USS Lexington Museum, Texas, United States

5BernieDy 5:00 PM Mar 24, 2021

Lots to do, and fun!
There's so much to see here. I have been to other museums, but none as big as an aircraft carrier. What a treat they were able to save the Lex and use it as a center for education for multiple generations of people. When we visited, there was a lot of parking in the North Beach area for free that is a short walk away, or you can park closer to the Lex and with your admission fee (about $17) you'll get a token for the meters. There is a gangway you walk up to get to the Lex, and during some times of the day they have a shuttle which is very nice for those that struggle with walking or on hot days. There are multiple decks of exhibits to see. The key must-sees are the several self guided tours where preset paths take you through the various parts of the boat. There is also a movie included with admission that is supposed to be pretty good but we didn't have time to see it. Through the tours you'll see a lot about how carrier sailors lived during WWII, it is truly a city at sea, but a cramped one. There are also lots of navy exhibits not specific to the Lex. If you have a little extra money you can visit the flight simulator or the gift shop. The Lex crew will also take pictures of you that you can buy afterward. If you have limited time, I'd recommend Tour 4, which goes through most of the lower deck crew quarters and gives you the best feel for the life of carrier sailors, and also Tour 1 (flight deck), where you can see lots of navy aircraft (though not all were the types that flew on the Lex during WWII). From the flight deck you can also take stairs up to the control tower. Tours 4 and 1 can easily eat up two hours, but I think they are the best parts if you can only hit the highlights. You'll get a bit of Tour 5 automatically as that's where admissions opens into. If you have more time, other Tours 2 and 3 take you through officers and captain's quarters and the pilot ready rooms and a Pearl Harbor exhibit. It's a great museum, well maintained, and a decent value. Frankly I thought the very industrial and military city of Corpus Christi didn't have much to offer for tourists but the Lex is in my opinion one of the best things to see. My only caution is that if you're claustrophobic, stick to Tours 1 and 5. You won't enjoy the other ones.

4Terri G 5:00 PM Jul 5, 2020

A July 4th celebration aboard USS Lexington!
You definitely want to take this tour early in the morning. There are pockets of A/C, but much of the ship just has fans. We were on the ship 4 hours (!) and still didn't look/read all the displays on each deck. Going on 4th of July just felt like the best day of the year to visit Lady Lex. Every hour on the hour, the movie theatre plays a 40 minute feature documentary on history of sea warfare and the Lexington. This movie is fabulous. I didn't realize that the aircraft carriers nuclear energy is used to thrust the aircrafts off the ship in 3 seconds. And the "tail hook" catch stops the landing planes. The movie was a terrific tribute to the talented support teams and pilots. Be prepared for a lot of walking and climbing/descending the narrow ladders used by the sailors. There is a lot of stairs! It was a hot day and I was sweating. The flight deck tour was just too hot for me. You cannot bring food or drink on the Lex. But they do have a "Mess Hall" where you can purchase beverages and snacks. However, very difficult to carry a beverage and climb the many stairs between decks. Definitely don't miss the movie! The 4 tours are self-guided. However, there are group tours but they are only offered 2 days per week.