Amusements

• Children's Museum of Virginia
  221 High Street • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-393-8393
  Virginia's largest children's museum, this museum provides over 64,000 square feet of exhibit space and fun for kids of all ages. The museum features dozens of interactive exhibits and a planetarium, as well as an antique toy and model train collection, one of the largest on the East Coast. more...  map

Historic Sites & Monuments

• Cedar Grove Cemetery (circa 1832)
  Between Fort Lane and Effingham Street
  757-488-1397
  The oldest city-owned cemetery in Portsmouth, this cemetery is listed on the Virginia and National Registers of Historic Sites and is noted for its funerary art. Many civic, business, maritime, religious, and military leaders are buried here and historical markers are placed throughout the cemetery.  map

Museums & Galleries

• Courthouse Galleries
  420 High Street • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-393-8543
  Housed in the 1846 courthouse, this museum features exhibits in a dramatic setting which highlight Eastern, Western, multicultural, traditional, and contemporary art forms. They also offer quality educational, cultural, and aesthetic experiences through lectures, classes, and performances. more...  map

• Lightship Museum
  Located at Water & London Streets
  757-393-8741
  This beautifully restored lightship was commissioned in 1915 to guide ships through treacherous waters and the ship's quarters are now filled with fascinating artifacts, uniforms, photographs, and models. more...  map

• Portsmouth Museum of Military History
  701 Court Street • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-393-2773
  A privately owned collection of uniforms, weapons, and memorabilia that spans every war in the nation's history.  map

• Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum
  2 High Street • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-393-8591
  The fascinating history of America’s oldest and largest naval shipyard is told at this museum that also offers a unique perspective on United States history, from Colonial to Civil War times and beyond. Beautiful ship models, uniforms, military artifacts, and exhibits portraying life in 18th, 19th, and 20th century Portsmouth are on display. more...  map

• Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum
  206 High Street • Portsmouth, VA 23705
  757-393-8031
  A 35,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility which contains a wide range of novel interactive exhibits, fascinating interpretive displays, legendary sports memorabilia, a 125 seat theatre, changing exhibitions, an education outreach division, areas for activities and games, and the Hall of Honor, a tribute to Virginia's greatest athletes.  more...  map

Parks, Gardens & Zoos

• Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve
  4510 Twin Pines Road • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-398-9151
  This 142 acre salt marsh habitat is home to native plants, animals, reptiles, snakes, fox, deer, raccoons, bats, and birds. The preserve is bordered on the south and west by Hoffler Creek, a tributary of the James River, as well as a heavily wooded forest and vast wetlands. more...  map

• Portsmouth City Park
  140 City Park Avenue • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  757-465-2937
  A 93 acre, beautifully landscaped park along the Western Branch of the Elizabeth River which includes a nine hole executive golf course with a 30 station lighted driving range and a challenging 18 hole natural grass putting course, a three-pier boat ramp, sailboat launch area, state-of-the-art playgrounds, a Pokey Smokey train ride, lighted tennis courts, and picnic shelters with grills.

Tours & Cruises

• Carrie B Harbor Tours
  6 Crawford Parkway • Portsmouth, VA 23704
  Board at North Landing
  757-393-4735
  Ride on a 19th century Mississippi-style paddle-wheeler during narrated tours of the Portsmouth - Norfolk Harbor where you will see fast attack submarines, aircraft carriers, cargo ships, and much more. Snacks and a full bar are on board. Two and a half hour tours of the Naval Operating Base are offered three times a day. more...  map

• Chesapeake Bay Cruise
  1001 West Main Street • Portsmouth, VA 21817
  410-968-2338, 800-863-2338
  Explore the Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads aboard this luxurious cruise boat that provides exciting, narrated, and scenic four hour cruises between Portsmouth and Crisfield, Maryland.  more...