On 26 November 1991 the US Navy turned the Lexington over to the City of Corpus Christi.
On 15 June 1992, the ship was donated as a museum and now operates as the "USS Lexington Museum on the Bay" at 2914 North Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas.
A MEGAtheater (similar to IMAX) was added in the forward aircraft elevator space.
Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003.
The ship is carefully maintained, and areas of the ship previously off-limits are becoming open to the public every few years.
One of the most recent examples is the catapult room.

The ship's World War II-era gun battery is also being partially restored using guns salvaged from scrapped ships.
Most notable among these are 5"/38 DP gun turrets saved from the scrapping of the heavy cruiser Des Moines.
They have been mounted in the approximate locations where similar mounts once existed as part of the ship's original World War II-era fit.

On 5 February 2010, the USS Lexington hosted its 17th annual "Stagedoor Canteen".

The National Naval Aviation Museum, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, has a small carrier deck mock-up, whose flight deck is constructed from deck boards salvaged from Lexington.
On 26 November 1991 the US Navy turned the Lexington over to the City of Corpus Christi. On 15 June 1992, the ship was donated as a museum and now operates as the "USS Lexington Museum on the Bay" at 2914 North Shoreline Boulevard, Corpus Christi, Texas. A MEGAtheater (similar to IMAX) was added in the forward aircraft elevator space. Lexington was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2003. The ship is carefully maintained, and areas of the ship previously off-limits are becoming open to the public every few years. One of the most recent examples is the catapult room.
The ship's World War II-era gun battery is also being partially restored using guns salvaged from scrapped ships. Most notable among these are 5"/38 DP gun turrets saved from the scrapping of the heavy cruiser Des Moines. They have been mounted in the approximate locations where similar mounts once existed as part of the ship's original World War II-era fit.
On 5 February 2010, the USS Lexington hosted its 17th annual "Stagedoor Canteen".
The National Naval Aviation Museum, at Naval Air Station Pensacola, has a small carrier deck mock-up, whose flight deck is constructed from deck boards salvaged from Lexington.
USS Lexington (CV-16)