NAUTICUS, The National Maritime Centre

Frommer's Review

The large gray waterfront building designed like an artist's rendering of a futuristic battleship is a multifaceted facility dedicated to the U.S. Navy and the sea over which it rules. It's actually three attractions in one. You must pay to enter the third-floor NAUTICUS, a very good children's museum with a plethora of movies and hands-on interactive exhibits aimed at families with kids ages 8 to 14. After a morning here, your school-age kids may be ready to enlist.

Admission is free to the second-floor Hampton Roads Naval Museum (tel. 757/444-8921; www.hrnm.navy.mil), in which the U.S. Navy tells the story of its presence here. The exhibit describing the Civil War battle between the ironclads USS Monitor and CSS Merrimac out on Hampton Roads is worth seeing.

The star of this show, however, is the real battleship USS Wisconsin. Berthed alongside on the Elizabeth River, the mighty 888-foot ship was built in 1943 and saw duty in the Pacific during World War II. It was recalled from mothballs to fight in the Korean and Gulf wars. It is once again on inactive reserve status, meaning it can be recalled to duty within 3 months. You cannot go inside, since the innards are hermetically sealed, but you can walk on board and stare up at the enormous 16-inch guns overhanging its teak main deck. It's quite a sight. (There's a spectacular view of the bow framed by a tile archway on Boush St. at the end of Plume St.)

Save a pill for the Victory Rover cruises to the naval station, which leave from here. You can buy tickets combining admission to NAUTICUS and a cruise.

Stop, Look & Listen -- Take a few minutes before going on board the USS Wisconsin to view the Hampton Roads Naval Museum's multimedia presentation in which seamen reminisce about their experiences aboard the battleship. Then rent a 45-minute audiotape tour. Although docents, many of them veterans of the ship, are on duty to explain what's what, the tape is the best way to see the Goliath. Otherwise, you'll be staring at a lot of gray steel and teak decking.

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.

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