Virginia Attractions Guide

Appalachia

Historic Crab Orchard Museum - A pioneer settlement of furnished original log and stone dwellings introduces visitors to the cultural heritage of the middle Appalachians.  The Museum Center galleries show antique maps, mastodon remains, Cherokee objects, pioneer implements, the Civil War and coal mining, and the evolution of a contemporary mountain economy.

Carter Family Memorial Music Center - Since 1974, the Carter Music Center has presented programs of old time and bluegrass music every weekend. Formally established in 1979, the Center's objective is to promote old time music and pay tribute to the Original Carter Family (A.P., Sara, and Maybelle Carter).

Brh

Morgan Mcclure Museum - Morgan-McClure Museum offers 15,000 square feet of exhibits that include the 1994 and 1995 Daytona 500 winners as well as numerous other racing related exhibits.

Wolf Creek Indian Village And Museum - Wolf Creek Indian village and museum offers you to experience a palisaded aboriginal village dating back 700+ years! The village was carefully excavated, mapped, and documented. It has been recreated so that you may experience the actual layout of the wigwams and palisade!

Historic Crab Orchard Museum - A pioneer settlement of furnished original log and stone dwellings introduces visitors to the cultural heritage of the middle Appalachians.  The Museum Center galleries show antique maps, mastodon remains, Cherokee objects, pioneer implements, the Civil War and coal mining, and the evolution of a contemporary mountain economy.

Beagle Ridge Herb Farm - Beagle Ridge Herb Farm offers you the opportunity to wander through their breathtaking gardens, hike the beautiful nature trails, or take one of their educational workshops and learn how to make soaps, gels, bath salts, and potpourris.

Blue Ridge Institute & Museum - For more than two decades Ferrum College's Blue Ridge Institute & Museum has documented, interpreted and presented the traditional life and culture of the Blue Ridge and its people. Designated the State Center for Blue Ridge Folklore by the Virginia General Assambly in 1986, the Institute promotes an understanding of regional folklore past and present for all ages.

Central

http://www.aaftankmuseum.com - The largest Tank & Cavalry collection in the world. Dating from 1509 to present. Prepare yourself for an awesome adventure into military history.

The Museum Of The Confederacy - A private, nonprofit institution that maintains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of military, political and domestic artifacts and art associated with the period of the Confederacy, 1861-1865.

Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum - The Exchange Hotel Civil War Museum stands silent watch over a rich past that intertwines Civil War medicine, military actions of the Army and the mighty railroads of Virginia. The museum offers an unique building with a experience through time of Gordonsville's personal history through medical, military, town, and hotel history exhibits.

Poplar Forest - Tour Jefferson's octagonal retreat and see restoration and archaeology in progress.  In summer, experience the hands-on history tent, which features Jefferson-era activities including brickmaking, building a bucket, and writing with a quill pen.

Albemarle County Historical Society - The Albemarle County Historical Society works to nurture and promote an awareness and appreciation of the history of Charlottesville and Albemarle County through exhibits, walking tours, publications, and other programs.

Ash Lawn Highland - Ash Lawn-Highland is an historic house museum, 535-acre working farm, and performing arts site in Albermarle County, Virginia. President James Monroe and his wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe of New York, owned Ash Lawn-Highland from 1793 to 1826 and made it their official residence from 1799 to 1823.

Virginia Discovery Museum - Located on the east end of the Downtown Mall in Charlottesville, Virginia, the Virginia Discovery Museum is a hands-on children's museum, with exhibits on the arts, sciences, humanities, history and nature. Families are encouraged to explore the Museum together -- visitors of all ages are free to touch, play and explore. Learning and fun are the goal. Creative play is the way!

The Children?s Museum Of Richmond (cmor) - Experience one of the East Coast?s most exciting, innovative children?s museums! Learn through interactive play ? sit in an eagle?s nest, explore a cave, tinker in the Inventor?s Lab, create an artistic masterpiece, AND MORE!  Age-appropriate areas for toddlers to grade 5.  Stroller rental. Nursing area.  Museum Shop.  Free parking.  GREAT FAMILY FUN!

