From the outside I never expected to see such an amazing variety of quality exhibits highlighting…read moreour nation's transportation history. Located in downtown Roanoke's historic freight station, The Virginia Museum of Transportation does a great job in preserving Virginia's transportation history with a major focus on rail, featuring iconic locomotives like the N&W Class J 611 and Class A 1218. It houses a vast collection of steam, diesel, and electronic locomotives, including famous Roanoke-built engines. The museum offers interactive family-friendly exhibits covering trains, automobiles, and aviation, featuring over 30 antique automobiles, aviation displays, an outside railyard with historical locomotives on the rail, and a U.S. Army Jupiter Rocket. In 2025 it also launched the Maritime Gallery, with the Naval History of Virginia, located on a second floor. There they also have an interesting exhibit of the Circus and America's Railroads. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its amazing exhibits. The museum also houses the Traveler's Treasures Gift Shop with lots of desired item for sale, such as pins, posters, apparel, wooden trains, hats, toys, books, and tumblers, among other items. These can be also purchased from their website vmt.org Free parking is available for guests immediately adjacent to the museum. Also, cross from the museum is located the award winning Valley Metro Third Street Station, providing convenient bus transportation. Admissions prices are reasonable at $14.77 for adults, and discounted to $12.66 for Youth (13-17), Seniors, and Students with ID (17-59). Children (3-12) pay $10.55, and 2 & under are Free. I highly recommend you visit this museum if you have not yet done so. It is definitely an enriching experience.

I was in Roanoke for work and work ended early for me and since it wasn't dinner time, I'd say to…read morestop at the Virginia museum of transportation. They have there planes, trains, and automobiles. Reminds me of a movie I once saw. The museum is very nice. They have a big area for trains lots of information about trains. They also have airplanes there. They have one hanging from the ceiling. They have a couple cars actually more than a couple cars. Some of them were very nice, but it's a good place to go for a couple hours and check it out.

Before visiting this small, but significant museum in the history of the City of Roanoke and…read moreWestern Virginia, I will admit I had no idea who O. Winston Link was. I discovered it one day while visiting the Virginia's Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center, which is housed in the former Norfolk & Western Railway passenger depot, a historic building renovated by industrial designer Raymond Loewy, and located in front of the also historic Hotel Roanoke. The museum is dedicated to the work of photographer O. Winston Link, famous for his 1950s photographs of steam locomotives, and is integrated with the Roanoke History Museum, which covers Roanoke and the region's broader history. For a small admission fee of $6, ones gets to explore Link's iconic photographs, audio recordings, and memorabilia, finding out more about the person himself and his significance to this region and to the field of photography and steam locomotives. We find exhibits on local history, industrial design, and the impact of railroads in Western Virginia's past. Walking through this museum was truly a leaning experience for me. With over over 300 black-and-white and color images, interactive exhibits, audio recordings, original photographic equipment, and a 30 minute movie in the theater about Link's life and works. At the end I visited the Museum's Gifts Shop, where you can buy souvenirs, books, rail-road related items, local history resources, Link's recordings, posters, estate prints, and other merchandise related to O.Winston Link and his famous steam locomotive photography, among other things. I purchased a miniature oil painting by a local artist of Mill Mountain with the Roanoke Star. The I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its significance. The Gift Shop is operated by the Historical Society of Western Virginia and here are two links to their online shop and to other useful information: https://roanoke-history-museum.square.site/s/shop and https://roanokehistory.org/ I would highly recommend this museum to all those interested in steam locomotives, photography, Roanoke and Western Virginia's History, and the life of one man who played an important role in documenting all this for us and future generations to enjoy.

The movie was with it. Please see the movie. I enjoyed the entire experience. The staff was…read morehelpful, the atmosphere amazing and art was beautiful. I cannot wait to see how this museum evolves.

I'm amazed sometimes by the amount of knowledge one person can accumulate in a lifetime about one…read moreparticular subject. That's what I was thinking during my guided tour of Historic Smithfield, a plantation house turned museum and farm. Our tour guide knew so much about the American Revolution, George Washington, the Civil War and Virginia in general. Plus so much more! He knew everything about the families and enslaved individuals who lived in that house. It was a very informative visit. I'm not even sure you can visit the inside of Smithfield without a guided tour. I should say, though, that although the guided tour was informative, I would suggest it only for adults who might have an interest in history, or people who don't have a short attention span. They cover a lot of information here, and even I was feeling like I was melting down at the end of the tour, because it was just so many facts and we went at a slow pace. So, would I recommend a guided tour for kids? Absolutely not. At least, not my kids or any kids I know. But I would suggest you let kids explore the grounds outside, and say hello to the livestock roaming the fields, and run around the garden. There's a small gift shop with a few snacks and water. The gift shop is also where you purchase admission. There's lots of parking in the gravel parking lot.

What a gem tucked away right next to the VA Tech campus! This is a must visit for history buffs…read morewhen in the area! No longer owned by the APVA, it's a private foundation now I believe, the house has been painstakingly restored and features many pieces owned by the original family. Take the tour! The on-site historian who gives them is clearly passionate and knowledgeable about the history of not only the plantation and Home, but the area as well. I could have listened to her for hours! This is reasonably priced ($8 for adults, but we found a groupon!) and the gift shop has some nice and locally made choices.

