2 Best Sights in The South, England

An on-site museum houses the Mary Rose, the former flagship of Henry VIII's navy and the world's only 16th-century warship on display. Built in this same dockyard more than 500 years ago, the ship sank in the harbor in 1545 and remained there until raised in 1982. In an accompanying exhibition, you can see artifacts retrieved from the seabed ranging from the ship's large guns to personal possessions like surgeon's tools, tankards, bowls, nit combs, and games.

The city's most impressive attraction includes an unrivaled collection of historic ships, including the HMS Warrior (1860), Britain's first iron-clad battleship, as well as the Royal Navy's best-known warship, the HMS Victory which served as the flagship of Vice-Admiral Lord Nelson, Britain's most celebrated naval hero at the Battle of Trafalgar (1805) and is still the ceremonial flagship of Britain's First Sea Lord. You can inspect the cramped gun decks, visit the cabin where Nelson met his officers, and stand on the spot where he was mortally wounded by a French sniper. There's also an interactive gallery that explores the ship's history and audio guides to take along your visit.

The National Museum of the Royal Navy has extensive exhibits about Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar, a fine collection of painted figureheads, and galleries of paintings and mementos recalling naval history from King Alfred to the present. Action Stations, an interactive attraction, gives insight into life in the modern Royal Navy and lets you test your sea legs with tasks such as piloting boats through gales. Boathouse 4 is a training center for traditional boatbuilding skills required to maintain and build wooden boats; it contains an exhibition that explores the role of smaller wooden boats in the Navy's history. HMS M.33 is one of just three British warships from World War I still in existence. You should allow one or two days to tour all the attractions in the Historic Dockyard. The entrance fee includes a boat ride around the harbor, and the all-attractions ticket is valid for one year.