Events

This major exhibition explores the aftermath of marine catastrophes through the perspective of those who have been cast adrift on the sea.   Using survivors’ own words, the exhibition explores the experiences people go through as they come to grips with the uncertainty of rescue, and the fight to quell panic. Being cast adrift is intensified by fear, hypothermia, thirst, hunger, dread and helplessness.  A central theme in the exhibition is the question: What would you do? In Abandon Ship, visitors can execute practical, hands-on activities that allow them to better relate to the survivors. They can even climb aboard a six-man life raft supplied by Winslow Life Rafts and Landfall Navigation.

This special exhibition commemorates the bicentennial of the War of 1812. Opening in the summer of 2012, this exhibition will feature three key single-ship actions that occurred during "America's Forgotten War" in an engaging way that will appeal to tweens and teens studying the war in school, as well as fans of the Hornblower and Aubrey/Maturin series of books and movies.

Rare Confederate ensigns and signal flags will be on display as part of our 150th Civil War series of events.  The flags are from The Mariners’ Museum’s collection as well as some on loan from the Museum of the Confederacy, many of which have never before been on display! This exhibition focuses on the variety and use of Confederate naval flags as a means to legitimize the Confederacy to the international community.  Awareness is also required for the survival of these flags through conservation.

Working South reveals an intimate portrayal of the workers left behind by so-called progress and outsourcing: cotton pickers, wooden boat builders, textile mill workers, crabbers, shrimpers, the shoe shine man, and so on. Traveling the South for three and a half years, artist Mary Whyte, who lives in Charleston, South Carolina, interviewed and painted dozens of people in various industries that are quickly vanishing or dramatically changing. Through the challenging medium of watercolor, Wyhte has taken the unseen and given them a face we cannot easily forget. The exhibition will include 30 major watercolors, 20 accompanying watercolor studies, and a selection of the artist’s sketchbooks. The Peninsula Fine Arts Center is the final stop on the tour that included the Morris Museum of Art, Gibbes Museum of Art and Telfair Museum of Art. 

Enjoy free admission during the first weekend of each month! Free weekends are made possible by a grant from the Noland Foundation. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Regional high school students' juried exhibition.

Visitors will have the opportunity to spend more leisure time in the numerous galleries and attend several late night activities.

The museum will host a film festival during the month of May featuring films with depicting Asian-Americans’ in the military.  All movies are free with each day’s paid admission.  May 4: From Hawaii to the Holocaust -The moving and powerful story of the 522nd Field Artillery Battalion of the 100th/442nd Regimental Combat Team, a fighting force comprised of Asian-American soldiers that helped liberate the Dachau concentration camp and was a part of the most highly decorated unit of its size in U.S. history. It is also the story of two very different peoples--Jews and Americans of Japanese Ancestry (AJA's) -- who shared common experiences as victims of government-sanctioned oppression, racism and prejudice during World War II. May 11: Citizen Tanouye-California's Ted Tanouye won the Medal of Honor for valor during World War II, while his family lived in an internment camp for Japanese-Americans. Decades later, eight students from his hometown of Torrance began researching his life, discovering both the glory of his sacrifice and the shame of his family's treatment. The museum will host a film festival during the month of May featuring films with depicting Asian-Americans’ in the military.  All movies are free with each day’s paid admission.  May 25: Most Honorable Son- After the Pearl Harbor attack, Ben Kuroki volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He would become the first Japanese-American war hero, surviving 58 missions as an aerial gunner. Between tours of duty he found himself at the center of controversy; a lone spokesman against the racism faced by the thousands of Japanese Americans.

The Hampton Roads Bird Club has monitored the bird population of Newport News Park since 1965. Join
club volunteers in the Picnic Area I parking lot every first and third Sunday of the month for some early morning birding. Be prepared to car pool to several areas in the park. Beginners are welcome. Binoculars and field guides are recommended. Free.

Enjoy the summer night air on Styron Square every Wednesday evening, listening to the area's best music. Bring your own chairs, blankets, food and drink.  

Athletes age 50 and up compete in twenty sports. Entry fee for athletes, free admission for spectators, free parking.  Locations vary by event.

Join us for this fun filled event for the entire family. Experience memories of your own childhood or create new ones with children or grand-children. Vendors will be selling antique and modern toy soldiers and miniatures. See figures and scenery portraying pivotal points in world history. Historical miniature kits and models in metal and plastic are also for sale. Hourly door prize drawings sponsored by Osprey Publishing and W. Britain. Tour the museum and witness the struggle to defend democracy from 1775 to the present day. The artifacts document America’s military experience and that of our adversaries. The event and drawings are included with regular museum admission.

Tour the sites associated with General Robert E. Lee’s greatest victory and the loss of Lt. Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson with historian J. Michael Moore. Participants should plan to arrive at Lee Hall Mansion at least 15 minutes early. Pack a bag lunch, drink, and small cooler and wear comfortable shoes. Sign up early; space is limited. Payment is due no later than 2 weeks before the tour. Payment guarantees your reservation. No refunds 1 week prior to tour. Make checks payable to Lee Hall Mansion. Mail to: Lee Hall Mansion, 163 Yorktown Road, Newport News, VA 23603.

Sponsored by The Peninsula SPCA, this animal friendly fundraiser is held at The Mariners’ Museum Park and  brings the community together with animal related exhibitors and vendors, animal rescues, canine games, raffles and more!   Event location – The Mariners’ Museum, 100 Museum Drive. Fees to be announced.

Fascinating and real, Bodies Revealed is a must-see during its limited engagement.  This striking exhibition showcases real human bodies, dissected and preserved through a revolutionary process allowing visitors to see themselves like never before!  You will surely be enlightened, empowered and inspired!

Sponsored by American Legion, Braxton-Perkins Post #25, this annual ceremony is held at the Victory Arch, 25th Street & West Avenue in downtown Newport News.  After the ceremony, the public is invited learn about America’s rich military heritage at the Virginia War Museum.  Visit the museum on Memorial Day and receive $1 off the posted admission prices.