Fredericksburg’s most surprising landmark sits right on Main Street. The National Museum of the Pacific War fills six acres in the heart of town, built around the old Nimitz Hotel — the boyhood home of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who went on to command the entire Pacific Fleet. The Admiral Nimitz Gallery traces his life from a small Texas town to the deck of the USS Missouri, while the George H.W. Bush Gallery handles the wider war with restored aircraft, landing craft and oral histories that are hard to walk past quickly.
Give it three hours minimum. Most guests plan on one and stay for four. The galleries are air-conditioned and entirely indoors, which makes this a strong choice on a hot afternoon or a wet one. Outside, the Japanese Garden of Peace and the Memorial Courtyard are quiet places to sit for a while.
It’s about a twenty-minute drive from the Haus, at the eastern end of Main Street, so pair it with lunch and a wander through the shops before you head back. Arrive at opening if you’d rather have the galleries to yourself — weekday mornings are noticeably calmer than weekends.
