoy history and archaeology, you'll love this place! We were so surprised how amazing it was to see a place literally where the country began. The whole Pocahontas story is definitely real and this is where it happened! Ruins from early houses, old weapons and told, it's all here and actual archaeological digs are being done currently. The staff is top notch if you take time to go on a short tour but if you just walk to to an archaeologist doing the work, they're happy to talk to you. Highly recommend this stop on your itinerary!

The NPS has done a lot of archaeological digging in the last 30 years and recreated the fort and a couple of buildings in their original location. It was amazing to walk exactly where my ancestors spent time 325 years ago.

4.7

(4034)

4.5

(5579)

1368 Colonial Nat'l Historical Pkwy, Jamestown, VA 23081, USA

2 lists

The museum was great! There is a few things to see outside, but majority of our time was spent in the museum portion. There is lots of reading so be prepared to use your brain.

Excellent activity. Ships, fort, and museum are a must visit in this area. The cafeteria food was excellent and reasonably priced for a tourist area. Also offered a veteran’s discount.

Excellent place for the family. The Cafe has great options and isn't terribly priced all things considered. The gift shop has so much to offer you may spend longer there than viewing the exhibits.The outdoor area with the village, fort and ships were by far the family favorite. Indoor area are a great relief from the weather. I can't think of any negatives considering I got in for free being a York County resident. Maybe spent too much in the gift shop 🤷‍♂️ 5/5 would definitely recommend

Very interesting place to visit if you want to understand the history of the settlers in the United States. It was fascinating seeing how people built and lived in a community before modern technology. This is a nice place to stroll leisurely through history. I highly recommend visiting this historical location and seeing what it took to survive in a transitional period.

Very educational! Everyone was friendly! The reenactors we’re very educational and answered questions. Great. We love the ships! And the Indian reservation.

Amazing place! Definitely something for everyone of all ages.The entire settlement and museum is handicap accessible which makes it very easy for people in wheelchairs. Although boarding the ships outside by the river may be a bit challenging, but there are sections of the ships inside the museum which are accessible.The staff are very knowledgeable. We even met a descendant of the local Native American people within the Algonguian re-creation.The museum is completely hands on and interactive. I love that. Go sit inside the ship, walk thru cabins or huts and touch all the informative screens to learn more.Very enjoyable experience.

What an awesome place. You can spend the day here at $18 per ticket (kids are less or free). Very nice flow and set up. They have an outdoor area including replica ships and settlements. The staff are nice and friendly. There is a pretty large informative museum, gift shop and cafe. We had more fun here than Williamsburg at less than half the price.

We finally made it to Jamestown settlement on this trip. There's a lot to look at and experience for the price, which was surprising. They do have discounts at counter if you qualify, but even $20 is still a good price (I think lower price for kids). There's a big museum, bunch of walk- through areas, a fort, the grounds, the ships (however the Susan Constant is away for renovations) - there's still two others to board, an Indian town....... just plenty to see. There's also a resting station out on the grounds including restrooms, drink vending machines, ice cream cart and shade covered areas. There's a lot to see and learn, definitely recommend. Make sure to have water and dress for the warm/ hot weather.

I enjoyed this site the best. Went to Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. But, would have rather spent more time here.We went mid-week to avoid crowds, but many areas are closed during slower times.So, see it all with a crowd or avoid crowds and see partial.

This visit was a mix of good and bad, but I believe it was a mostly positive experience. We got food first before exploring and it was really good, if we lived in the area, we would visit for the brownie alone. While the indoor part of the experience was nice and informative, the outdoor exhibits were a little uncomfortable. Like some of the more negative reviews people have, the fact that we didn't see any Native American people as reenactors felt a little uncomfortable. I'm not going to speak much on that as I don't have any insight into the situation at the museum.

This was alot of fun. We went specifically for the glasshouse which was very cool seeing these skilled seasoned workers create these beautiful pieces. Bring money to buy some of the pieces.

I'm biased.. I'm not really a history buff..But it was big and air-conditioned . And if your into that stuff you'd enjoy it. They have indoor and outdoor exhibits.

This place was absolutely fantastic! The museum is AMAZING! And the live reenactment museum parts (Native American section, the fort, and the ships) are excellent! We spent like 5 hours here and never got bored. It was so great and the employees (especially the ones doing the reenactments) were very knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly. Every few minutes, my wife and I looked at each other, amazed at what a great place it is and a great deal. My kids learned so much from our time here and I would certainly pay to come back in the future. Even the gift shop was the greatest gift shop I've ever been in! All the stuff they sold wasn't complete junk and it was reasonably priced! Everything about this place is 1,000x better than Colonial Williamsburg (we went yesterday and it was disappointing). The ONLY negative thing I could say about this place is the confusion between this place, the "settlement" and the "historic site" which is the National Park.They also currently have an exhibit for Ruth Carter, the award winning costume designer for many films. It was a surprise to find at a Jamestown museum, but we loved it and spent a long time admiring the costumes and her work.

Beautiful places with lots to see. Plenty of indoor and outdoor exhibits. It was really awesome getting on the ships. The staff are friendly and informative. The price is reasonable. Veterans make sure to ask for a discount.

A must visit place. It was a really good experience and learning! Amazing and very dedicated staff. They can talk for hours about history. Good and inexpensive canteen. The stores on site have a very good selection and reasonable prices.

Must see attraction when visiting the area. There is a huge indoor exhibit with wonderful exhibits depicting the establishment of Jamestown.I would allow at least a couple hours to get through the indoor section as there is a lot. I found it a bit hard to navigate through in order, but the displays are great.Outdoor exhibits are well done too. Most of the actors portraying settlers were good, but you could tell some of them didn't want to be there.If you're in the Williamsburg area, take the Colonial highway here. It's a much more scenic drive!

This place was amazing! We spent hours here and couldn’t even cover all of it. The exhibits were incredible and I highly recommend it for the whole family, especially history buffs.

An incredible experience with history; It's like taking a time machine and going back to colonial time. The exhibits are highly illustrative and interactive. I loved the opportunity to listen to a guide explain the entire complicated process of throwing a shot in the times of the first European settlers in the area.

Great museum! Start in galleries at 1607 and continue up to 1690. Then go outside and visit the English settlement, Indian village and 3 ships. Wonderful docents in costumes.

Sure a great experience. They have active demonstrations and craft new tools and such using the old ways while teaching. This is definitely one of the top museums that we have been to from coast to coast.

4.7

(8362)

4.5

(4451)

2110 Jamestown Rd, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA

Beautiful small park, campground and bathroom/showers are well maintained. I’ve camped here 2 times, first just did trails, but this time I rented one of their canoes and was amazing. First time was in late august and 2nd time was middle of June, both days were in 90s, honestly I didn’t see much wildlife maybe because it was too hot but still worth it. I did see few butterflies and few turtles.

We have visited many of the NC State parks and I have to say this one ranks up there as a favorite. It’s a unique park in that it’s mostly a swamp. Lots of great hiking trails in and around the swamp. There are elevated boardwalks that allow you to walk over the swamp. It was a very cool experience. People were happily fishing of the millpond bridge when we were there as well. If you enjoy fishing that seemed to be a fun spot. We will venture back to hike a few other trails we didn’t get to cover.

Top places to paddle in NC! Well marked buoy trail to camp sites. Canoe rentals available. They also have a drive-to campground with showers/bathrooms but not on the water. Can get busy on the weekends and holidays. There’s no swimming and can get hot so best time is Spring and Fall.

Merchants Millpond is a great state park. Really one of the most beautiful I have spent time in. The trees growing in the pond along with the Spanish Moss and algae make for a wonderful canoe trip.We also saw an Alligator - you can see his head and back in a picture I posted.A great place to kayak, canoe, or hike.

