Welcome to Newport News!

In 1987, The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va., was designated as the repository for artifacts and archives from the Civil War ironclad USS Monitor by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Today, the Museum conserves, interprets and exhibits hundreds of relics from the ironclad that forever changed naval warfare. Visitors to the Museum can see these artifacts undergoing the arduous conservation process, while learning the history and stories behind them. Northrop Grumman Newport News shipbuilders constructed a full-scale replica of the USS Monitor to s erve as an icon for the $30 million USS Monitor Center, a 63,500-square-foot section of the Mariners Museum, that features exciting exhibits bringing visitors face-to-face with history.

Newport News is the 4th largest city in Virginia with a population of approximately 170,000 people. The railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington brought two major industries to the city: the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad and Newport News Shipbuilding. Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company has built many of the U.S. super aircraft carriers including the ENTERPRISE, KENNEDY, WASHINGTON, VINSON, and ROOSEVELT. During winter, the average annual snowfall is less than 8 inches and summer temperatures average in the mid 80's: perfect for sunning, swimming, boating, and fishing.