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The kids will love learning about the history and tradition of lightships and their nautical significance when you visit the Lightship Portsmouth Museum. Lightships were originally known as “floating lighthouses” that guide ships into harbors our out to sea. Their legacy is kept alive thanks to the preservation of Lightship Portsmouth, a vessel that now serves as a museum to tell its story and of similar types of watercraft through exciting exhibits and attractions.

When you want to get the family off of the sofa and out into the great outdoors but don't have the time to take an out of town trip, bring everyone out to Mound Park. This lushly inviting attraction is located in the heart of Portsmouth, but you'll feel like you've escaped to an enticing outdoor retreat miles away from it all. The park sprawls out over 8.8 acres and features a walking path, picnic tables, and wide open spaces that are perfect for a game of catch or just lounging in the sun.

Given the fact that Portsmouth is situated right on Virginia's coastline, it is little wonder that the city has been a key site in the history and development of the shipping industry. Learn about it all when you visit the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum. You will get the chance to see various exhibits that highlight the many aspects of naval and nautical history, plus see memorabilia that dates back to this centuries-old Southern port. The museum is a piece of history itself, as it was established in 1949 within the confines of the nation's oldest shipyard.