USS Wisconsin BB-64

The battleship USS Wisconsin was fantastic. We explored the ship for over two hours and were moving at a pretty steady pace — you could easily spend half a day here exploring - not to mention the museum. There are so many hands on things for you to touch and experience. The volunteers and staff on board were incredibly knowledgeable and clearly love sharing the history, which made the experience even better. We didn’t spend much time inside the museum itself, but the gift shop was excellent. There was a light mist and occasional rain while we were there, but honestly it added to the atmosphere rather than taking away from it. Overall, a tremendous experience and absolutely worth the visit! Highly recommend!! Tickets look like they sell out about a week in advance. We parked at a nearby parking garage, which was about a one block walk. The first two hours were free in the third hour it was $2 or $3. Was also a close walk nearby at lunch or dinner options. Somehow I took almost 400 photos!!

What an experience! As more of a WW2 history guy, I'd like to see an iowa in that trim without the upgrades that came later, but obviously the ship was updated in the 80s and it is awesome to see it in such great condition. My tour was self guided, as I'd prefer, but there were many interpretive displays that really helped visitors understand some of the more important features of the ship and the experience of serving on it. The video playing inside turret 1 that shows the below decks parts of the gun really helped me understand how the things are organized and used--super helpful, especially considering that it's doubtful a lot of these spaces will ever be opened for regular tours. The design of the walkways around the ship is also really nice. Many great angles to take photos or just sit and relax to take it all in. My only gripe about the entire experience is the addition of decorative lighting. It really 'gets in the way' when taking photos on the main deck, especially on the aft ends of the ship. I'm sure at night it 'looks pretty', but I wish the lights weren't there. She was a practical ship of war, and as a tourist you'd like to see here as close to 'visually original' as is possible with a museum ship. This issue really stood out to me having recently visited USS North Carolina. Be that as it may, I'm very glad that I had the opportunity to visit an Iowa class. They are truly iconic ships and I'm very glad they have been preserved! 🙏

Absolutely love the insane marvel of human engineering at is finest when being on that amazing battleship!!! The history to the greatest nation in the world, the United States of America, and how brave men sailed on that beast of a ship into battle. You can walk through many of the areas of the ship and even hear stories being told in the times of the great war in different areas. Totally recommend for everyone to go and see a small piece of American Naval history. Hooyah to my brother's and sisters in arms!!!!

What a wonderful experience! I’m here on vacation, and these are the kinds of things I enjoy doing with my family. We visited during Memorial Day weekend, and it was not overly busy. The line to get tickets was very short. There is a gift shop at the main entrance, along with a café on the main level. The second floor is where you enter the USS Wisconsin. Once aboard the battleship, you’re able to enjoy the view of the water and admire the beauty of the ship. Throughout the ship, there are signs posted to educate visitors as they navigate the different areas. It truly was a wonderful experience. There is also a third level with a play area for children and educational exhibits. I would definitely come again! The lower deck of the ship is wheelchair- and stroller-friendly (as are 1st floor & 3rd floor).

What a great experience. The ship is just huge. You pretty much have free reign to the deck and a deck above and below. There is a lot of information signs along the way. Along with some videos that are worth spending a little time watching. Easy to get turned around in the lower deck and if you walk the whole thing it makes you appreciate the incredible size.

I’ve been on two of the four Iowa class battleships, this being the second. The other one I’ve been on is the USS New Jersey in Camden New Jersey. It was cool seeing the differences between the ships and it’s definitely worth visiting the Wisconsin even if you’ve been on another Iowa class battleship. There wasn’t as much of the ship open to explore as I found on the New Jersey, for example, you could explore more decks and more areas on the New Jersey. Also, the New Jersey had a lot of museum exhibits on the ship while that was not so much the case on the Wisconsin. However, your ticket to the Wisconsin includes access to the adjacent museum at Nautica and they had wonderful exhibits about a variety of topics there. The pricing was also reasonable, staff was friendly and overall it was a great experience. Even my two kids who had no interest in going, so that was their favorite part of our vacation in the Virginia Beach area.

The visit my wife and I had to see The USS Wisconsin BB-64 was an amazing time. To see and be on this very large ship was very exciting. The museum is awesome and so much to see and do. It is kid friendly. I highly recommend that you give it a visit to experience it for yourself. 👍🙂

This was super cool! We spent quite a while perusing this ship that we lost track of time. The major parts of the ship were available to explore on our own with only a few areas inaccessible. I was thrilled to be able to see the many kitchens and shops that soldiers and sailors once used to frequent while onboard. LOTS of steep stairs so be ready and bring water. We came from Ohio and recommend this to everyone visiting Norfolk.