Welcome to Portsmouth

The museums, galleries and historic houses of Olde Towne are fun with plenty of education mixed in. It’s like a field trip for the entire family.
Photo of Children's Museum Exhibit

This must-see attraction provides serious fun for kids of all ages. Two full floors are packed with activities designed to engage young minds and stimulate imaginations, including a planetarium, a rock-climbing wall, a giant bubble-making station, a real fire engine and half of a city bus. And don’t miss the Lancaster Antique Toy and Train Collection, one of the most incredible model train collections in the world. This is a place where kids learn about science, nature, art and lots of other things – although they may be having too much fun to realize it!
Location: In the Olde Towne Historic District,
221 High Street.
Information: (757) 393-5258
www.childrensmuseumva.com

The Courthouse Galleries, housed in the 1846 Courthouse, is devoted to offering quality educational, cultural and aesthetic experiences in the arts through rotating visual art exhibits, lectures, classes and performances. The exhibits featured in this dramatic setting encompass Eastern, Western, multicultural, traditional and contemporary art forms that inspire interest and understanding of our rich and diverse global heritage. The Courthouse Galleries provides quality programming that entertains and promotes a greater knowledge and understanding of the visual arts.
Location: On the corner of High and Court Streets in Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth.
Information: (757) 393-8543
www.courthousegalleries.com

Lightship Museum
Photo of Bunk in the Lightship Museum Lightships were built to help mariners avoid dangerous shoals or enter safely into harbors at night. Years ago, lights were fixed to masts of ships that anchored for months in strategic locations off the coastline. One such ship can be visited at the foot of London Street on the Portsmouth Photo of a Historic Bell waterfront. The Lightship Portsmouth was commissioned in 1915 and has since been restored to its original condition. In 1989, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. Visitors can board the vessel and see how the men of the Lightship Service lived during their many months at sea.
Location: At the foot of London Street on the waterfront in Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth.
Information: (757) 393-8741
www.portsnavalmuseums.com

If you’re interested in local or naval history, or memorabilia from a centuries-old Southern port, you’ll find the Naval Shipyard Museum a delight. Established in 1949 within the nation’s oldest shipyard, the Norfolk Naval Shipyard Museum was later moved to the Photo of Boat from the Naval Shipyard Museum

Photo of Boat from the Naval Shipyard Museum

Portsmouth waterfront. Located at High Street Landing on The Elizabeth River, visitors will experience a steady stream of vessels from pleasure craft to carriers, and a wonderful collection of antique cannons.
Location: At High Street Landing in Historic Olde Towne Portsmouth.
Information: (757) 393-8591
www.portsnavalmuseums.com
Photo of Naval Icon

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
With two stories of hands-on sports and health exhibits, this attraction celebrates nearly 300 past and present athletes and inspires future ones. Drive a NASCAR simulator, test the speed of your baseball pitch, and take your turn at the microphone as a broadcaster. Kids and adults alike will learn about fitness, nutrition and sports medicine in the Training Room, complete with virtual exercise equipment and a skeleton that rides a bike! A great place for the whole family. Group rates available. The Hall of Fame is also a unique venue for your next reunion, business meeting, or formal reception. Call today to schedule a tour.
Location: 206 High St.
Information: (757) 393-8031
www.vshfm.com

Hill House Photo of Hill House in Olde Towne Portsmouth
Four-story 1825 English basement home furnished entirely with original family belongings. Listed in the Virginia Register of Historic Places.
221 North Street, Olde Towne, Portsmouth. (757) 393-0241.

Photo courtesy of The Virginian-Pilot and Martin Smith-Rodden.

Having begun service in 1896 as part of the Hog Island Light off the Great Machipongo Inlet on the Eastern Shore, today this first order Fresnel lens is valued between $750,000 and $1 million. It stands about 10 feet high, weighs 2,500 pounds and is among the largest and brightest of its kind, with more than 250 prisms of optical glass. Housed in a 16-foot-wide pavilion, this lens is the only one displayed outside of a museum setting.
Portsmouth Seawall near High Street Landing

PASSES

Visit four Portsmouth museums over 90 days including the Children’s Museum of Virginia, Courthouse Galleries, the Naval Shipyard Museum and the Lightship Portsmouth Museum. One visit per museum. Call (757) 393-5111 for information.

A pass to visit seven Hampton Roads museums. Includes admission to the Children's Museum of Virginia, Courthouse Galleries, Naval Shipyard Museum and Lightship PORTSMOUTH in Portsmouth; the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News; the Virginia Air & Space Center in Hampton; and Nauticus in Norfolk. Good for one year from the date of purchase. Call 757-393-8983 for information.

Photo of Boat model