Lovely park with great trails! I completed the Lassiter trail with my best friend. And it indeed took 3 hours. We saw a beautiful blue heron gliding over the water. The park was peaceful and serene. The park could benefit from a few signs that reassure you that you’re heading back to the start of the trail. We got scared that we were stuck on the loop🤣😂. Will go back soon!

Beautiful park with friendly staff and such amazing views of the mill pond and swamp.The visitors center has nice exhibits and a thorough history of the mill pond.Nice short easy hiking trail is available that navigates along part of the shoreline of the swamp.

Beautiful and so relaxing. So much to learn there. Took a canoe and went around the lake and saw deer, frogs, all kinds of turtles, snakes, birds, fish, but unfortunately no alligators.

A surprisingly beautiful and interesting landscape for a state park. Definitely a place meant to kayaked, but also makes a great stop on a road trip to somewhere. Absolutely worth the visit, will be going back to kayak the place.

I wish I knew about the place earlier. Very nice backpack camping site, it is only 1.5 mi away from parking and the permit is only $15. Perfect location for a one-night camping, fire pits included. Trails are a bit wet, so good shoes are required. The staff and rangers are very friendly.

Love the trails here, especially when the leaves begin to change. There is camping available as well as canoe rentals, and there's a boat ramp. There are trails of varying length so there's perfect ones for beginners or those who want something that may take a couple of hours as well.

Great place to paddle. Very scenic cypress swamp with lots of duckweed. No motorized boats were present in the pond. There's are some shallow areas further up the creek. Beavers and egrets can be spotted occasionally. Didn't see the gators, but I heard there are about three in the area.

This an excellent place to paddle. The park does have canoes to rent. We had the most fund exploring beyond the marked canoe trails. The bathrooms at the campground are older. The sites in general have a lot of privacy. We went on a rainy weekend and it wasn’t busy at all. The trails are kid friendly and can be combined to make for shorter or longer hikes.

Very beautiful walk. At this time of year I think the temperature was likely perfect for the walk. Visitors center was quite nice, wish there were a few more items to take home!

Best state park so far. Canoes were $10/ hour and I feel like could spend all day on the pond. Rangers were really nice. Told us there were 3 known gators on the pond. We didn't see any. Wish they had some kayaks. They had life jackets for 30 lbs and up, so our daughter could join on the canoe.

We've hiked the Millpond a dozen times. Nice quality loop about 6 miles all in. There are many options to adjust length from 2 to 6 miles depending on cut thrus, etc. We bring our big dog and see a few others on the trails. Never very crowded. Park has water and restrooms. Rangers are friendly and helpful too.

Love this place! We’ve been there four times. The Lassiter Loop is a beautiful hike and the canoeing is great.

We enjoyed our time here camping. It isn't the quietest park we have stayed because we could hear road traffic from surrounding roads and air traffic, probably from multiple military bases just over the border inVAWe really enjoyed canoeing in the millpond among the cypress. Absolutely gorgeous! Multitudes of turtles, Canadian geese, and even saw a couple of muskrat. Nice to see the biodiversity.

I love coming here. The canoeing is great!! Always enjoy the otters that pop up at times and different bird callings. Tons of turtles to spot. There are some islands you can stop at… avoid stopping at these islands during peak tick season though. There is also a great picnic area mostly clean and functional pit to grill… Overall a fun visit!

Such a great spot! Just did the kayak-in camping for a second year in a row. Scenery is beautiful, and there's tons of wildlife. Boat ramp area is nice with a long dock. Would recommend!

Tent camping area was REALLY nice. We had a well-behaved, friendly dog with us. Awesome fire pit. Good distance between sites. The restroom was very clean. BUT... after some rain, the path to the restroom was SLICK! Busted my butt (knee, arm & head) in the mud (battle scars!)!

Nice place to go if you don't want to be right on the water. It's about 0.5 mile hike down a trail to the water & it was covered with what looked like duck weed so it made fishing very difficult. We didn't see or catch any fish. The showers were poorly lit and the water was extremely hot...I couldn't adjust the temperature, neither could my wife in the women's shower.

Three days camping at the family campground. Enjoyed our stay immensely. The cicadas, crickets, and frogs nightly serenaded us. The facilities were clean and stocked. Exploring the trails was fun, but spending a day padding on the Millpond capped the entire trip. The rangers and staff were fantastic, and the welcome center had very good exhibits

4.7

(685)

4.5

(65)

176 Mill Pond Rd, Gatesville, NC 27938, USA

Excellent Visit, tasted 4 types of Virginia peanut! Really crunchy and tasty! Francis served us! We saw their display at the Virginia welcome center and tried a sample! The building is quaint and old looking, but it has plenty to see and peanuts to buy! Yummy! Of course ample parking for the size of the building!

I try to stop every time i visit my Granddaughters in Va. The Lady at the counter is always so sweet and so helpful. She even passes out samples. I try to get something new every time I go like the scorching hot barbecue sauce was great sea salted peanuts chocolate-covered pecans this time I got the Cherry butter OMG you can eat it straight out of the jar but when I got home we glazed baby back ribs with it and it was so good if you're in the area it's right off 95 you've got to stop.

These are the best peanuts I’ve ever had! I love the roasted in the shell with no salt. I get them from the Miller’s gas station near the Coliseum in Hampton.I hope you never stop delivering them there! ❤️

This place is amazing! 1) They have boiled peanuts (that was enough for me to stop 😀), 2) It smells like a slice of Heaven in there, 3) Everything I have purchased is so, so good. I am still dreaming about the Cajun boiled peanuts!We recently stopped in on our drive up up to Maine from Florida and it is right off the highway. Extremely convenient to grab some gas and head further on down the road to get some of their delicious food offerings! Make to stop, you won't regret it. ❤️🥜

My husband stopped and met the fine ladies here. He loved the peanuts and the selection of other goodies they offer. The folks here are incredibly friendly, and this is a place you can't miss when you are headed through the area!

It's an interesting place not far off I95. Oh, and they sell Virginia ham too.

Wide variety of fresh homemade nuts. It’s worth a few minutes off the interstate, they even sell cokes to put your boiled peanuts in! Super friendly and down to earth folks.

What a pleasant stop on our trip. We decided to stop here since it was so close to I 95. So glad we did. They have an excellent selection of peanuts very affordable and will allow you to sample anything you want. All the samples we tried were delicious. They have something for everyone. This is a stop you do not want to miss.

Nestled in the heart of Virginia, this peanut company is a true gem. Their commitment to quality shines through in every bite of their locally grown peanuts and peanut products. From classic roasted peanuts to artisanal peanut butter and everything in between, each product is a testament to their passion for peanuts.What sets this small business apart is not just the exceptional taste of their products, but also their dedication to sustainable farming practices. Knowing that their peanuts are grown with care right here in Virginia adds an extra layer of satisfaction with every purchase.Beyond the deliciousness and sustainability, their customer service is top-notch. The staff is friendly, knowledgeable, and always eager to help. Whether you're a local or just passing through, a visit to this peanut company is a must.Supporting local businesses like this one not only ensures access to quality products but also helps to preserve

So glad I found them. Not far off the highway. Got some peanuts and brittle. Almost out now, will be placing an order soon. Would love to go back during the peanut season just to see.

In winter a Beautiful Sunday noon, no snow and ice, only have the relaxing in driving, we were back to North along HW95, not too much traffic, then got a chance to look around the scenery and signs, Virginia Peanuts Exit 4 at side road big sign was attracted my eyeballs, Local product’s always are my favourite experiences in discovering the world. Peanuts are so called “longevity fruit” in my education , healthy, tasty , we have so many ways to eat it, with or without shells, also there are so many cooking recipes with meat or vegetables. Eating With shells could bring me back to my childhood, the original status of my growing period, that time we only can have chance to eat it once a year, that’s in Spring Festival-similar as Christmas in North America , many friends gathered in the tea time, chatting and gaming . No doubts, carried back many bags to home … the size each piece is big, the fruits are crunchy, just like as we ate as we educated online. So great to stop and got it, as well enjoy it.

