Posted on 11/10/2007 10:39:20 AM PST by HokieMom
The National Museum of the Marine Corps has become one of Virginia's top tourist destinations, attracting more than 600,000 visitors to the Quantico site after one year.
The Marine Corps will celebrate the museum's success on its first anniversary Saturday.
"Originally, we were expecting between 250,000 and 500,000 visitors," said Chris Vassil, a media relations assistant at the museum. "We expect to end this year with over 600,000 visitors, which puts it in the top visited destinations in Virginia."
The museum is expected to rank as the fifth most visited attraction in Virginia for 2007, according to the Virginia Association of Museums.
Saturday's festivities will commemorate Veterans Day. Marine swords will be used to cut the cake, and visitors will have opportunities to write postcards to Marines.
Part of the museum's mission is to illustrate American history through the eyes of troops.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Went there twice this past summer, once with the family, and once while on a short business trip to the area. It’s not a long drive as we live near Richmond. I highly recommend it to anyone, Marine or not. I am ex-Navy (my late father was a Marine) and I thoroughly enjoyed it, both times.
I went last summer, too. It was well worth the trip. There’s a whole wing yet to be completed and still so much to see. I heard the other branches of the US Military are working on their own museums since this one has been so successful.
I just have to get there....and HAPPY BIRTHDAY UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS, SEMPER FI FROM AN OLD ARMY GUY
Let me know when the USAF gets around to building a museum. (/sarc)
The USMC museum looks great. I hope to visit it next year.
The other service museums are also great. The USAF museum in Dayton is good for several days of exploration. There are usually a large number of Japanese tourists posing for pictures next to Bock’s Car, the B-29 that dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.
Do you say that because the Air Force already has one at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs?
Oops, sorry. I see in the next post that it’s in Dayton.
Wright-Patterson AFB, to be specific. A buddy of mine has a pilot's license, and they had a fly-in a few years ago, so he rented a Cessna and he and I and two other guys flew up for the afternoon.
It's an amazing museum. I don't know if it has one of every plane that was ever in the AF (and AAC and AAF) active inventory, but it's got to be close. Plus some oddities like the Tacit Blue prototype that developed a lot of the stealth techniques in use today.
And incidentally, the Navy has a museum at the Washington Navy Yard, and has for some time, though they're working on a big expansion. The USAFM has been around for a while. The Army is working on its own museum, scheduled to open in 2013. I was just poking a little fun at the statement that the other branches were following the lead of the USMC museum -- two of the three had museums already.
I went there in August. It was terrific. A few logistical notes: there is ample parking and it is free. There is no admission charge. There is a little pub, Tun Tavern, of course, and a cafeteria, called the mess hall, in the building. Both were fine when I visited. There is a modest gift store for souvenirs. Quite often there are ceremonies of one sort or another. Hardly anyone does them like the Marines.
I intend to visit there again soon.
(I also noted a good many school buses, and not just from nearby Virginia, but as far away as Ohio and Kentucky; so let your schools know that here is an inspiring history lesson in a safe and student-friendly environment to consider.)
We were driving down through VA from Reston to Richmond late in the summer and I saw the top of this behind the trees. I had no idea what it was! Now I know!
There is a Naval Air Museum at the Pensacola Naval Air Station. It’s a fun place to visit!
bump
I'm going to my grandma's in Orlando for Thanksgiving. On the way down or the way back, I might have to re-route through Pensacola if it's feasible.
I think I've seen more SR-71/YF-12s on display then there are currently active -- but I don't think the Navy ever used those (hard to imagine launching one off a carrier).
Another interesting military museum is just about 1-1/2 hours south at Ft. Lee, VA. (near my home, so I have gone often). It is the United States Army Womens' Museum. Go to: www.awm.lee.army.mil --- (I can't get this to work as a link, maybe because it is military.
Here you can view artifacts and archival material pertaining to the service of women across all branches and organizations from inception to present day at Fort Lee, Virginia.
I am always moved when I visit places like this. Sometimes to sadness, mostly to a feeling of pride and appreciation and I was never in the military, but several family members were. I can just imagine the pride anyone who has served must feel when they visit these sites.
A nice trip for any family would be to tour the various war memorials/museums in DC, head down to the Marine Museum at Quantico, then further south to Ft. Lee and finally over to Norfolk to see the Naval Base. At Norfolk they have a tour one can take. The 45-minute tour is conducted by Naval personnel. Visitors will have an opportunity to see aircraft carriers, destroyers, frigates, amphibious assault ships and one of the busiest airfields in the country. The tour also features historic homes from the 1907 Jamestown Exposition.
Hurricane Ivan destroyed their facilities in 2004, so if they've moved back, I don't know on what day they do their thing, now. Call before you go to check on that.
It's beautiful at night when it's lit up like a crystal cathedral.
That trip is on my list. Maybe this summer. Thanks for the information. So many interesting things to see!
Just an FYI for everyone, on Monday AM (from 0600-0900) Fox News will be hosting their LIVE Fox and Friends morning show from the Marine Corps Museum as a special Veterans Day episode. They will be shooting throughout the museum, and interviewing Lin Ezell (museum director) and LtGen Christmas (the president of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation) so tune in!
For the birthday and the 1st anniversary of the museum there was cake for 3,000.
Remember, the Marine Corps museum is FREE!!! and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday but Christmas.
The USMC had a museum at the USMC Historical Center in the Navy Yard in DC for years. I worked there with Gen Simmons (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/08/AR2007050801917.html) and Col Nihart (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/29/AR2006092901532.html).
There was also a museum at Quantico housing armored vehicles and aircraft and small museums at various bases.
The new museum is much more accessible and my next stop when I get back up to VA.
BTW, I think the cake cutting at the museum had to do more with the USMC birthday on Nov 10 than Veterans Day Nov 11.
Best wishes to ALL of our vets!
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