Fort Monroe Visitor & Education Center now open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
The Visitor Center provides visitors with a point of arrival and orientation to the significant historical and recreational amenities of Fort Monroe. Through the adaptive reuse of an original Beaux Arts Style building, which was first built as a Library in 1909 by the Coast Artillery Schools, the Visitor Center complements the existing Casemate Museum also open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The Center also features exhibits that include the First Arrival story and the Contraband Camp at Fort Monroe, which housed escaped slaves through the period of the Civil War. Free timed tickets are required to visit the Casemate Museum. Click here to make reservations or call 757 690-8181 for questions and assistance.
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Walking Tour Guide
Leisurely explore 21 unique sites full of history, architecture, and nature on a self-guided tour of Fort Monroe. Beginning at the Casemate Museum, you’ll make your way to stops like Quarters No. 1, where President Abraham Lincoln stayed for four nights as he and others planned the attack on Norfolk during the American Civil War; to the Water Battery, which housed 42 cannons as part of the fort’s defenses. After you’ve enjoyed the sites, or even along the way, stop in for a bite to eat at one of the many restaurants here at Fort Monroe.
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1619 FIRST AFRICAN LANDING MEMORIAL ART PROJECT
This one-of-a-kind sculpture will commemorate a singular moment that reverberates through the fabric of more than 400 years of American history—the landing of the first Africans to the Virginia Colony in English North America in August, 1619, here at Point Comfort. Collectively, this memorial and interpretive and education programs will provide an opportunity for national and international audiences to openly discuss together our past to foster a new understanding of our nation’s beginning.
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MARINA REDEVELOPMENT
Fort Monroe Authority has approved a 40-year ground lease with Smithfield-based Pack Brothers Hospitality, which will invest $40 million to redevelop the Marina District, which lies on the southwestern edge of the fort and is adjacent to the Historic Chamberlin. The redevelopment plans include a restaurant, conference center, boutique hotel, and 300-slip remodeled marina.
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