Such a cute place, not too far off I-95 in sothern VA. A huge assortment of peanuts and other nuts, salted, flavored, chocolate covered and more. The cashier gave us several samples and we ended up buying the butter roasted peanuts, chocolate covered, and chocolate peanut brittle. They had cured ham that looked really good bit we didn't buy it. Definitely worth the stop!

Recently traveled by and bought a bag of their peanuts in the shell. Got home and found them not too fresh. Called them the next day. They apologized and shipped me another bag that arrived in New Jersey a couple of days later This bag was fine. Great company with integrity and regard for their customers. Kudos and thanks.

While on a road trip on Nov 6th, two friends and I stopped by The Good Earth Peanuts Store in Skippers, Virginia. They have a great selection of peanuts, jellies and jams and also country ham. Well worth the visit.

Been stopping by on my way south for years and buying cases. Haven't made a trip down in a while so I decided to order and have them shipped. Ordered on a Saturday and they arrived Wednesday better wrapped than many other items I've received. Thanks for the quick shipping!

Pleasant stop off of 95 offering a great variety of peanut products including two varieties of boiled peanuts, chocolate covered peanuts, peanut butter and more.

Good selection of items. We are headed home to CT so we have not tried anything yet. But I brought a jam and some sea salt peanuts, candied pecans, peanut brittle and cashews. I found dill pickle flavored! It's cute little old run down fashion house with lots of charm to it. We spend almost 70. It's not a cheap place so hopefully it is worth the money. Will let you know when we finally try it.

This Peanut Location is a must have if you really like peanuts, for years I passed this place traveling but I finally stopped in, what a treasure, at first you see a Location that looks somewhat from the past but that's ok. The friendly staff was great to work with, after making my decision I went back to my car and had to try before leaving omg these peanuts were the best I went right back in and purchased a 40 oz container as I knew the 18oz was not going to last long. Lots of options and products plus they ship. They also have a 14 page catalog, I purchased the red skin salted peanuts, next trip this will be a must stop again.

4.7

(175)

4.5

(95)

5334 Skippers Rd, Skippers, VA 23879, USA

This place is absolutely amazing. It was incredibly clean. Every exhibit was so well cared for and the staff were excellent from the front to the actual exhibits themselves. I was so impressed with the lack of poison ivy along the walking trails and paths. Someone clearly takes a lot of time and care when caring for their landscape. It was absolutely gorgeous. The native plants and thoughtfulness in their landscaping is noticeable. My son, 8, loved it. We will most definitely return. Huge compliments to those that care for this amazing bird park.

If you are looking for a perfect place to take the kids, this is it! It’s great for everyone! Nice walking paths and great views. The birds are happy and active.

Loved our experience at the bird park. There were so many birds and they were so easy to see up close and personal. I don't think I've been to a zoo that allowed such intimate viewing of its animals. Already making plans to come back!

My husband and I spent a few hours here today and had a wonderful time. It was very quiet and the weather was superb. The park is amazing with many exotic birds from all over the world. Some of the larger birds made sounds that made me fell like I was in jurassic park. The trails around the park are lovely and scenic navigating you from one exhibit to the next. Highly recommend this park.

Very good experience with the bird.. My family enjoyed feeding birds and we had fun over there. Pop sticks were very good.. we were not able to stop eating.. we had zoo pass so the entry is free for our family..

Excellent Visit-We spent our 28th anniversary here today and it was lovely.As we proceeded through the exhibits, I really enjoyed the scenery of the well-kept aviaries throughout this park. Employees are all educated and helpful.The parakeets in the Landing were very active, but if they don’t come to you right away, don’t be afraid to scoop one up to encourage it to interact and/or eat the millet stick, per my husband & not me because I am afraid of birds swooping like that haha (Buy the seed sticks at ticket counter before going into park)My favorites:The kookaburra laughed for me and the cassowary ran back and forth like a Dino raptor and it was the highlight of my day!We both have mobility issues, so I wanted to provide the following info:This park is laid out in a loop with many inclines, rocky pathways, & root growth under pavement making for treacherous rolling. Using a wheelchair with small front wheels proved challenging to say the least. (large wheels are recommended) That being said, I CAN walk a bit and had to to maneuver the wheelchair through some of the trails.Also, there are many benches and picnic areas to rest along the trails, but we still had carried a fold up stool for my husband but he only had to use it once.There is a golf cart rental= 5 people for $100 I think. So that will be what we do next time likely, because this park is worth every penny!

Great place to go and see birds from all over the world. Well maintained property with picnic areas inside & outside the park.There is a covered shelter, which was reserved for a party, but that was the only sheltered picnic area. Bring a table cloth if you picnic.Loved the area you can walk inside & have the birds land on your hand & body.Great for all ages & wheelchairs & strollers.Would have liked to have a schedule of interactive shows or talks with a trainer. There was I e young man that had a bird he was talking about, but we had no clue when or where this was going to happen, just stumbled upon him.

We had an amazing time at Sylvan's Bird Park! It's a fantastic destination for families, and we thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The highlight of our trip was definitely the Landing Zone, where we got to feed the lovely lorikeets. It was a truly delightful experience. The park offers a wonderful atmosphere, making it perfect for a fun-filled day out with loved ones. We highly recommend Sylvan's Bird Park to anyone looking for a great family-friendly spot.

I can't say enough good about the park and the work they do. The park is a good size. You can do the whole place in 1/2 a day. There are all sorts of groovy looking birds. They have Flamingos, emu, owls, and eagle and the biggest most dinosaur looking bird or all, the cassowary. The staff was friendly and very knowledgeable. We decided to take advantage of add-on where we got to feed parakeets and flamingos. That was entirely too much fun. Until I learned this at the park, I was unaware that parakeets will try to get that salt off you when you sweat. It was warm and humid when we went. I was covered in parakeets. It was great. Hand feeding the flamingos was pretty awesome also. I heartily recommend a visit.

I’ve been to this place many times over the years. It’s not too far off I-95 and can be a perfect in between on long trips. There are so many bird enclosures that are well placed so it’s not too big - I’m never tired after I visit. Fun for anyone who loves birds. I recommend getting at least 2 sticks of parakeet food. It’s always so fun to feed the birds with friends and family. I also love that proceeds go to protecting wildlife and conservation.

Fantastic sanctuary in the middle of nowhere! Such a peaceful place to visit and stroll around under all the large shade trees and see so many beautiful tropical birds. It really is very nicely done and lived that it is mostly shaded. Bring a packed lunch ad there are lots of places to sit and enjoy ypur lunch in the shade listening to all the birds. Loved feeding the crazy parakeets but definitely not for someone that is at all scared of birds, haha.

I absolutely love Sylvan Heights Bird Park! The birds blend perfectly with the natural surroundings, making it feel like you’ve stepped into a vibrant bird paradise. Being able to interact with these beautiful creatures up close is such a special experience, and the peaceful environment makes it a perfect place to relax and enjoy nature.

Beautiful place, with amazing, beautiful birds. They have a lovely gazebo where you can look out on and see wild birds, picnic tables for a picnic or a rest, plenty of places where you can walk in with the birds, and lovely little trails.The landing zone I think could be done better. They make you go in as a group to feed the parakeets and flamingos, and they only give you a certain amount of time. I think it would flow better if someone attended the doors for the birds safety so they don't escape and they don't exceed the limit of people inside, and let people go in and out as pleased. My husband and I had parakeets on our stick of food the entire time we were in there but had to leave before the food was even half gone. You don't get alot and since I have to pay to feed the birds I want the food gone. But it was still fun. My husband and I got the membership because we will be coming back soon.If a staff member asks how many peacocks they have, don't answer two like I did. Apparently the short tailed ones are peahens.

