Just Outside DC

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Experience the Marine Corps National Museum at Quantico, Virginia through our photos and insights of the Marine Corps National Museum. We have visited the National Museum of the Marine Corps several times and provide comments regarding location, parking, picnic areas, child play areas, nearby eateries, shopping, and other nearby attractions. The United States National Museum of the Marine Corps preserves the Corps history and heritage. The Marine Corps National Museum is located right off of Route 1 in Triangle, Virginia near Quantico, Virginia. Admission and parking is free.

Photo shows the Route 619 intersection of Joplin and Fuller Roads with Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway).

Click hybrid on the map to see the road names overlay on a satellite photo. On the map the driveway into the National Museum of the Marine Corps site is indicated by a red balloon.

We have visited the Marine Corps Museum twice. Once in mid-December and again in early February. We arrived about 10 AM both visits, and the parking lot was three-quarter full both days, especially surprising for the February visit, as it was a dull day of rain and sleet.

The roadway in is one lane for each direction of traffic. The roadway has a gradual incline, is a well-maintained asphalt road (about a quarter mile), and leads directly into the large, flat parking lot of the 134-acre site. There is no charge for parking at the Museum. Parking areas are provided for handicapped visitors and oversized vehicles.

The Marine Corps Museum is at the far end of the parking lot. To the left, before entering the Marine Corps Museum courtyard, is the Semper Fidelis Memorial Park.

observation
The Semper Fidelis Memorial Park's brick lined walkway leads up to the Patrick F. Taylor Overlook. From your first footsteps out of the parking lot area you are on hallowed ground in honor of Marines present and past. As the photo shows,

much of the walkway is lined with bricks dedicated to the memory of departed leathernecks.

For a quiet walk, mulched walkways through the woods are located behind the Patrick F. Taylor Overlook.

Who was Patrick F. Taylor? Go to http://www.taylorplan.com/ to learn about this self-made billionaire who

made significant contributions to education, the military, law enforcement, and the community.

If you need to sit a spell, the Marine Corps Museum's outside courtyard offers rock-hard seating. Once inside the museum the bathrooms are to the left near the guard's station. The main corridor offers soft benches.

The Marine Corps Museum has a central atrium (LeatherNeck Gallery) with two concentric outer circles with eight exhibit galleries that include the Early Years, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and others. These two circular hallways branch off the main corridor.

Elevator and stairs lead up to the three observation levels above the LeatherNeck Gallery.

Going through the exhibits, we encountered only one problem for wheelchairs and strollers. Steps led up to one of the two entrance ways into the War Along the DMZ exhibit. The other entrance into this exhibit offered no problems.

Though you are clearly on the outside of the dioramas depicting the life of a Marine, flashing lights, the sounds of discharging artillery and detonating bombs, the stutter of machine guns, bursts of small-arms fire, and recorded communications and shouting between Marines in battle draw you into the exhibits. The remarkably rich content and extremely detailed craft work within these galleries startle you at times as you view the life size models of Marines doing what Marines do. It may take a moment for you to realize the figures are an exhibit and not actors standing unmoving next to you.

The lighting is often subdued, making photography of the over 8,000 paintings and artifacts tricky. If you want to try, bring a tripod and expect a relatively long exposure (don't use a flash).

A quick overview walk through the exhibits took us about an hour, as each of the eight main exhibit areas includes numerous nooks of displays. It would be easy to spend hours here.

Look up 1 Look up 2
Throughout the galleries look up to view the numerous overhead exhibits.

The museum's directory stated there was a mess hall, but inside the museum we did not see any area for sitting down to enjoy a snack.

During our visits I have never seen a discarded piece of paper or a cigarette butt on the ground. Trash cans are available.
Outside on the museum grounds we did not see any picnic areas but fast food establishments are only a few minutes drive.

Leaving the Marine Corps Museum entrance/exit roadway you immediately enter onto Route 1 (which is a two-lane divided main thoroughfare).

If you take a right onto Route 1 (going South), you are headed towards Fredicksburg, Virginia.

Take a left onto Route 1 (going North): Click here to view a detailed map showing fast food eateries, pharmacy, hospital, grocery stores, shopping malls, and picnic areas.

Directions to the National Museum of the Marine Corps

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Just Outside DC National Museum of the Marine Corps

Photo shows the Route 619 intersection of Joplin and Fuller Roads with Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway). Click hybrid on the map to see the road names overlay on a satellite photo. On the map the driveway into the National Museum of the Marine Corps site is indicated by a red balloon.

Just Outside DC

National Museum of the Marine Corps

Photo shows the Route 619 intersection of Joplin and Fuller Roads with Route 1 (Jefferson Davis Highway).

Click hybrid on the map to see the road names overlay on a satellite photo. On the map the driveway into the National Museum of the Marine Corps site is indicated by a red balloon.