THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, September 5, 1995 TAG: 9509020059
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Mom, I'm Bored
SOURCE: BY SHERRIE BOYER
LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
I HAVE A confession; I thought it would be just a boat museum. But the Mariners' Museum in Newport News turned out to be one of Sam's and Maddie's all-time great adventures.
Sam, nearly 3, trembled the entire time we were there, he was that excited. Maddie, 4, simply boinged, like Tigger, all afternoon.
So what's the big deal? There wasn't any one exhibit that turned their heads the most. The visit was more like a gem hunt. We'd lope along a twisty museum corridor (``secret passage,'' Maddie said) and spot one jewel after another. They were never far apart. We were never bored. Instead, we were fascinated, thrilled and, mostly, awed by the sheer number of ships and boats on display.
The first big hit was the golden eagle in the front lobby. The enormous wood carving once graced the front of the USS Lancaster in the late 1800s. Then we spied a rowboat tacked onto the wall with adorable seats and wood and brass shoe-shaped supports for the rower's feet. We promptly sat down on the floor to practice our rowing.
Then we tied knots, turned a winch and admired a boat full of duck decoys. At a skeleton hull of a wooden schooner, Maddie wondered if Noah had built the ark the same way.
Sam hid in my arms in fear as we passed a 10-foot statue of Leif Eiriksson but leapt from them to admire a Spanish helmet he was certain Disney's John Smith had worn. We admired swords, firearms and a delicately boxed compass.
We spotted a sail with a double-headed eagle, one with lions and castles, and the figurehead of Queen Victoria. We admired more than a dozen figureheads - of lions, bears, women and men - each elaborately carved and exquisitely painted.
But the boats were the biggest thrill of all.
``There's a big boat,'' trilled Sam. Then he turned his head slightly. His eyes grew round.
``There's a bigger boat.'' He said.
``There's the biggest boat,'' he shrieked, this time on tiptoe. He ran a few steps and stopped, overwhelmed. His little shoulders quivered.
``That boat is huge,'' he whispered. But he wasn't quiet for long.
We discussed the names of boats and the jobs the sailors might have performed. Both found the oil paintings fascinating and so real that many brought them to a stop.
We paused in respect before the Crabtree gallery of miniature ships but couldn't get past the door. The room is as dark as midnight without stars. The 16 model ships (from B.C. to 1840) seem to float in space; from the door it is hard to distinguish the glass cases that protect them. It was a room of flying ghost ships; we could not see the walls of the room.
Maddie, my brave one, stated her refusal to enter as simple logic: ``It's a ghost room. We're not ghosts.''
Toward the end of the museum beyond the snack bar, we discovered hands-on activities for children, including whale rubbings, stamps, dolphin puzzles, a whale mural, ships bunks (``Do pirates sleep here?'' Maddie asked), and the wooden deck of a ship from which to spy a whaling expedition.
To get to the Mariners' Museum, take Interstate 64 to exit 258-A. Follow the signs. The museum is 1.5 miles beyond the Virginia Living Museum. Admission is $6.50 for adults and $3.25 for students. Children 5 and under are free. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is lots of picnic space outside and what sounds like a fabulous walk, the Noland Trail, a 5-mile hike around Lake Maury and the museum.
For more information, call 596-2222. by CNB