Such a lovely bird sanctuary! Perfect for all ages! Definitely buy the bird food so that you can feed the parakeets, flamingos and ducks! I will definitely be returning and bringing the rest of my family!

My first stop coming down from Virginia. Beautiful place! Even though there were a lot of school field trips, it was a great attraction. So glad I was able to get in and feed the budgies. Worth the stop.

We drove 2 hours to visit and enjoyed every moment there. Friendly staff. Will definitely go back. Fun for all ages.

Took my crew on a Tuesday to take advantage of the homeschool discount. All of my kids (2 1/2, 9, & 15) really enjoyed. We only had 2 1/2 hours -- i definitely recommend giving yourself more time! We really enjoyed all of the birds but feeding the parakeets and flamingos was a blast! [Side note- Your kids may want to wear close toed shoes. My son was wear croc sandals and the parakeets wouldn't stop eating his toes. Lol] The cafe is a little pricey for what you get, but it was good to have a bite to eat before we left. Recommend carrying cash in case the card machine is down (it was this time, but thankfully I happened to bring cash with me). We really enjoyed it and look forward to going back with the whole family. :)

A wonderful intimate look at aviary life. Hatchlings were abundant when we stopped. I only wish we had planned a picnic. It is important to know that the Landing Zone is open from Noon-1 and 2-4pm. In hindsite we should have planned to go there at Noon - most of the flamingos were sleeping by the time we went - with the exception of 2 that were mating. 😉We rushed to get there for the Keeper talk - and waited at the spot where we were informed it would take place - and no one showed. Despite this, we had a great time. I also suggest learning the map below before going so you can enjoy the space without needing a map.

This place is fun for all ages. This was our second visit to the bird park. All of the trails are lined with beautiful flowers. The different sections house birds from different parts of the world. Our favorite part is the big, open area where the parakeets fly all around you. There's also a playground and picnic tables. If you love nature, you'll love this place.

We visited impromptu, not having enough time and not knowing what to expect, we definitely did not spend enough time seeing all the exhibits. It was quite a surprise and an amazing experience! There were birds, plants and trees from all over the continent! It is probably best to set aside at the very least a couple of hours for proper viewing. Tickets were around $25 per person.

We were visiting from out of town and got to visit the bird park-- it is really cool! There are so many beautiful animals to see. The Landing Zone is not for the faint of heart though-- the parakeets will definitely land on you and try to nibble your shoelaces!

It's a good way to spend a day with family,have a picnic and make memories.. You can also enjoy your adventure by doing alittle shopping in there gift shop and on the way out grab an ice cream sit on the porch for a little extra time listening to the birds sing.. Fun for all ages..

My wife and I had an amazing time here. There were so many types of birds from all over the world. Great family friendly environment. Make sure you buy a seed stick or two to be able to feed the parakeets!

4.8

(2179)

5.0

(240)

500 Sylvan Heights Park Way, Scotland Neck, NC 27874, USA

If I could go 4.5 stars here, I would. This is a relatively small state park, though it's still big enough to have some fun. I took the bear creek/summit loop trail after work and took my camera. This is the 10th of the state parks that I have been to, and so far it's the least exciting. No, it's not really a mountain. Supposedly, it used be an extremely long time ago, and you can see evidence every once in a while of that if you look hard enough.When I went, I was the only person on the trail. It was overcast and had been raining for days. The river level was pretty high and the trail was flooded in a couple of spots. I just went off the path to get around those spots, so it wasn't a huge deal. Lots of poison ivy, though. It was a peaceful, almost 5 mile loop on a relatively flat trail. There are some bike trails here that seem like they could be awesome but I can't speak to those as I just hiked.The stars of my hike were 100% the mushrooms! I don't usually geek out over mushrooms, but they were everywhere. I also saw a ton of butterflies and a really cool buck(briefly). He ran away while yelling at me. Haha. Unfortunately I couldn't get a shot of him. I was being too loud.Worth the trip but I can't see spending more than half the day here. I'll be interested in checking it out again in the fall but the bugs here in late July were *brutal*.

Medoc Mountain is a hidden gem of a state park. The staff at the nature center, Allen, was so, so helpful with planning our hikes that would accommodate a small child. We also got to meet Charlie the Snake! We took the Campground and Bluff trails - a nice, hilly hike. That is a rare find in this part of North Carolina. While there were a few staircases and bridges that could use some touch up (I mean, hey, they're pieces of high trafficked wood in the middle of a wet forest, some damage is only to be expected), the park upkeep was remarkable. The campground bathrooms were impeccably clean, shout out to a good camp host! The playground that they are doing construction on looks like it will be awesome. There were bathrooms, water stations and trash cans located conveniently throughout the park. Not to mention that the NC State Parks Passport stickers were available separately, how clever of an idea is that? I cannot sing Medoc Mountain's praises enough.

Absolutely beautiful, don’t forget to stop by the education center, the gentleman there is very knowledgeable of the park and is very friendly and helpful. Clean restrooms, plenty of parking, we didn’t stay at the campground but saw it and it was roomy , they have onsite firewood available for purchase and the sites aren’t cramped together, plenty of trees between for privacy and shade. We saw nutrias, there’s a rare mud dog that lives in the waters there. Plenty of turtles and saw the 100 year cicadas as well, the sound they make is eerie for sure.

I had a great time hiking around Medoc Mountain. There were very few visitors while I was there on a Saturday morning. The trails were well maintained, wide, and easy to traverse. The views were nothing spectacular, but enough to keep me interested throughout the hike.

Trails are always clean, rangers are always super friendly. It's my favorite park within 100 miles of home and that's saying a lot because there are a ton of parks in that range

Medoc Mountain State Park is a serene haven for nature lovers, providing a perfect escape into the tranquility of the outdoors. The park's extensive trail system offers picturesque hikes amidst lush forests and alongside serene streams, providing a rejuvenating experience for hikers of various skill levels.The park's tranquil ambiance, complemented by the soothing sounds of nature, makes it an ideal spot for picnics, fishing, or simply unwinding amidst the beauty of the surroundings. The diverse wildlife and vibrant flora add to the park's allure, offering visitors a chance to connect with nature in its purest form.Whether you're seeking a day of outdoor adventure or a peaceful retreat away from the bustle of everyday life, Medoc Mountain State Park is a hidden gem. Its scenic beauty and array of recreational activities make it a must-visit destination for anyone yearning to immerse themselves in the natural wonders of North Carolina.

Spent an absolutely wonderful afternoon at the park. The staff was very helpful and so friendly. The place is very well kept, the facilities and grounds were in excellent shape. There were a lot of kids at the playground area and several people were walking the trails, most with dogs. I ran several of the trails which were fun. The summit trail wore me out though. Look forward to returning to try the mountain bike trails and maybe a kayak run. Great place to visit and enjoy time outdoors with the family.

The Ranger and staff on duty were so considerate about allowing my father with limited mobility to have the best possible experience. The park itself was lovely.

We have Camp Hosted at Medoc 4 times and always enjoyed our stay there.The staff and trails are great for horseman trail walks or mountain bikers.

They have the perfect little Adventure Park for your pint sized tikes! We were looking for a place to get outside and play and were pleasantly surprised to see this short little trail with lots of things to keep your preschoolers entertained. Perfect for us!

We are very delighted to our visit to Medoc Mt State Park! We had a lot of fun meeting and playing with Charlie, the corn snake resident in the park office! He is such a gentle and curious creature, very friendly with human! We also had a great time chatting with the park officer Alan. Would definitely come back to visit Charlie!

