Spend a day visiting all four museums and live through three and a half centuries.  Middlesex history, beginning in 1668, goes back almost as far as  Jamestown!   Relive life as Middlesex residents have known it, from its colonial roots through its boatbuilding heyday to the present. With museums in Saluda, Urbanna and Deltaville, Middlesex County’s and it’s heritage is a place like no other.

Middlesex County Museum & Historical Society: 777 General Puller Highway Saluda, VA 23149

Phone:804-758-3663 Email: middlesexmuseum@va.metrocast.net

Website: www.middlesexmuseum.com

Get up close with artifacts that include prehistoric whale bones and shark teeth and Native American arrow points. Celebrate the county’s military heritage with exhibits featuring soldiers going back to the Civil War as well as Lt. Gen. Chesty Puller, the most decorated Marine in Corps history. Imagine yourself wearing the clothes of the 19th and early 20th centuries that are on display and “shop” for goods in the re-created General Store merchandise. Learn about Civil Rights pioneer Irene Morgan and see her Medal of Freedom that’s on display. For map lovers, find an extensive selection of historical maps for cartographic exploration.

Urbanna Museum & Visitor Center: 130 Virginia Street, Urbanna, VA 23175  Phone:804-758-8181  Website:  www.urbannavamuseum.com

See the original 1755 Mitchell Map, the most important map in American History!  Oyster and watermen displays housed in the Scottish Factor Store, known by locals as the Old Tobacco Warehouse, the epicenter of port commerce during the Colonial era.

Deltaville Maritime Museum & Holly Point Nature Park: 287 Jackson Creek Road, Deltaville, VA 23043

Phone:804-776-7200 Email: office@deltavillemuseum.com  Website: www.deltavillemuseum.com

Is a place where maritime boatbuilding and watermen legends comes to life. History becomes reality, walk aboard or take a boat ride on the historic F.D. Crockett or the Explorer.  The 30-acre Holly Point Nature Park provides a natural setting for visitors to meander nature trails, fish off the dock, launch your kayak or have a picnic .  Enjoy outdoor events from April through November such as the “Groovin’ in the Park” concert series, the farmers markets, Family Boatbuilding Camp and the Holly Point Art and Seafood Festival.  Available event rentals, to0!

The Colonial Seaport Foundation, an educational organization focused on preserving facets of America’s colonial (17th-18th Century) maritime heritage by providing historically accurate living history presentations and education to the public. Check out their newest program, The Luna Project,  a replica 18th Century coastal trading sloop, which is currently being built from a bare hull.

E-mail: jhcollamore@colonialseaport.org   P.O. Box 204 – Deltaville, VA 23043   Phone: 804-381-8558

Website: www.colonialseaport.org