Other News

While there is always much to enjoy in Williamsburg, sometimes a person is just looking for another place to do that thing with that person. Newport News is worth your consideration. In addition to being the home of Christopher Newport University whose Ferguson Center for the Arts seems to keep a calendar worth keeping an eye on (Queen Latifah and Tango Buenos Aires this week), there is also the Mariners' Museum and Lee Hall Mansion (and have I mentioned there is a Trader Joe's in Newport News??). The Mariners' Museum includes the USS Monitor Center, which in addition to a full-scale replica of the USS Monitor also holds the revolving gun turret from the ironclad. Operated by Newport News, the house museum of Lee Hall Mansion documents the 1862 Peninsula Campaign for the public through decorated rooms and the 1862 Peninsula Campaign Gallery.

Another Newport News acquisition is the much older Endview Plantation, constructed in the 18th century. Endview briefly served as a hospital during the Peninsula Campaign and was occupied for the remaining years of the Civil War.

The Newsome House is the 1899 Queen Anne residence of J. Thomas Newsome that served as the hub of the local African American community in the early 20th century. Of course there are other things to do in Newport News as well, so check it out already.