Bought a mountain bike (shout out to Moore's Bicycle Shop of Rocky Mount, NC; check my review), and Medoc Mountain was my first real place to try it out. Location-wise, it's 30-45 minutes from Rocky Mount. This place has what seems like endless trails for mountain biking, and I think the time I chose to go (late on a Wednesday afternoon) made it so that I pretty much had the trails all to myself. I was there for maybe 3 hours riding trails, and still don't think I saw all there was to see. The terrain is exciting (rock, dirt, tree roots, inclines, declines, etc, all in the woods), and you can pause by the river for a nice break and peaceful scenery). I was riding in the rain and the cover of trees kept me fairly dry. All in all, I did about 12 miles of bike riding here, and would not mind going back to cover the areas I didn't reach the first time around. Also, great for those seeking walking trails (bike trails and hiking trails are separated and labeled by signs, and have 911 location markers along the routes in case of emergencies). Park playground, picnicking, camping, sun-tanning in open meadows, biking, hiking - Medoc Mountain State Park has it all.

I was there for a trail run. The preparation of the staging area and the trails we ran was exceptional! After the event, we went to the gift store/interpretive center. The staff there was friendly, information, and helpful. I hope to return to Medoc Mountsin State Park again so I can walk other trails and see the other features of the park.

Really nice state park. Super clean with friendly staff in the office. The restrooms were clean. The Habitat Adventure Trail is great for kids and learning with multiple interactive activities. There is a small playground and an area with covered picnic tables.

Nice park with a lot of hiking trails, you can pick the difficulty level and distance from easy to moderate. Plenty of parking and a lot of picnic tables. Nice playground right next to the pavilion with a fireplace. Dog friendly.

The visitor center is great. Richard who works there was very helpful and even took the time to take out their pet corn snake for us to handleWe did the summit loop trail and started from the visitor center, which altogether is about 4.52 miles.It was a really nice hike and a bit adventurous since it had rained really well the past day or so and gave us some water hazards along the trail.

4.7

(748)

4.5

(54)

1541 Medoc State Park Rd, Hollister, NC 27844, USA

Cute Lil place for kids. Interesting things to do hands on with young children.

This place is AWESOME! Easily could of spent another day playing. We loved the blending of art, science and math. The staff was super friendly, kind and knowledgeable. My son is 7 and he didnt want to leave when they were closing soon. There's so much to do and see. Not just the activities and art but the building itself was beautiful. Perfect way to spend a Tuesday in roadschool. Many thanks to everyone there for an incredibly enjoyable experience.

Wonderful place to go. It’s a historic children’s museum .the building itself is very interesting. It was a tobacco factory.A lot events was closed the day we went. It’s fair cuz ticket only $6 under 3 free.

This is a wonderful place for the whole family. I love the planetarium, which is included with the $6 admission price.There exhibits are changing all the time so you could see something different with each visit.

My family always has a blast when they go. I do appreciate how they change up "themes" so its always something new. Very kind staff, very clean ( always someone sanitizing the toys) bathroom even has a little stool for kids to use to wash their hands.

We had a great day today. My kids are 15 and 11 and we enjoyed our time there. Definitely worth the visit for all ages!

We attended a field trip here and it’s really not much to do. Compared to the museums in Raleigh and Durham this one is really mediocre. Our kids were bored after about 30 minutes. Planetarium was closed which we were most excited about. No souvenir shop. I guess it’s something for the locals to enjoy. Won't ever be returning.

We were from out of town but the kids museum is awesome. I have a 2 year old and although some of the exhibits are for older kids, she still had a lot of opportunity for stimulation. When we went there was a laser light show in the planetarium and dinosaur theme. There are two floors for full interactive activities. There was also an art gallery but we didn't have time to go. If ever we end up in Rocky Mount, we will be sure to visit again!

The ever changing exhibits are all ways good, the art is interesting to look at, the planetarium is cool as well, but I think the best part is the play or drama department. They have had performances including Wizard of Oz, Little Shope of Horrors, Elf, Clue, 9 To 5, those are the ones I can remember off the top of my head there have been others.

Very fun and educational place for kids! The faculty keeps the place very clean and organized.

I really enjoy the plays. But they would be much better if you'd get rid of the profanity and serial references. I'm not sure I feel comfortable bringing my kids anymore.

A great spot to bring the kids. Its a smaller version of Marbles Kids Museum in downtown Raleigh but not as crowded. The down-side is some of the exhibits are dated and need some maintenance but all-in-all, for the price of admission, its still worth it.

4.5

(284)

4.5

(49)

270 Gay St, Rocky Mount, NC 27804, USA

Beautiful setting with history. Great for a group. We each did flight of all different versions and they were all delicious! Indoor and outdoor space. Staff was very nice.

If in the area or out of the area, make it a point to visit this wonderful winery. They offer a very in depth variety of wine tastings as well as cheeses. The staff, particularly Rick, was fun, knowledgeable and very pleasant.

We googled wineries near us when we were staying in the area in our RV. This one came up first and what a gem! We had a wine tasting and bought a few bottles. The staff was wonderful too!

Great service. Wine tasting was $15 per person. Tasted lot's of wines but only cared for two. It could have been I wasn't in the mood for wine but I am definitely a wine conesiur and wasn't that excited.

Beautiful place and wonderful wine. The staff are very knowledgeable. It's a nice way to spend a date on their covered deck.

Still on our way back from Richmond to Charlotte. Just before the state line we found this beautiful winery. Good wine and great history. Tasting done the old fashion way since some of the covid restrictions. No more flights only but actual wine tasting. Staff was knowledgeable and friendly. Perfect fall day. All is well.

A hidden gem! Wonderful knowledgeable staff. Super friendly people as well. Beautiful building and snacks available. Loved the whites & a great Merlot. Beautiful grounds and seating areas are lovely- even with the pollen lol. Will definitely visit again! Thank you for a lovely afternoon.

Today was our 2nd visit here and we love it. The first time we did a tasting and then had Rose as it was National Rose Day. Today we enjoyed a couple of bottles of red and sat outside. Also had a warm baguette and jalapeño pimento cheese. Super warm and friendly place, the atmosphere is calm and restful. Highly recommend. We will be back for sure !!

Great time with great friends. Employees are always helpful and friendly. Pictures from our outdoor table!

We have had some memorable experiences at Rosemont bridal showers, family gatherings, and even some casual hangouts. They haven't let us down! Ask them about their Winery Club!!!...

Rosemont was the first vineyard we visited when we started our wine odyssey in 2020 and it has become a very special place to us.We enjoy the wines tremendously and the staff -Rick and company are top notch.The tasting room, facilities and grounds are spectacular as well. This farm has history and has been in the Rose family a long time.Pickup parties and events regularly scheduled and food trucks, live music are always fun. Recommend joining the 1858 club!

Beautiful setting, good wine. Went with a group of ladies looking for a fun get together. Our instructor seemed disappointed that she we weren’t serous wine tasters.

You get a 5!!!!! One of my favorite wineries and easily 1 of the top 3 in VA. The owners and staff are very knowledgeable, informative and amazing. I know we couldn't live without being members of their wine club. The wine club dinner parties are a great benefit and a lot of fun. Don't miss out on this gem. Thanks a lot for the unforgettable memories Justin, Aubrey and Rosemont crew!!

Elevating the standard of Virginia wine and is very reasonably priced for what you could expect from a winery visit. I wouldn't typically go for a rose unless it is really good and dry and theirs is just that!

Heading to see family we saw the sign on the side of the road and decided to do a U-turn and check it out. I'm glad we visited we bought two bottles of wine, one for us and one for a friend. The gentleman that helped us out was very friendly and knowledgeable. The house and grounds are beautiful I'm glad we stopped by this beautiful Vinyard...

Our favorite winery by far! We signed up for their membership package because it's such an amazing deal, plus we get free wine flights every time we visit. We are from NC, but it's just a lovely drive up Hwy 85 over the lake, and you're basically there. Once you visit and try their wines, you're sure to return!

