Friends of the Hunley

"Very interesting museum. A part of history that I had never learned about in school. Hard to imagine the courage of the 8 men who manned and died in this vessel."

"What an amazing tour! Thank you to John our fabulous tour guide! He was so filled with knowledge and all the kids and adults in our group had such a great time. Science mixed with history! We opted for a private weekday group tour and I highly recommend that if you can!"

"I visited today as part of a Homeschool Group. This was one of the most interesting historical sites I have ever visited. The tour guides know their stuff. I highly recommend if you have any interest or connection to submarines or history."

"Excellent an interesting museum. It is a temporary location as there are plans to move to a more permanent location in the future. That hasn’t been settled yet, but given what they have in this location, I imagine a permanent location will be grand. Anyway, this was a very informative museum. Every piece of information is well presented with a lot of good imagery and graphics. It is also good for children in that there is a lot of things they can touch and learn. There is a short film that documents the night that the Hunley sank the Housatonic, and when she was lost. There’s even a partial replica of the Hunley that you can climb in and get a feel for how dark it was inside, and what the cranks would’ve been like. Note that you cannot fully crank. But the crown jewel of the museum, of course is the Hunley itself. Before you view her, you can look at the valuable restored items that were on Lieutenant Dixon’s person when he perished. Among the most famous piece being the $20 gold coin that stopped the bullet that was fired at him during the battle of Shiloh. You view the Hunley from a raised platform behind glass, so it’s visually not the most appealing view, but it is still fascinating. I am told if you become a member, you might have a better view, but that you’ll definitely be able to view some recovered items that are not on display as of yet, during member days in October."

"Fantastic and must see for history lovers. Incredible story told through a very well done exhibit that covers the man who built the submarine and it’s doomed predecessors. You can see the submarine still going through restoration as well as personal artifacts of the crew. Arrived early on a Saturday morning as other crowds were arriving - suggest arriving when first opens or late morning. Great gift shop and afterwards visited the crews burial spot only a few miles away - get directions and tips from the friendly staff. For both museum and burial plan on 4-5 hours."