Mariner’s Museum

One thing we love about visiting a new area is the availability of new museums to experience.  While we have spent massive amount of time in Virginia, rarely do we get outside the Washington Metro.  Last week was the first time we made it to the Chesapeake Bay area and just couldn’t pass up going to the Mariner’s Museum.

It’s a large facility with extensive labs for restoration and research on desalinating recovered shipwrecks.  The exhibition areas go in-depth about early of life in the Chesapeake Bay and its rich maritime history.

One of the earliest shipyards in America is in Newport-News.  This influence on the town certainly can be seen in the museum and I would expect that they also have made large contributions not only to the collection but also to the facility.

My favorite area was a special exhibition of The Miniature Ships of Winnifred and August F. Crabtree.  These are just incredible and some were used in movies.  There is no way to describe the intricate carvings and details on these tiny works of art.  He was truly gifted.

I would highly recommend this museum, we enjoyed fours hours and had to rush a bit at the end.