Old City Cemetery - The Old City Cemetery was established 1806. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the oldest public cemetery in Virginia still in operation. You can learn Genealogy or see the beautiful Gardens or both!

Peaks Of Otter - Peaks of Otter were formed by three mountains positioned in a triangular pattern, Sharp Top Mountain (3,875 feet), Flat Top Mountain (4,001 feet), and Harkening Hill (3,372 feet). A beautiful mountain lake rests at the triangle's center.

Paramount's Kings Dominion - Paramount's Kings Dominion is a 400 acres theme park located 20 miles north of Richmond. The park offers rides, a water park, stage shows, and lots of entertainment for the entire family.

Danville Science Center - Danville Science Center allows you to discover the secrets of how things work. Explore the impact of science on your life. They offer hands-on exhibits that fill the exciting center that is fun for the whole family.

University Of Virginia Art Museum - The University of Virginia Art Museum in the Thomas H. Bayly Building exhibits art from around the world dating from ancient times to the present day. In addition to its permanent collection, the Museum presents an ongoing schedule of changing exhibitions, accompanied by related programs and publications.

Monticello - Monticello was the home of Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States. Explore Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's mountaintop home, gardens, and plantation.

Maymont - Maymont was the 100-acre Victorian country estate of Major James H. and Sallie May Dooley. They feature a house museum, formal gardens, native wildlife, nature center, a carriage collection, and children?s farm. A favorite is the expansive 100-acre tract of parkland and gardens, still very much as the Dooleys left it.

Agecroft Hall - For hundreds of years, Agecroft Hall was the distinguished home of England's Langley and Dauntesey families. From Elizabethan England, to the banks of the James. Built in England about 500 years ago, Agecroft Hall now overlooks Virginia's James River.

University Of Virginia Art Museum - The University of Virginia Art Museum in the Thomas H. Bayly Building exhibits art from around the world dating from ancient times to the present day. In addition to its permanent collection, the Museum presents an ongoing schedule of changing exhibitions, accompanied by related programs and publications.

Edgar Allan Poe Museum - The Poe Museum provides a retreat into early nineteenth century Richmond where Edgar Allan Poe lived and worked. The museum features the life and career of Edgar Allan Poe by documenting his accomplishments with pictures, relics, and verse and focusing on his many years in Richmond.

Chesapeake Bay

Mary Ball Washington Museum - Mary Ball Washington Museum was established in 1958 as a museum honoring the mother of the father of our country. The Mary Ball Washington Museum recaptures the history of the people who have lived here and shares the unique history.

Stratford Hall - Stratford Hall is one of the great houses of American history. Its magnificent setting above the Potomac River and its bold architectural style set it apart from any other house, but its highest fascination is the family of patriots who lived there. The Plantation is still managed as a farm today on 1,670 of its original acres!

Westmoreland Berry Farm And Orchard - Westmoreland Berry Farm and Orchard offers relaxing and beautiful nature hikes, farm animals, picnics, and beautiful orchards and gardens all around.

Reedville Fisherman's Museum - Reedville Fisherman's Museum is dedicated to preserving the heritage of the maritime history of the Virginia Chesapeake Bay area and the watermen who have traded here for hundreds of years through exhibits, pictures and more.

Historic Christ Church - Resting in Virginia's historic Northern Neck, Christ Church offers visitors a rare look at a virtually unchanged colonial church. From the details of its exquisite brickwork, to the captivating simplicity of its interior, come discover why many believe Christ Church to be the greatest colonial church in America.

Eastern Shore

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Chesapeake Bay Bridge offers bird watching, biking, walking trails, fishing, scenic views and more for a perfect relaxing day in Virginia.

