Get your tickets now for spring CrafTeas and Conversation with a Curator events:

Visit our new ticketing web page to reserve you tickets before they sell out! Email vbhistory@vbgov.com, or call 757-385-5100, if you have any questions.


VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (May 26, 2021) –In addition to Saturdays, the Thoroughgood House will be open for free tours on Thursdays and Fridays starting June 17.

Tours on both Thursdays and Fridays will run every hour from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday tours will also run in the evenings every 30 minutes from 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Admission remains free, but advanced reservations are no longer required. Tours will be open to the public on a first come, first served basis.

During the first Thursday evening tours on June 17, visitors will also have the opportunity to experience a specially focused program called “The Enslaved Perspective.” In advance of Juneteenth, the celebration of the end of slavery in the United States, this program focuses on the history of the enslaved individuals who lived and worked on the Thoroughgood House property in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Saturday tours will continue but will move to every hour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., instead of every 30 minutes, on July 3. If you have already reserved a Saturday tour slot online, your tour will proceed as scheduled.

In accordance with updated federal, state and local health and safety guidance, visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer have to wear a mask while visiting the Thoroughgood House. Visitors who have yet to be vaccinated, or are only partially vaccinated, will still be required to wear a mask or face covering during their tours.

For up to date information, please visit museumsvb.org. If you have any questions about tours, please call 757-385-5100 or email vbhistory@vbgov.com.

New Exhibition at Thoroughgood House

New Virginians: 1619-2019 and Beyond, an exhibition from the Library of Virginia in partnership with Virginia Humanities and supported by 2019 Commemoration, American Evolution, will be on display at the Thoroughgood House Education Center from June 14 to July 24. The exhibition explores the historical and continuous journey toward the ideals of America and intends to foster an honest and serious discussion about diversity and the challenges of blended cultures.

New Virginians highlights the changing demographics of the Commonwealth through a series of edited interviews with first-generation immigrants and refugees who arrived in Virginia post-1976. Common themes that run through the interviews are family, service, opportunity, and faith.

At this time, the Francis Land House and Lynnhaven House remain closed for restoration. The Princess Anne County Training School/Union Kempsville High School Museum is located in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools’ Renaissance Academy, which is currently only open to students and faculty. Visit museumsvb.org and follow Virginia Beach History Museums on social media for the latest updates.

ABOUT THE CITY OF VIRGINIA BEACH CULTURAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT:

The Cultural Affairs Department engages residents and visitors through meaningful arts, heritage, and cultural experiences to connect and strengthen communities. The Department assists and directs the Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission, coordinates the City's Public Art Program, oversees Virginia Beach History Museums, provides contract management for the Sandler Center for the Performing Arts, serves as the liaison with Virginia MOCA and the ViBe Creative District, and serves as a resource to local arts and humanities organizations.