Newport News Attractions

Amusements

James River Reserve Fleet Located at Fort Eustis Army Base, 757-887-3725, Commonly known as "The Ghost Fleet," these over 100 retired navy and merchant ships anchored here once carried cargo, missiles, rescue equipment, helicopters, satellite-tracking devices, and troops around the globe. The ships are rusted and corroded and slowly deteriorating.

Historic Homes & Buildings

Endview Plantation (circa 1769) 362 Yorktown Road, Newport News, VA 23603, 757-887-1862, Built by Colonel William Harwood, Jr., signer of the Virginia Resolves, this home has experienced the ordeal of three wars. The home was visited by Generals George Washington, Thomas Nelson, Jr. and George B. McClellan and the Revolutionary War brought 3,000 militia to its fresh water spring. The War of 1812 saw its use as a training ground, while the Civil War found this property serving as a Confederate captain's home and a hospital for both sides.
Hilton Village (circa 1918) Located Corner of Warwick Boulevard & Main Street, 757-595-0864, America's first federally subsidized planned community, which was built to house additional Newport News Shipyard workers, this village is recognized by the Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, visitors to this village will enjoy a charming commercial area that offers the Village Playhouse and unique shopping opportunities.
Lee Hall Mansion (circa 1850) 163 Yorktown Road, Newport News, VA 23603, 757-888-3371, This Italianate mansion constructed by wealthy planter, Richard Decauter Lee, has been beautifully restored to its pre-Civil War splendor and the home once served as a Confederate headquarters during the 1862 Peninsula Campaign. Guided tours are available and visitors can see a Peninsula Campaign exhibit gallery which features Monitor artifacts, drawings, sidearms, and presentation firearms. A gift shop is also on site.
Matthew Jones House (circa 1660) P.O. Box 4468, Newport News, VA 27602, Located on Harrison Road at Fort Eustis Base, 757-898-5090, A Virginia Historic Landmark and an Historic American Building, this historic home has been designed as an architectural museum house exposing three historic periods. There are 90 architectural features labeled as teaching points inside the house and collections on display also highlight the history of Mulberry Island.
Old Warwick County Courthouse 14421 Old Courthouse Way, Newport News, VA 23602, 757-247-8487, A tiny, but sophisticated courthouse built in the first decade of the 19th century that served Warwick County, which no longer exists, until the last part of the 19th century when it was converted for used as a clerk's office.

Historic Sites & Monuments

Victory Arch (circa 1919) Located at Twenty-Fifth Street & West Avenue, 757-247-8451, Returning WWI troops disembarked from ships and marched through this arch in victory parades. Today, the arch serves as a memorial with an eternal flame burning for all the men and women of the armed forces.

Museums & Galleries

Mariners' Museum, The 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606, 757-596-2222, One of the largest international maritime history museums, this museum is filled with prized artifacts that celebrate the spirit of seafaring adventure. Visitors of the museum can explore over 60,000 square feet of gallery space, complete with rare figureheads, handcrafted ship models, Civil War ironclad USS Monitor artifacts, paintings, and small craft from around the world.
Newsome House Museum & Cultural Center, The (circa 1899) 2803 Oak Avenue, Newport News, VA 23607, 757-247-2360, The restored home of respected African-American attorney, J. Thomas Newsome, and his wife, Mary Winfield Newsome, this elegant Queen Anne residence served as the hub of the local black community from which Newsome led the fight for social justice within Virginia. The house is listed on the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places and, today, the house museum focuses on black cultural and historical themes.
Peninsula Fine Arts Center 101 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606, 757-596-8175, An affiliate of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, this nonprofit organization is dedicated to promoting art appreciation and education through a diverse schedule of changing exhibitions which includes contemporary art, as well as more historically-based work.
U.S. Army Transportation Museum Building 300, Besson Hall, Newport News, VA 23602, Located at Fort Eustis Army Base, 757-878-5251, More than 200 years of Army transportation history is depicted through models, dioramas, and life-size displays at this museum which also contains an outdoor display area which features actual vehicles, aircrafts, trains, and marine craft.
Virginia War Museum 9285 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23607, 757-247-8523, American military history unfolds at this museum where American military history from 1775 to the present is highlighted through weapons, vehicles, uniforms, insignia, and much more. Visitors of this museum can also see a section of the Berlin Wall and a portion of the outer wall from the Dachau Concentration Camp.

Parks, Gardens & Zoos

Christopher Newport Park 2500 West Avenue, Newport News, VA 23602, 757-926-8451, Memorials to Collis P. Huntington, founder of Newport News Shipbuilding, can be found at this urban park which was the site of the Congress-Cumberland Overlook, commemorating the Civil War battle of these two Union Ships and the Confederate ironclad, the Monitor.
Newport News Park 13564 Jefferson Avenue, Newport News, VA 23602, 757-886-7912, 800-203-8322, One of the largest municipal parks in the country, this 8,000 acre oasis offers a variety of amenities on site including a 188 site campground, 30 miles of hiking and biking trails, an arboretum, bicycle rentals, 20 picnic shelters, children's playgrounds, a 30 acre aeromodel flying field, an all-terrain mountain bike trail, a five star archery range, regularly scheduled nature and living history programs, a discovery center, two of the best public golf courses in Virginia, and an 18 hole disc golf course.
Peninsula SPCA & Petting Zoo 523 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23601, 757-595-1399, A nonprofit, charitable organization supported by donations that is dedicated to promoting animal welfare and maintains a petting zoo and exotic animal area that is open to the public. The petting zoo is populated with goats, sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, and other animals, while the exotic animal area houses leopards, mountain lions, jaguars, bald eagles, Canadian lynx, foxes, otters, and more.
Virginia Living Museum 524 J. Clyde Morris Boulevard, Newport News, VA 23601, 757-595-1900, This indoor/outdoor, year round attraction is a spectacular combination of native wildlife park, science museum, aquarium, botanical preserve, and planetarium, all in one beautiful setting. Carefully protected natural environments for living animals and plants create an exciting opportunity for visitors to explore wildlife native to the eastern Coastal Plain Region. A planetarium with daily shows about the universe and a nature shop are also on site.