Island Aquarium - The Island Aquarium provides a unique opportunity to experience local marine life up close doing everyday things such as eating, shedding, or just swimming around. The ""touch tank"" allows visitors to actually touch live horseshoe crabs, spider crabs, starfish, whelks, and other marine animals.

Chincoteague Island - Chincoteague Island is Virginia's only resort island. It is one of the many and perhaps the most beautiful island that dots Virginia's Eastern Shore. They are world famous for there oyster beds and clam shoals, outdoor recreation, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, cool summer breezes, animals in their natural habitat, and beaches that go on forever.

Northern

The Manassas Museum - The Manassas Museum's building currently 7,000-square-feet, on eight acres opened in 1991. Permanent and temporary historical exhibits are featured to interpret Northern Virginia Piedmont history through artifacts, documents, and images. Two exhibit videos describe settlement of the region and impact of the Civil War on the community.

Gunston Hall Plantation - Gunston Hall Plantation is a tribute to the influential George Mason. His words were written in the Virginia Declaration of Rights, and have inspired generations of Americans and others around the world including Thomas Jefferson. His home is a beautiful example of Georgian architecture with elaborte carvings in the interior, beautiful boxwood gardens, deer park, and more.

Morven Park - The 1,200-acre estate of Morven Park was home to two governors: Thomas Swann, a governor of Maryland in the 19th century, and Virginia's reform governor Westmoreland Davis. The park features the Mansion, Museum of Hounds and Hunting, The Winmill Carriage Collection and the Garden and Grounds.

Leesburg Animal Park - The Leesburg Animal Park offers the opportunity to get up close and personal with some of the friendliest animals around. Pet and feed animals including llamas, donkeys, sheep, goats, deer and other exotic and domestic livestock. Meet exotic animals including squirrel monkeys, ring-tailed lemurs, and parrots.

Newseum - Newseum is the interactive museum of news, you can go behind the scenes to see and experience how and why news is made. Become a reporter or television newscaster; relive the great news stories of all time through multimedia exhibits, artifacts and news memorabilia; and see today?s news as it happens on a block-long video news wall.

Green Spring Gardens Park - Green Spring is a 27-acre park located in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few minutes travel from the Nation's Capitol. Visitors are invited to stroll through 5 acres of gardens, enjoy educational programs in an 18th century manor house, attend classes in the visitor center, or research gardening questions in the horticultural library.

Splashdown Waterpark - Splashdown Waterpark features five water areas on eleven acres of wet fun. Spend a day on waterslides, floating down the lazy river, or swimming in the lap pool. They also offer tennis and volleyball. There is plenty of beach area to enjoy too!

Gari Melchers Home And Studio - The Gari Melchers Home and Studio, in Stafford County near Fredericksburg, Virginia, is the former residence of the renowned American figure painter Gari Melchers (1860-1932). The museum consists of the artist's home, gardens and studio. The stone studio and galleries house the largest collection of Melchers' works anywhere.

Fredericksburg Area Museum - Here you will be treated to a glimpse of Fredericksburg's rich heritage. Early Indian cultures. The excitement of the American Revolution. The horror and devastation of the Civil War. The rapid change of the 20th century.

Torpedo Factory Art Center - The Torpedo Factory Art Center, created through the joint effort of a group of local artists and the City of Alexandria, Virginia in 1974, is considered the largest and most successful visual arts center in the U.S. Visitor can explore 84 working studios, 8 group studios and 6 galleries.

Shenandoah Valley

Shenandoah Caverns - At Shenandoah Caverns, located in the heart of Virginia's beautiful Shenandoah Valley, you'll see formations so unusual they were featured in National Geographic. Experience the color of Virginia's most beautiful caverns as well as the convenience of elevator service and wide, level pathways on your tour.

Natural Bridge Of Virginia - Natural Bridge Of Virginia offers an unique, historic, picturesque and natural experience. The nature around provides a comfortable place that is also beautiful but The Natural Bridge itself is breathtaking and amazing. It is a once in a lifetime site.