Loved this place! It's a 15 per person flat rate to get in and everything is free play. Lots of…read moredifferent vintage arcade games to choose from. We spent a few hours here and had a great time.

It is always a great time to hang out with friends or family, amazing way to kill time or an…read moreafternoon.

I love visiting museums because they take us back in time and through real objects of the time and…read moreexhibits of such, we get to better understand the period and the significance of that time period. The Salem Museum and Historical Society is a local history museum located in the historic 1845 Williams-Brown House, in Salem, Virginia. The museum features exhibits across five floors that trace the area's history from early Native American settlements to the Civil War and modern era. It features permanent and rotating exhibits, such as "The First People of the Roanoke Valley," and offers educational programs, the Logan Library & Archive Room, and a gift shop. Admission is free but donations are gratefully accepted. Also, ample free on-site parking is available for the convenience of all those who visit the museum. When I arrived a very knowledgeable and friendly museum staff member greeted and welcomed me. The young gentleman quickly explained a little bit about the museum and some of the exhibits located on each floor. I was particularly interested in the Roanoke College History. I had the opportunity of visiting the college last year when I was invited to attend the Sister Cities dinner there, and was very impressed with its buildings and landscaping layouts. Garrett Channell, the Museum's Executive Director, came out of his office to personally greet me and also welcome me to the museum. After visiting the museum I had and opportunity to see him again and complement him for the well organized and clearly labeled exhibits. I then visited the Gift shop, which had lots of books and framed prints for sale, among other things. I invite you to view my photographs accompanying this review to get a better sense of the place and its exhibits. And I highly recommend that weather you're a local or a tourist passing by, you stop and give them a visit. I can assure you that you'll be glad you did.

Such a wonderful museum! They focus on both local history and the stories of people associated with…read moreSalem. I really appreciate how well they handle important topics like race and integration; in their America 250 section, they did a fantastic job highlighting how the Revolutionary War would have impacted people from different backgrounds, races, and sexes, and they have a wonderful display on Black history in the area. I love how niche and grounded the museum can be; they really show pride in Salem and its history, and honor both recent and distant history. I've visited museums across the state, and this one is a true gem!

When I visited, it was the end of the school year, so there were lots of photo shoots happening in…read morethe Hahn Horticulture Garden. Of course there were: This is one of the most beautiful spots on the Virginia Tech campus. The garden is six acres of beauty, and it's a wonderful place to wander around and look at all of the plants and flowers and trees. Perhaps you can also relax at one of the benches that are placed hither and thither. The garden serves as a resource for the students to learn about horticulture, landscaping concepts and environmental stewardship. But it's also just a nice place to sit and relax. I like a good bridge over a pond, and they have that here. The pond has lots of koi fish in it, which I was told an egret will sometimes make a nice meal out of. (Poor koi!) Such is life, though, I guess, right? There are also trellises to walk under, brick paths to walk down, statues to gaze upon, and Adirondack seats to sit in. I saw a couple of students working on their laptops in the garden, which you can do because the campus wifi is also accessible in the garden.

The university has a constructed garden kind of on the edge near where the academic buildings end…read moreand the sports start. It has a variety of interesting plant life and the pond was filled with some lively fish. It's not a major destination like the botanical gardens and arboretums I've seen at some other universities, which was a bit of a surprise, but it's a nice place to stop through.

Looks like a house, acts as a hub for rotating art and history exhibits. This Queen Anne Victorian…read morehome used to belong to Alexander Black, a prominent figure in Blacksburg, but is now a cultural center for art, and also has a children's room, a small library and a genealogy center. I got to explore the space for a bit before they closed for the day. I was impressed with the children's area, which is fun and has quite a few things for kids to play with. Other than the children's area, everything else is mostly look-but-don't-touch. Art, historical objects and documents, maps, books, furniture and a few cozy places to sit are the rest of the cultural center. This is a nice place to stop into when you're in Blacksburg if you want to know more about the history of the city, but it's also a quick visit.

This house occupies a prominent spot in downtown Blacksburg. It is open for free visitation, but…read morethe hours are limited and it is not open on Sunday, which is a bit tough from a tourist perspective. When I visited, a weekend Street market was going on outside. It is a splendid looking structure outside and in, and had a variety of exhibitions on the history and natural environment of the area as well as some art on display. There was a gift shopped themed toward local history. One can also sit on the covered porch outside. Bathrooms and water fountains were available on the second floor, and it was a hot day.

We moved here from New Jersey a dozen years ago. Up there, entertainment required a trip to heavy…read moretraffic areas, with equally heavy parking tolls and usually run-down, tacky facilities. We have been totally impressed with the Jefferson Center. Free parking on a tree-lined street, immaculate facility, friendly and welcoming staff, and invariably terrific performers. Jefferson Center is one of the biggest reasons why we are glad we moved to Virginia.

Nice local high school converted to a performing arts center. There is a unique selection of…read moremusical artists in a unique facility. The parking is a challenge at best, perhaps carpool if going with friends. The gravel lot leaves something to be desired with a few divots. There is one local restaurant in walking distance, making it a challenge to arrive early for dinner and a show.