Great stop! Beautiful building. Great service from Paula. The staff had great recommendations for wines & the food truck. We enjoyed our stop here!

We came to Rosemont on a cold and rainy Saturday. It was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. We did a wine tasting and then bought a bottle to enjoy and relax at the winery. They have a selection of cheese and crackers and other snacks to purchase, which we did. They had a good variety of wine to suit a variety of wine preferences. The staff was friendly and professional. We'll be back.

4.8

(193)

4.5

(42)

1050 Blackridge Rd, La Crosse, VA 23950, USA

After I read about the Whirligig Park, had to go visit. It was maybe smaller than I expected, but much cooler than I had imagined. The slight wind helped the whirligigs along and that was nice to see. The park is also dog friendly, so I liked that too. It's fun to see how one man can bring so much joy to people by putting these creations together. Make sure you visit the museum/gift shop across the street, it's small but large hearted and the staff there was not only friendly, but helpful.

This was the perfect day to come! The wind was surely whipping to blow these guys around. My son was loving it and was enjoying looking at these beautiful art pieces!

Stopped by (pit stop) on our drive from Charleston to Richmond . What a wonderful place . Larger than life moving, spinning, clacking, beautiful art. Every time you look at a piece you notice something different. Could have sat and admired for hours. Picnic tables and a grass area to play . Loved this place. Quirky - maybe not everyone’s vibe, but if you like unique places then totally worth the stop.

This is one of the neatist thing park I have ever seen. This is on the top ten list of unusual places in North Carolina. There are at least twenty five different large mobils on poles. Each mobil has a nameand who the sponcer is. Very glad I came to this free park in Wilson N.C.

Wonderful outdoor space filled with whimsical whirligigs. Picnic benches in sun and shade. Definitely worth stopping if near town &/or for one of the many events they have.

Fun, interesting. I went today. It was a great day to explore this park. So many creations in a great environment.

This place is unbelievably cool. It's not a huge park but the Whirligigs are so cool to watch and observe - such a feat of creativity and construction. You'll probably have the best experience if it's a breezy day, but it wasn't particularly windy when we were there and they were still in motion.One note: the park is in FULL SUN so keep that in mind when planning the timing of your visit and your sunscreen needs.

This spring break we brought the kids to Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. We've been wanting to go see these for a while and we're finally able to make it.These structures are 'cool' (as my daughter puts it) and we picked the perfect day as it was windy.The park has a few plaque markers showcasing the artist and explaining the history of his work!Across the street is a store fully designated for the park. It sells some souvenirs of the experience. The lady working there was extremely friendly and was able to tell us a little bit more about the park.I definitely recommend stopping into the shop and signing the guest book. We found some 'cool' coloring pages that my daughter was excited about and wanted. We also found a few lego builds of whirilgigs for my son.

I love this park during the Whirligig festival in November! They have music, food, beer, crafts, and lots of community. Plus, great activities for the kids. Wilson is a bit of a drive if you’re in the RTP, but I think it’s worth it. I would not go if it is not tue festival though…

Great whimsical park. While there are a bunch of road closures around it it’s easy to get to it.Lots of little shops in the area.

It is such a happy, colorful place. We always bring guests to the park to show them these unique creations.

You can't help but smile when you visit this place. It'll brings out the kid in you.

What a wonderful way to save an artists legacy. Wendy (Events Planner for the park) was very kind and helpful, giving us information about the area and suggestions of what to do and where to eat. What a wonderful little town!

It's a pretty good outdoor art installation. My wife and I visited and we enjoyed the quirkyness

Extraordinary place to spend a day. Picnics, frisbees, kites and the fabulous whirligigs. Serene, clean and great amenities.

Such a fun park! It’s so nice to see these amazing art pieces restored, cared for, & enjoyed! Plenty of space & well kept tables to enjoy a picnic lunch & get some fresh air on our road trip.

Such a neat place. A must see if in the area. And it is free to view.

Fascinating collection of towering windmill whirligigs in tribute to the inspiring man who created them. Features event space, covered picnic tables, restrooms, museum and gift shop. Note road closure bordering park as Wilson is upgrading infrastructure in an effort to rejuvenate its downtown. Free parking available near park. Can be a fun stop on a day trip visiting other free attractions in the area including Lake Wilson, Wilson Rose Garden, and Wilson Botanical Garden.

30Dec2023Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park.Wilson North Carolina.This is the best park to visit. Just look at all those Whirligig erected in the Park. Best from the waste. Just amazing.Took pics, slow motion videos.Please do visit the museum in the building in front. You can watch the original pieces. You can buy small memorabilia like Whirlgig, and then magnets and t-shirts.And don’t forget to thank the attendant Ms Catherine, who provides all good information. She is amazing person. Thank you.

We finally were able to stop by. It was well worth the side trip. Luckily, the wind was blowing. Visited the museum/gift shop across the street.

4.7

(2181)

4.5

(149)

301 Goldsboro St S, Wilson, NC 27893, USA

After a rainy week, it was time to explore. Twenty miles from the house was the museum. Watch the informative video on the tobacco growing process before going into the museum. There were a lot of displays and I was very impressed. The 1922 Ford was neat to see.Enjoy being able to walk through the buildings. While there, I was told that they often have a blacksmith on site. I would recommend calling a head to see if the blacksmith was going to be there or get a schedule of events.

What a kool lil museum. I ain't a smoker but the process was interesting. Don't skip the 15 minute video at the beginning. It was pretty informative on the process. Lots of artifacts from times past. The property has a few buildings scattered about.The best part was the blacksmith Dakota, WOW, he was so kool. Loved all his explainations about his trade. He made me a few things too.

About a week ago, the wife and I decided to go on a day date to Selma. On the way there we drove past the Tobacco Farm Life Museum and decided to turn around and visit.It was totally unexpected but was an interesting voyage down memory lane.The buildings found there are actual dwellings from NC's tobacco era. Equipped with description plates on each building along with fully furnished insides, you're able to got a glimpse of what life was like.It was definitely worth the stop and an interesting slice of history.

Cool little museum. Was interesting to read all about the tobacco heritage of Johnston Co. And North Carolina. Would definitely say take a day trip and spend a few hours.

I had a chance visiting here last year and it was definitely a great experience and it's very peaceful and historical. My daughter and myself and friends loved it ❤️ 💕 😊

This place was so neat!! The staff was super friendly and knowledgeable. Would definitely stop here again! They had cute hands on exhibits for the kids as well.

Awesome little museum! From the 15 minute video, blacksmithing demonstration, adorable displays and fun old buildings to look at. We loved it. Great stop for our @PedrozaAdventures Instagram page!

Knowledgeable and courteous staff, interesting history and right up your alley if you're curious about tobacco production or early Southern American lifestyle!

This place was a great little stop for our family vacation. There are tons of exhibits and out buildings that you could either go in or see in. Very interesting to know the history. Fun kids area. The folks welcoming were very cordial and excited to see us. They Put lots of effort into making it a great place to visit.

This is a neat place to see a lot of interesting facts about tobacco farming. I gave it 3 stars because I felt 8.00 per person was a little high for what they have. But overall I would recommend this place ☺️

Little spendy ($8 a head) for what it is but guess it costs $ to maintain the grounds. Nicely maintained displays interesting to see how things were done and people lived. Lot of work went into farming for those cigarettes if you got the time and money worth a stop.

Awesome place to visit. It will take you back to your childhood memories

We were here for the 100 mile yard sale. The museum itself was not open the day we were there. I've never actually been inside so I can't really give a review.

AMAZING! Melody VERY very special and friendly! Go see this! Kids play area! Go pretend and be a kid again! #makeamericaFUNagain

Trip back in time. Interesting museum and the buildings are in excellent condition and staged with period pieces appropriately.

