Princess Anne County Training School/Union Kempsville High School Museum
Hidden GemPrincess Anne County Training School/Union Kempsville High School Museum is a attraction in Town Center, Virginia Beach, best for African American history, education history, a meaningful Town Center stop.
Housed inside the Renaissance Academy, this Virginia Beach History Museums site preserves the story of Princess Anne County Training School, the first high school for African Americans in the county, built through community fundraising in the 1930s. Renamed Union Kempsville High School in 1962 after several expansions, it operated until integration closed its doors after the class of 1969. The museum tells that history through student photographs, graduation memorabilia, military-service artifacts, and timelines documenting the school's decades-long role as a center of Black community life in Princess Anne County. Free, self-guided tours run Saturdays 10am-4pm; guided tours are available by appointment.
Amenities
- Free self-guided Saturday tours
- Student photographs and graduation memorabilia
- Military-service artifacts
- Guided tours by appointment
Know Before You Go
- Best for: African American history, education history, a meaningful Town Center stop
- Parking: On-site parking at the Renaissance Academy, 5100 Cleveland St.
- Accessibility: Housed within an active school building; contact Virginia Beach History Museums at (757) 385-5100 for accessibility details.
- Dogs: not allowed
- Location: 5100 Cleveland St, Virginia Beach, VA 23462, inside the Renaissance Academy, Virginia Beach, VA
Last verified 2026-07-10.
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Upcoming Events Nearby
Last Night on the Town
December 31, 2026 – January 1, 2027 · annual
Town Center's alcohol-free New Year's Eve tradition takes over Fountain Plaza with a family DJ and light-up dance floor in the lower plaza, live headlining acts on the main stage, and a Virginia Beach ball drop at midnight. The Central Business District Association produces the free general-admission event with IMGoing, alongside a paid 21-and-over VIP experience hosted by Cantina Laredo. It's the inland counterpart to the Oceanfront's summer festival season — Town Center's high-rises and restaurant patios standing in for the boardwalk crowd.
Virginia Beach Restaurant Week
January 15, 2027 – January 24, 2027 · annual
The Virginia Beach Restaurant Association's flagship dining event fills each January with prix-fixe menus at roughly five dozen restaurants citywide, from Laskin Road institutions to Oceanfront hotel dining rooms. The 2026 edition ran the theme 'Tastes & Traditions, A Culinary Celebration by Land and by Sea,' spotlighting Chesapeake staples like crab, oysters, ham, and peanuts alongside modern reinterpretations. A companion Dine & Stay program bundles discounted rates at more than a dozen partner hotels, making it as much a slow-season visitor draw as a locals' night out. The VBRA runs the event out of its Laskin Road office in Hilltop, the city's densest cluster of independent kitchens.
Lynnhaven River NOW Oyster Roast
May 1, 2027 · annual (first Saturday in May)
Lynnhaven River NOW's signature fundraiser turns the waterfront lawn at the Brock Environmental Center into an all-you-can-eat oyster roast, marking the nonprofit's multi-decade push to bring the Lynnhaven's namesake oyster back from near-collapse. Roasted and raw oysters pulled from the restoration reefs anchor the spread, backed by barbecue, local beer and spirits, live music, and a shucking contest, with proceeds funding the group's oyster-reef and water-quality restoration work. It's a rare chance to eat Lynnhaven oysters within sight of the reefs that grew them, at a bayfront green building a few minutes off Shore Drive.