Located in the former 19th-century Almshouse, the Barrier Islands Center celebrates the history, beauty, and culture of the Eastern Shore and the barrier islands. The BIC is dedicated to highlighting Virginia’s unique coastal history through exhibits with over 7,500 artifacts artfully displayed to tell the stories of the men and women who once lived, worked, and played on the barrier islands.

10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Tues. thru Sat., free admission

7295 Young St., Machipongo, VA 23405

(757) 678-5550

barrierislandscenter@gmail.com

Housed in a former diesel electric plant, the museum includes videos, photographs, and artifacts depicting the extensive history of Cape Charles, the railroad, the ferry service across the Bay to Norfolk, and the Chesapeake Bay impact crater. Permanent exhibits include the town’s original diesel generator and an extensive model collection of Chesapeake Bay ferries and steamboats. Outdoor exhibits celebrate the town’s railroad history, including a reconstruction of the Bloxom railroad station, a GP7 diesel locomotive, and 6 historic railroad cars.

10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, Mon. thru Sat., 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Sun., free admission (contact museum for winter hours)

814 Randolph Ave., Cape Charles, VA 23310, free admission

(757) 331-1008

Laura Smith: laura@sundayhistorical.com

John Griffith, President: griff23888@msn.com

Housed in a restored 1906 Pennsylvania Railroad passenger station with railroad memorabilia from the lines that operated on the Eastern Shore, the museum campus offers an informative glimpse into the rich railroad history of the Shore. The grounds include 2 cabooses, a baggage car, a Pullman sleeper, a Seaboard 6106, a Budd dining car, a 1913 wooden box car, and the Diplomat, an observation car, along with an 1890s maintenance-of-way tool shed, a crossing guard shanty, and various railroad artifacts.

12:00 to 4:00 PM, Wed. thru Sat. (Mar. thru Oct.), free admission

18468 Dunne Ave., Parksley VA 23421

(757) 665-7245

Ellen Johnson: Madm4js@gmail.com