So much fun and very historic. A must see while in the area..Nice gift shop....clean bathrooms. Picnic area under tall pines to sit and have a sack lunch. Be sure to watch the 15 min movie on current tobacco farming....

Very interesting museum - not only for tobacco. The daily life in the 1800s is pretty well described with some good displays. Staff was very nice. THere are some old houses to walk around.

4.6

(161)

4.5

(42)

709 N Church St, Kenly, NC 27542, USA

3 lists

This outlet has a very convenient location. It has been here for a long time and offers several brand names and specialty stores. Is very busy. Lots of parking spaces. Restrooms are clean but not enough of them during peak hours/seasons. Lounge is large and clean.

I make a trip to the outlets a couple of times a year. There's always something fun to discover. When you're all shopped out. There are a few good places to stop and grab a bite. The only drawback is the parking situation. For as much space as there is, if you find a spot, you need to grab it.

I was very impressed with the amount of stores available. I went with the intention of not buying too many things and ended up buying too much of course but the stores were just amazing. They had beautiful clothes and the prices were not that bad we loved especially Eddie Bowers, and some of the other smaller shops that I can’t remember the names of right now, if you need to town or you just wanna look around for some clothes or shoes I would highly recommend this place. It’s very very very long larger than we thought and we had a lot of fun looking around.

Jewelry outlet a little suspect but Nautica and Nike outlet are greatColumbia is outstanding as well, they even offer employee discount for all mall employees. I think Nautica does the same.And Cracker Barrel is phenomenal for eating before or after shopping

I only went here to use the Electrify America charging stations. Only two of the four were working but the one I used worked very well. I felt safe there in the daytime but I don't think I would feel too safe in that location at night. Lots of shady looking people around the area and lots of loud mufflers and loud music from the gas cars.

Amazing Stores. I really enjoyed my visit here. I really liked the sales at the Bath and Body Works Outlet. I also enjoyed going to Gap Outlet and Tommy Hillfiger. The only con about this place is the walking because this is more like a strip mall type shopping center and all the stores are so far apart but I would definitely visit this place again.

We went into 252 Kicks today. My son saw some shoes he liked at $250 but didnt want to commit just yet...it was his hard earned money so of course he wanted to think about them. We went back about an hour and a half later and the dude behind the register had marked them up by $35. The original sticker was visible through the new sticker. The salesperson claims that other shoes that were the same style but different size were more expensive, so he adjusted my son's size price while we were gone. Poor business practice and a heart breaking one for my son. Will never support this business. Shame on you.

This is a good location and plenty of good brands and many stores to shop from. Food and drink places nearby for good pit stops. We always enjoy ourselves here.

I went over to the vape store VIP Smoke Shop 2 to see what they carried wow I was blown away. I must say very nice store these guys did a lot of work to make it look great and I personally think so. The gentleman working was very kind and helpful he answered any questions that I had, so if your in the market for a new vape or some new juice and the list goes on I highly recommend VIP Smoke Shop 2.

Best prices so many options from many different stores such as Nike, Adidas, Bath & Body Works, Anne Taylor, Samsonite etcTheres even a Cracker Barrel and Outback right there

They offer something for everyone at this outlet. It's a great array of stores and has great parking. Great eateries in the area and accessibility is an issue. Wish they had better in and out eateries in the actual outlet instead of them being around and out of reach. I'd prefer more kiosks as well. Overall very convenient area to shop.

Been here many times over the years. Still a good place to have a day out and do some shopping. Some good prices can still be found but not as much as in the past

Great sales and majority of stores had great customer service. 1 store we went into didn't even greet us. It was the store that sold dresses for sweet 16 or proms. Shame on them.

3 Rd time this year going to the drink machine between Clark's and Zales, that want let you pay cash they prefer card only so they can double charge u. Which has happened multiple of times and I'm tired of this scam.

Great place to get deals on all the brand names you shop for. Nike, champion and nautica just to name a few. My main man Dan The Man got a great deal on some Jordan’s!

I finally visited the Smithfield Carolina outlet stores today. I'm really not an outlet shopper at all but I heard this location had a variety of stores and brands I enjoy. I did not get a chance to visit every store while on a time limit but I am happy with what I spent within my budget for the quality of items I purchased. I enjoyed shopping at the Adidas store. They had a 60% off clearance sale and I was able to purchase 2 outfits for my daughter priced at $7.99 & 10.99 per piece. The selection was excellent and I saw some adorable IVY Park sneakers and boots by Beyoncé. Customer service was excellent. I also visited the Lane Bryant store to purchase undergarments. The customer service was impeccable and the store was well stocked compared to Raleigh. I was very happy with the sale items I purchased and will definitely return to visit the remainder of the stores.This outlet mall could use a modern renovation so that is the only negative.

After years of hearing about this place, I finally drove there and was disappointed by it being an older, outdoor shopping plaza type of place. It was a maze getting there. Got a couple of things from Gap Outlet and left quickly. I guess I was spoiled by the more modern, big outlets in Concord & Mebane. These days, you can get good deals close to home at TJ Maxx & other stores on sale, & outlet stores often have outlet-specific items made of lesser quality. Sorry to say, this wasn't worth the drive.

My son and I explored Carolina Premium Outlet. He got great deals and loved shopping at this place. Definitely, we’ll be coming with the whole family.

This outdoor mall has a bit of everything for shoppers. You won't find restaurants here, but there are a few nearby.

Nice Assortment of stores. Ample parking. Doesn't open till 10am on Saturday and is packed by 11am. Not all stores really offer "outlet" pricing. But enjoyed coming here. NO BATHROOMS at most stores. You have to find a vending machine area and there are bathrooms there but those are few and far between as I only seen 1 location in the whole strip mall.

4.4

(8526)

4.0

(245)

1025 Outlet Center Dr, Smithfield, NC 27577, USA

6 lists

A Beautiful museum. The person in charge of the museum is very enthusiastic and you can tell that she loves her works, she make her best effort to answer any questions you might have and put that extra to make sure your visit is memorable.We visited Saturday afternoon and found parking in front of the museum. I did not see a parking lot. The museum is very clean and cozy.If you want to know more about this iconic artist and are in the area you must pay a visit.

I truly enjoyed the Ava Gardner Museum. It's small but filled with information about her. The movie was great.

This museum is fabulous. I was too young when Ava’s movies were showing and I only knew a little bit about this beauty.She is so fascinating. Just getting to know Ava and the men in her life was pure Hollywood!Every detail in the museum is well done.Worth a stop off I95 and great BBQ is in the area.

We pass signs for this museum on our way to Myrtle Beach every year and this year we decided to stop to check it out. We are very glad we did! The lady at the front desk was very helpful and full of information about Ava and the 20 minute movie gave more background on this beautiful lady. There are lots of original items and costumes and the library is full of interesting photos and facts. Definitely worth the stop (It's easy to get to off 95) and small enough that you can see everything in 1-2 hours.

Thrilled with my experience! I spent about an hour enjoying the exhibits. Beautiful costumes and an intriguing story for fans of Golden age Hollywood, music, and popular culture. She was a magnificent figure - a Goddess embodied to teach us all about true beauty and art.

I really was not familiar with Ava Gardner before I came to the museum.I was just looking for things to do in Smithfield, NC.But I found it was well worth my time.The tour guide was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about Ava Gardner, particularly the paintings of her, which each have their own unique trait.I would definitely recommend a visit.

For anyone who's interested in the Golden age of movies, this is a great day trip. There's a short movie (18 minutes) to get you started and then you can explore the many costumes, ephemera, and personal items from Gqrdener's life. Be sure to take advantage of the docent and ask a lot of questions, it will make your trip more memorable. I spent 2 hours but you could spend less or more depending on your level of interest.

