Park Event Rentals

The Mariners' Museum Park is the largest privately maintained park open to the public for free in America. The Park boasts 500 acres of naturally wooded areas and the 167-acre Lake Maury bordered by the five-mile Noland Trail, as well as breathtaking views of the James River and the stunning Lion's Bridge featuring the sculptures of Anna Hyatt Huntington. Areas of the Park are available for special event rentals. Each area has its own unique views, access to the Noland Trail, and event capacity.

The Mariners’ Museum Park is host to several company picnics, 5K, 8K, and 10K races, walk-a-thons, festivals, fundraisers, concerts, and much more. Explore all of the possibilities by taking a tour of our park with an event staff member!

Weddings

Picture your wedding along the James River, with views of boats going by, Lake Maury over your shoulder, a wooded area nearby. Our park offers a variety of spaces to accommodate groups and an easy location for your guests to find.

The Mariners’ Museum Park offers over 500 acres of beautifully wooded areas surrounded by Lake Maury with outstanding views of the James River. Our park can offer your small intimate ceremony an overlook to Lake Maury, a wide-open field space bordering the James River, or a secluded wooded space just for you and any number of guests you choose to include!

Festivals

Our park is festival friendly due to our great location in Newport News, our ability to work with a variety of groups, our available wide open field spaces, and our flexibility in scheduling.

Just minutes from Interstate-64, next door to Christopher Newport University and Riverside Hospital, and down the road from the Northrop Grumman- Newport News shipyard, our park is easily found. Our field spaces are large enough to accommodate festivals for any organization, while still leaving room for parking and other amenities. Organizers will find that working with our privately-owned park allows them to incorporate all of the special touches to make their festival unique.

Picnics

Our park can accommodate group picnics of any size. You may choose one of our overlooks to Lake Maury for a more scenic, intimate feel or use the expansive Williams Fields to accommodate a few hundred guests.

Though our park is open and free to the public for recreational use, large groups and organizations needing to reserve a space should do so through our Special Events Department. We will then work with you to make sure the fields are freshly cut, free of other debris, and reserved especially for you! Staff in our Special Events Department can also recommend vendors and set-up options to assist with your event plans

Races

A variety of races in Newport News call the Museum their home for their 5K, 8K, & 10K races. Our convenient location and park layout provides many scenic routes.

Several organization host their annual walks and runs in The Mariners’ Museum Park. Festivities can begin and end at one of our field spaces with courses throughout the Park on Museum Drive, or out of the park throughout the Riverside neighborhood. Event organizers are responsible for acquiring proper licensing from the City of Newport News if necessary. Parking may be available on park grounds, at the Museum’s main lot or at a neighboring location.

Park Information Sheet • Map of The Mariners’ Museum Park