Free Museums in Virginia Beach

"Evening: The Virginia Beach Surf and Rescue Museum, housed within the Old Coast Guard station on the Boardwalk at 24th Street, is home to after-hours ghost tours. With those hundreds of years of history, said tours are pretty chilling. The hour-long experience includes a costumed storyteller delivering both real accounts of and local folklore about shipwrecks, ghosts, pirates, and witches. Warning: That sensation on the back of your neck might be exactly what you think it is."

"History buffs should remember to visit the Old Coast Guard Station by the boardwalk and 24th street. This station is historic enough to be a Virginia Historic Landmark and to be part of the National Register of Historic Places. In addition to the old building, you will also find a large museum collection containing 1,800 museum pieces and 1,000 photos showing Virginia Beach's oceanic past."

"Built in 1903, this museum vividly depicts its own life-saving and Coast Guard history, as well as the many shipwrecks off the Virginia coast. 24th Street and Atlantic Ave., 422-1587."

"The Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art has always featured an unbeatable gift shop filled with perfect finds for any art lover in your life. This holiday season, ALL items in the gift shop are discounted, some as much as 50% off!. IOf that isn’t enough to pay them a visit, Read Books VB has relocated from their Airstream in the ViBe District to MoCA’s gift shop, making this a hidden gem to add to your holiday shopping list."

"The Contemporary Art Center in Virginia Beach is a vibrant exhibition space for all the latest art. Here you can see paintings, sculptures, ceramics, photography and glass-works by local artists as well as artists from around the world. Operation hours: Tuesday - Friday: 10 am - 5 pm."

"The Hermitage Museum and Gardens is another famous art museum in Norfolk, Virginia featuring pieces of art that date back 5,000 years. Visitors will also be able to check out indoor and outdoor exhibitions that change regularly, as well as the Visual Arts Studio and the 12 acres of land outside where it is possible to view art and culture. Check out the website frequently to see the different events that are hosted by the museum, many of which are child-friendly."

"Join the Hermitage in celebrating summer with their Sunsets on the River events, every other Thursday from June 7 to August 19. Relax on the shoreline and listen to live music by the region’s hottest bands. Enjoy drinks from a cash bar featuring craft beer and wine and grab some grub from a variety of food vendors that will be on location."

"Go behind the scenes of Virginia's most iconic artistic export to see more pieces from the Perry Glass Art Collection. Featuring rotating exhibits and collections in conjunction with the Glass Light Hotel & Gallery and the Chrysler Museum of Art, the studio offers insider access into the art of glassmaking, with classes and workshops available for guests of all creative abilities. View Perry Glass Studio on google map"

"The Chrysler Museum Perry Glass Studio is a state-of-art facility and the only one of its kind in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Studio brings the Museum’s internationally-acclaimed glass collection to life by showing how these masterworks were created. They have a robust schedule of classes and programming in a variety of processes including glassblowing, fusing, flameworking, coldworking and neon."

"The Virginia Air and Space Center traces the history of flight and space exploration. The nine-story, futuristic, $30 million center…"

"One of the biggest, most comprehensive maritime museums in the world. The on-site USS Monitor Center houses parts of the Civil War–era Monitor, one of the world's first ironclad warships, as well as a huge number of artifacts associated with it. There's also a life-sized replica of the real deal. Or perhaps you're more interested in speed than history? The America's Cup exhibit spotlights the sleek Oracle Team USA catamaran that won the 2013 international racing competition."

"A world history of seagoing vessels and the people who sailed them occupies the outstanding Mariners' Museum, inside a 550-acre park."

"Studios and exhibition space for… over 40 artists in this creative co-operative are now located within the new Virginia Beach Art Center. theartistsgallery.org"

"The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame was founded in 1966 to honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of sports in Virginia. In addition to celebrating a century of athletic excellence in the Commonwealth, the mission of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame is to serve as … Read More"

"• 2012 Inside Business Award of Merit from HRACRE for Civic Service • 2012 City of Virginia Beach Planning Commission Design Honor Award in Public Facilities"

"The USS Wisconsin is famous for being a mighty battleship that was in operation during the Second World War as well as the Korean War. The ship was actually retired on the 1980s, only to be called up for service again in Operation Desert Storm in the 1990s. After such an illustrious history, the ship is now a nautical museum and you can take a self-guided tour here where you can visit different parts of the ship including offices, an onboard chapel, a mess, and the staterooms of the officers."

"The first thing that you can do during your visit to Norfolk, Virginia is to take a tour of the Battleship Wisconsin. It is berthed at Nauticus and considered to be one of the largest and last battleships built by the United States Navy. The ship was launched on December 7, 1943, and it was berthed at Nauticus on the same date in 2000."

"Conveniently located on the waterfront in downtown Norfolk is the decommissioned WWII Battleship, USS Wisconsin, operated by Nauticus. While the ship is impressive on many fronts, it is one of the largest battleships ever built by the U.S. Navy, and it is an imposing presence on the Norfolk waterfront."

"Virginia Beach, a coastal city in southeastern Virginia, lies where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. A 3-mile boardwalk stretches along its beach-lined oceanfront. The bayside First Landing State Park marks the 1607 arrival of the Jamestown colonists from England."

"A casual restaurant perfect for a midday meal, No Forks CheeseSteaks & More is a unique sandwich shop that specializes in ‘cheesesteaks with a twist.’ Don’t miss the signature JoJo – featuring ribeye steak and melted provolone on a toasted roll topped with Cajun seasoned fries and warm Cheez Whiz!"

"Uno's legendary Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza is just the beginning!. The menu has lots of great items like mouthwatering steaks, crisp salads, juicy burgers, sandwiches, flavorful pastas, chicken, seafood and tempting cocktails."

"Great place to hang after work for drinks and very good Chicago style pizza. Always a winner when I stop by here after a very chaotic day at work."

"Back Bay Gourmet is locally & independently owned and operated. We are a very dynamic concept – combining our warm & inviting bistro with a European-style wine & coffee bar, a vintage (all hand-crafted!) bakery, a deli, and a wonderful selection of retail items perfect for your favorite foodie."

"This isn’t a spot we’d typically choose had it not been on our suggested itinerary. Located in a strip mall, we would have driven right by it. But the Back Bay Gourmet surprised us when we walked through the door."