Very knowledgeable host at the small museum. Great theater room with large screen to watch a short biography of Ava Gardner. Lots of dresses and outfits from personal and professional life. A woman before her time for sure. Plan 1-1 1/2 hours.

Have wanted to visit for years.My mother told me of this grand Love. My MoM was from Japan and loved movie magazines.I was enthralled as a teenager.Tony Bennett had just joined Ava and Frank in heaven.I asked them to please welcome Tony to Heaven.I shared a quiet moment to thank her for her influence that her Life and adventures made a difference for those who came after her.. that she is world recognized and still influences women and our daughters and on it goes.Timeless.A daughter of North Carolina .Two dragonflies came to visit me during prayers.Synchronicity .Ava is ever in our hearts

An Interesting and very tasteful museum of Ava's life with a display of beautiful costumes worn in many of her very notable films along with photos and other personal items. The docent there was terrific in telling us many fascinating details of Ava's life along with showing us a short introductory film. My daughter and I came away with more admiration of this remarkable woman, who was definitely ahead of her time.

When you 1st go in, there's a lady at the door who gives you loads of helpful info and then there's a 10 minute movie. Very helpful info before walking through the museum. There is a small fee but well worth it for all that is in there and all that you learn. Can't wait to go back!!

This is absolutely worth a visit. A lovely and personal tribute to a screen legend. The docent is the daughter of one of the museum's founders and her time ans attention to my visit was much appreciated!

This is a wonderful and classy tribute to Ava Lavinia Gardner and everything she represented to her fans. I was personally thrilled to see the references and memorabilia related to Frank Sinatra (of course) but also Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and some of her friends and acquaintances like Earnest Hemingway and Howard Hughes etc... this place is well maintained, the hostess was very knowledgeable and friendly, it was very neat and clean and perfectly placed in her own small hometown! The price was very reasonable. It's an easy stop as it is right off I-95 and well marked plus a quarter-mile down the main street from the museum is the family gravesite where she is buried. Overall a very pleasant experience! 🥰👌🏻

My late mother used to be mistaken for Ava Gardner when she lived in LA during the 1940s. I learned that Gardner’s museum was in Smithfield, NC, so I made a point of stopping there when I was traveling through the area. I phoned my mother in Colorado and gave her a play-by-play of everything I saw. I told her about the star’s beautiful clothes on display as well as photos on the walls showing her in her heyday in Hollywood. Small museum packed with memorabilia. Very much worth a visit!

The person that welcomes you to this small but fun establishment is full of information and completely charming. If you are a fan of Ava or of films of this time frame it is an interesting option.

This was such a fun trip! The lady working was really sweet too. It starts with an 18 minute video which was a great source to learn more about Ava before going through the museum. There were really cool items and the gift shop had some good things as well. I definitely recommend this museum!

4.8

(299)

4.5

(186)

325 E Market St, Smithfield, NC 27577, USA

This place is gorgeous and we desperately wanted to stay, but we have a daughter in a wheelchair and this place is not wheelchair friendly in any capacity at all. We walked a little bit they we had to turn back, and what we saw was beautiful and charming and peaceful. There were tiny frogs hopping all over the trail and we loved it. I just wish it was somehow more accessible for disabled people.There were lots of spots for picnics and bbq'ing and outdoor classrooms and I think any non-disabled person would really be able to enjoy it there. Unfortunately, we won't be back unless they pave some of it.

Beautiful well kept set of walking trails with educational materials.

The website indicates that you might need to walk from outside the gate, if they aren’t open. It doesn’t mention the decidedly unfriendly message on the gate not to enter for any reason, and they will tow your car.

It's beautiful here and very open. There are many trails to walk, there is also plenty of information about the forest itself and the trees within it. There is also a lake with turtles in it. It does get very busy on the weekends and it is dog friendly.

6-1-24We come to parks like this for hiking trails, but Clemmons has the obvious per its title. This is an educational park geared toward geology and forestry. You will see placards, exhibits, etc throughout on each trail.We parked at the lot, gravel, complete with signage detailing location, a map of the park, etc. There is a tower of some sorts in the lot.As for the hiking part, we did the following trails, in this order, starting from the lot: Talking Rock to Demonstration Trail, to Watershed Extension Loop, continuing back to Demonstration which brings you into the lot. This was done as a loop staying right. It totaled 5.4 miles with a cumulative elevation gain of around 550 feet per Strava. Recommend a map from their site or take a picture of one at the lot.Breakdown of each trail:Talking Rock: Begins as paved but turns into gravel quickly. Wide and well formed, with varying canopy heights, albeit completely shaded. Easy for the average hiker. Several exhibits are along the path detailing geology and plants. Of course, there are exhibits that speak with a touch of a button. Connected to...Demonstration Trail: Red blazes. Has a lot of straw and wood chips at some parts, with others that are sandy with roots. Consider this trail easy to moderate with occasional elevation change and unevenness. Varying canopy heights but completely shaded. There is a cutout side trail, labeled clearly, to get to the pond. We did this. The pond area is open and not shaded. Expect to see a ton of turtles, but they are skittish if you get close. There is seating near the pond as well as a gazebo of sorts. We returned back to this trail and then connected to...Watershed Extension Loop:Probably the most difficult trail, not bad, however, at moderate to easy at spots. Orange blazes. Has several creek crossings, a deceiving amount of elevation change, and unevenness at spots, with varying canopies. Wide and well formed. Expect sand mostly with a ton of roots throughout. There are two open spots on the loop (power lines), so no shade, and at these open spots, the trail is narrow with plants that will touch your legs. If this bothers you, dress accordingly. We found this trail the best due to its relative difficulty.After Watershed, we connected back to Demonstration Trail, again staying right, back to the lot, making the aforementioned loop.Decent hiking for this area of the state and probably good for those interested in forestry and all that it entails.

Great park. There is a neat picnic shelter, plenty of tables, a fire tower, and a lake with ducks, turtles and fish! The picnic shelter can be rented and there is a 2-sided fireplace. Bathrooms are close to the shelter.

This park is so frustrating! They are always closed! Showed up at 3 pm on a Friday when they say they are open but with no warning or explanation, the gate was locked with a sign threatening to tow any cars at the gate. I have frequented many state parks, state forests, and nature trails over the years and have never in my life seen a place go so out of its way to keep anyone from using it. Why even have a state forest if you don't want people to enter? What are you afraid would happen if the public was allowed to enter and hike the trails? Such a waste of a nice space.

Absolute heaven on earth. Gorgeous views, beautifully maintained comfortable walking trails, helpful and kind staff, clean bathrooms, just a lovely natural space. Would absolutely recommend.

Our school's 4th grade visited Clemmons State Forest on a beautiful day! We enjoyed amazing hikes, learned how to identify clues about a tree by its rings, and enjoyed picnic in the shelters. Rangers Kevin & Kenny went above and beyond to make our experience a success!!

If you are interested in visiting this park, your best bet is to get hired by the park service. For the rest of the general public, good luck! They’re always closed and they WILL tow you if you try to enter. Might as well close the gates permanently and call it what it is, a co-op for park employees.

Nice walking trails! The “talking trees” trail includes recorded messages with facts about the different types of trees. Trails are not stroller friendly. Wear your hiking boots.

Nice short hike we enjoy and go every few weeks! It’s only a few miles from our house.

We took our dogs here, on a leash, and they had a blast. It was such a beautiful and peaceful trail! There are a variety of trails to choose from. We did the Demo trail. Bring plenty of water and bug spray. It was a little humid but the trees provide plenty of shade. Make sure to keep your pets on a leash though.

This park is very very nice and a great place to get in a quick hike. That is, if it’s open. The hours are ridiculously limiting, therefore 2 stars.

4.3

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4.5

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2256 Old U.S. Hwy 70, Clayton, NC 27520, USA