Visit the Surf & Rescue Museum in Virginia Beach, VA

On the boardwalk in Virginia Beach is a small museum celebrating the town’s proud history of ocean rescues. The Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum is a free attraction on Atlantic Avenue that will be sure to delight all ages.

The museum building itself is a historical site – a decommissioned lifesaving station registered on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1903, the station itself was decommissioned in 1969. The building was saved by the community and declared a historic landmark in 1979, and in the early 1980s became an archive for information on old Virginia Beach records and photographs. It later became the Surf & Rescue Museum it is today!

The Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum has two annual events: one in the spring and one in the fall.

The Norwegian Lady Ceremony in the spring commemorates those lost at sea, as well as wishing all sailors a safe voyage in the upcoming year. The name of the event comes from the statue of a woman overlooking the ocean. It is a bronze replica of a figurehead from the ship the “Dictator,” which sank in 1891 off the coast of Virginia Beach. There is a sister statue in the city of Moss in Norway, and they face each other across the ocean. The one in Virginia Beach has a plaque reading: "I am the Norwegian Lady. I stand here, as my sister before me, to wish all men of the sea safe return home."

If you visit Virginia Beach in the fall, the Pig and Oyster Fest is a food festival you won’t want to miss! An annual fundraiser for the museum, enjoy both surf and turf that includes beer, live music, and even a silent auction.

If you want to get involved with the Surf & Rescue Museum, there are plenty of ways to help them out! The museum offers memorial bricks that are installed on the exterior walkway, as well as plaques to honor loved ones that were or are current lifeguards to be added to the Lifeguard Plaque Exhibit. Memberships to the museum, offering special tours and discounts at the gift shop are also available.

If you’re a local, you can also volunteer at the museum! They are always looking for admin, archival, retail, groundskeeping, and visitor relations positions to be filled. Internships for students are also available in multiple roles throughout the museum.

The Virginia Beach Surf & Rescue Museum is a seasonal attraction, open from Memorial Day to October on Wednesdays through Saturdays (10 AM to 4 PM). If you want a private tour, however, contact the museum at 757-422-1587 or email executivedirector@vbsrm.org! They offer private and group events year round.

View the artifacts and exhibits on maritime history in Virginia, dating back to the 1870s and even some pieces from the World War I and II.