The Mariners’ Museum Adjusts Operating Hours

For Immediate Release

The Mariners’ Museum Adjusts Operating Hours
Schedule allows for repairs and system upgrades with minimal inconvenience to the public

Newport News, Va. (November 2009) -- The Mariners’ Museum, America’s National Maritime Museum, will adjust operating hours effective November 30. The Museum will be open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M., and on Sunday from noon to 5 P.M. The Museum will also be open on Mondays that coincide with federal holidays.

Special accommodations for school and tour groups will be made, and current schedules that are booked on Mondays and Tuesdays are not affected. This change does not impact The Mariners’ Museum Park and Lake, and five-mile Noland Trail, which are open daily from 6 A.M. to sunset. The Mariners’ Museum Library housed within the Trible Library at Christopher Newport University will continue to be open Monday through Friday from 10 A.M. to 5 P.M.

The new schedule allows the Museum staff to balance between the physical facility and its virtual presence and to attend to a variety of deferred maintenance issues. “The board and staff agree that the new schedule will help us address necessary repairs and system upgrades with a minimum impact on our visiting public,” says Dr. William B. Cogar, president and CEO. “Over the coming months, we will evaluate a seasonal schedule, with consideration given to opening seven days a week during the summer when visitation peaks.”

The Museum is investing in technology to provide exhibitions and information about maritime history, science, and culture via the internet. Approximately one million visitors now log onto the web site annually, and the number of people reached through educational programs has grown significantly as well. A key aspect of this growth strategy involves interactive video conferencing (IVC) of the educational programs, which increased by 175 percent in 2008. This summer the Museum improved its IVC facilities tripling the capacity to broadcast educational programs that are transmitted across the world.
 

For more information:
Contact: Cindy Mackey
(757) 754-4553
E-mail: pr@MarinersMuseum.org 
 

The Mariners' Museum, an educational, non-profit institution accredited by the American Association of Museums, preserves and interprets maritime history through an international collection of ship models, figureheads, paintings and other maritime artifacts. The museum is open from 10 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Saturday, and 12 to 5 P.M. Sunday. It will be closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. For information, visit www.marinersmuseum.org, call (757) 596-2222 or (800) 581-7245, or write to The Mariners' Museum, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606.

The Mariners' Museum and The South Street Seaport Museum of New York City are partners in America's National Maritime Museum, an innovative alliance recognized by an act of Congress in June 1998 to share collections, exhibitions, educational programs, publications, and other endeavors.