Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum, Virginia Beach, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum is a small museum on Atlantic Avenue in Virginia Beach, Virginia, devoted to the waterfowl hunting and decoy-carving traditions of the Atlantic coast. It is housed in the historic DeWitt Cottage, one of the older oceanfront buildings in the resort, a few steps from the sand.

The story behind it

Long before Virginia Beach was a resort town, the bays and marshes of this coast drew huge flocks of ducks, geese and swans. Local hunters relied on carved wooden decoys to bring birds within range, and over the generations the best of these working tools became a recognised folk art. The museum exists to preserve that heritage, with collections of decoys, carvings and other objects tied to the region's wildfowl and the people who hunted them.

The building adds its own chapter. DeWitt Cottage dates from the late 19th century, when the oceanfront was just beginning to attract summer visitors, and it survives as a reminder of the seaside architecture that once lined this shore. Seeing the collection inside a house of that era suits the subject well.

What to look for

• Look at the hand-carved decoys up close and notice how much character the makers gave each bird, from the shape of the head to the painted feathers.
• Compare the working decoys with the more decorative carvings, and see how a hunting tool turned into a collectable art form.
• Take a moment outside to study the cottage itself, its porch and its proportions, which are very different from the modern buildings around it.
• Notice how close the museum sits to the ocean, and think about how the coast, the marshes and the birds shaped the traditions on display.

Tips for your visit

• It is a compact museum, so plan roughly an hour, or less if you only want a quick look at the main displays.
• Check current opening hours and admission details before you go, as small museums often have seasonal or limited schedules.
• The Virginia Beach oceanfront and boardwalk are close by, so it pairs easily with a walk along the beach.
• Go earlier in the day and save the boardwalk for later, when the light is softer and the crowds tend to build.

See it on a quest

You can pass the museum as one stop on a longer walk through the oceanfront area. The Oz Escape in Virginia Beach is a self-guided quest played on your phone: the app leads you from place to place, tells you about each one as you arrive and sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Virginia Beach suits readers who like a darker, story-driven walk. You move on foot through the streets, hear about the places you reach and solve puzzles on the spot, with no guide and no group to join. One ticket covers the whole group.

Travelling with children? Family Scavenger Hunt: Bunny vs. Fox in Virginia Beach turns the walk into a game for all ages. You start whenever you like, follow the app from stop to stop and solve puzzles along the way. One ticket covers the whole group.