What a gem of a museum!…read more We were driving from Texas to West Virginia and stopping at antebellum mansions and other historic spots along the way. When we saw the sign for Settler's Museum (http://www.settlersmuseum.com/), I pulled off the road with a reluctant car of daughers and my partner. Upon leaving, they all proclaimed it to be the single best museum they had ever visited. Off the beaten path, this hidden gem is truly a step back in time to an 1800's farm. With no staff present, we deposited our donation in a jar or some other spot, and then picked up a handheld cassette that narrated our tour throughout the museum "office", school buidling, and then the home and farm buildings set back off the road. When my daughters charged forward to play an old organ in the home, I quickly stopped them only to hear the voice of our female historian issue forth from our cassette as she lovingly instructed parents to allow the children to play it if desired. Every item is open for kids to investigate and touch. The Settlers Museum in Atkins, Virginia is simple, beautiful, authentic, and takes you back in a time warp. I strongly encourage visitors to tour the place, and leave a donation worthy of keeping it alive.

An absolutely amazing restoration of American history and the passion invested into this museum is…read moreevident. It is a true hidden gem in the most beautiful section of mountains along the Appalachian Trail.

This is the centerpiece of Saltville. This unoriginally named town holds more intrigue than you…read morewould probably think. The salt is a product of some unusual geologic conditions that lead animal bones to be well preserved, making this a top site for archaeology. In addition, the salt was also of enormous economic value and was a military asset during the Civil War, making this the site of a significant set of armed conflict. Some other environmental and cultural history pops up as well. The museum has several well-produced and substantial documentaries showing in a tiny theater. The two rooms of exhibits take up more time than you'd think, and I was probably there for an hour and a half or so. The $5 admission is worth it, easily. The town continues to have some unusually salty ponds that you can walk around on some paved trails, as well as some historic markers and a recreated set of salt mining equipment on the edge of town. All of these features and more can be viewed and contextualized on the museum's topographic map/diaorama. It's not a metropolis, but it is an interesting place.

Self guided tour. Small but very well organized and awesome artifacts. Information on Civil War,…read moreNative Americans, geology and fossils. They also have a few videos to watch.

I was debating about whether or not to visit, as I was afraid it might be a simulation experience…read more Boy, was I wrong! This turned out to be the highlight of my roadtrip. I enjoyed going underground, and our tour guide, Gerald, was great. He was able to answer all the questions he was asked. I also went to some of the outbuildings. I was surprised and pleased to see that there were docents in the Supervisor's house & the school. Both of those women came from coal mining families, and I was lucky to be able to spend some time talking to each of them about their experiences. What a hard -- and kind of sad -- life. I actually felt a little guilty that mine is so much different. I also went into the gift shop, where all of the women were just hilariously funny! They almost made me wish that I lived in the area & wanted a job; I would love to work with them! I encourage everyone to visit the Beckley Coal Mine. It was very informative and eye-opening.

We had a great experience on the mining tour in Beckley! I was born and raised in West Virginia, so…read morecoal has always been part of our history--but I had never actually been inside a mine before. This was such a unique way to experience it firsthand. Our tour guide, Tony, really made the tour. He was incredibly knowledgeable and added a lot of humor, which kept things interesting the entire time. You ride through the mine on a cart that's pulled along, and while you don't get off during the tour, he stops a few times to share stories and information. If you're extremely claustrophobic, it might not be for you--but personally, I didn't find it too bad at all. The whole facility is really well done. There's a gift shop, drinks, restrooms, and a museum inside the depot. Outside, there are several historic buildings and houses you can walk through, and they're all accessible with ramps. Parking is easy and right on site. Overall, it's a really neat experience and a great way to learn more about an important part of West Virginia's history. Definitely worth a visit!

Such a great space. Very clean to have so many kids in it every day. Very kind and helpful staff…read more Only $3 if you have WIC or nap/ebt! Hours worth of fun inside. You can leave and come back the same day also. We will be back.

Great for young children. I have been to several places like this one (in malls) and this one has…read morehad the least amount of things for kids to do when it comes to variety of hands on task. Benefit of this place, you can come back on the same day and not restricted to a time limit.

The aesthetics of the surrounding area are magic. The history is dark. The tour itself is…read moreintriguing. Notably, you might think that an underground mine would be open all year, but apparently there are still enough safety concerns that it is closed for a large part of fall and winter. This led me to check it out in a hurry before my opportunity disappeared for the year. After waiting in a museum outside the mine itself, a tour guide escorts you in for a tour on foot (they apparently tried and failed to do golf carts instead, and useless display screens from this experiment are still standing). This is a small section of mine that apparently was used specifically for display purposes for quite a while. The style of mining here was known to be both sociopathically cruel but also a major part of this country's internal development and its projection of power during war when coal was still king. In addition to these stories, there are also a number of fossils and other interesting sights. It is a small section of mine, and a tour with relatively few questions ran about 45 minutes. There's more to learn about the area and about coal than you could get in that time, but I certainly got enough detail in my tour to be worth the trip.

We visited the mine on a road trip vacation. Our tour guide was super knowledgeable and very…read morepassionate about her town. The tour was great. So much history.My heart aches for the suffering these people went through. I looked at my 7 year old and can't imagine him having to work in a mine at such a young age. Thank you for the tour and an eye opening experience.

We went awhile back to see Charlotte and were sorely disappointed. Hearing of her death today…read morereminded me I had forgotten to write a review. This location is privately run and not for educational purposes. More like going to a friends house to see their pets. Please consider going to an aquarium run by scientists for educational purposes.

I want to say this has been one of the highlights of my family trip. When your 16 yo his 17 yo best…read morefriend and wife all agree on this fact it says something. As adults we have this tendency to say "if I knew then what I knew now, I'd have paid more attention in school!" Well here's your chance. This tiny aquarium will impart more knowledge in a short visit than you probably take in most months if you take advantage of it. The interns and owner (a former teacher) are committed to answering questions. The things they are studying and sharing are amazing. If you go in and you want to learn and ask questions this will be an experience you won't forget. Think of the best science teacher you ever had, having an opportunity to show the world what she loves to talk about... and that is what you have here. Do yourself a favor, go, enjoy and learn!!

Great small museum. Stumbled on it while looking for another museum. (Look for the tank right…read moredowntown, it is next door.) The museum is upstairs in a stately government building. There's a Jeep in the lobby, and exhibits around the hall upstairs, plus a memorial room across the hall with memorials for each war the area's residents have fought and died in. The museum itself is full of artifacts donated by local veterans and their families. Very interesting items, nicely displayed. It is small, but you could easily spend an hour perusing all the displays. Well worth a visit if you live anywhere nearby, or are going down nearby I-77 and have any interest in history. I believe it is open weekday afternoons, closed during the winter months (but the janitor graciously let me in once I explained my interest.)

Wow! Just WOW! I'm sure glad we didn't miss this in our travels. The museum is a huge private…read morecollection of American history (and some other stuff) in the most intriguing mansion being lovingly restored by the owners. We had the private museum tour (well worth it to learn the history behind all the artifacts and the mansion). We did a paranormal investigation night with the folks from Haunted Night Experience and the Wraith Chasers and serval other professional paranormal investigators. Then, Dinner with a ghost our last night. It was one of the best experiences of my life. (I would drive the 17 hours for that dinner...YUM!). Lots of amazing paranormal activity was experienced and the pros were so awesome in showing us what they do, how they investigate, how they separate the electrical and radio interference from the actual activity and why they do what they do. We drove from central TX to VA for this event and it was well worth it. Even just visiting the museum is worth the stop if you are ever in the area of Wytheville, VA. It's a cute little town too.