Luray Caverns - Discover Eastern America's largest and most popular caverns, a U.S. Natural Landmark.  From well-lighted, paved walkways explore cathedral-sized rooms with ceilings 10 stories high, filled with towering stone columns and crystal-clear pools.  Also, hear the haunting sounds of the Great Stalacpipe Organ, the worlds' largest musical instrument.

American Celebration On Parade - The Shenandoah Valley?s newest attraction is a unique collection of stunning parade floats, props, and stage settings from American entertainment and political history. You?ll find floats from the Rose parade, Presidential Inaugurals, Thanksgiving parades and many other prestigious parades.

Frontier Culture Museum - Visit Old-World Germany, England, Northern Ireland, and 19th century America in just a few hours at the Frontier Culture Museum in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley!  This international living history museum features historic gardens, heritage cooking, and rare and minor breed livestock live at each historic farm.

Virginia?s Explore Park - Virginia?s Explore Park offers a fun way to learn about the history of the land and the people in western Virginia in 1671, 1740, and 1850. With the addition of the new Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center, a new chapter in the history of the Roanoke Valley is being told at Explore Park.

Salem Museum - As an educational and cultural resource center, the Salem Museum maintains an important collection of local artifacts--including Native American pieces recovered from an early Indian settlement, relics of the Civil War, and mementos of daily life from the span of Salem's history. The museum also features a historic herb garden.

Science Museum Of Western Virginia - The Museum's interactive exhibits explore the wonders of science and new technology. See sound in motion, walk through a tornado, be a TV meteorologist, touch live animals in our Chesapeake Bay Touch Tank, witness glowing rocks and extraordinary gems, surf the Internet using our high-speed technology - and that's only the beginning!

Natural Bridge Zoo - The Natural Bridge Zoo features the largest contact area of any zoo in Virginia. You can leisurely stroll through this area and hand feed tame baby Llamas and miniature donkeys, friendly deer, playful pygmy goats and more!

Luray Reptile Center - The Luray Reptile Center features a unique blend of reptiles, exotic animals, tropical birds and birds of prey. Over 87 different species are exhibited in all!

Science Museum Of West Virginia - Science Museum of West Virginia lets you explore light, color and sound by interacting with more than 40 state-of-the-art exhibits. Televise your own forecast on a ChromaKey green screen, view the eye of the hurricane or jump through a tornado at the Weather Gallery. Get personal at Body Tech, only one of three exhibits in the country that focus on the science behind medicine.

The Art Museum Of Western Virginia - The Art Museum of Western Virginia offers a variety of opportunities to enjoy art from cultures around the world, with a special emphasis on American art and the artistic expressions of Virginia. T he Museum is committed to providing superb exhibitions and programs for both children and adults.

Virginia Museum Of Transportation - Virginia Museum of Transportation features a larges diesel engine collection, steam locomotives featuring the J611, railcars, trucks, trolleys, carriages, vintage cars, O-gauge layout, special exhibits and events.

Dinosaur Land - Step into the world of the prehistoric past, where visitors can turn back the pages of time to the Mesozoic era, where dinosaurs were the only creatures that roamed the earth.

History Museum Of Western Virginia - The Museum has been collecting and preserving artifacts, documents and other memorabilia that tell the story of Southwestern Virginia from prehistory to modern times. They offer a variety of permanent and rotating exhibits, as well as lectures, tours and publications.

Mill Mountain Zoo - The Mill Mountain Zoo, open year round, exhibits over 55 species of exotic and native animals on a three acre site in Roanoke, Virginia. Located off the Blue Ridge Parkway and alongside the famous Roanoke Star, there are also hiking trails on Mill Mountain and a wildflower garden.

Tidewater Hampton

Bacon's Castle - Bacon's Castle is a rare surviving example of Jacobean architecture with its cruciform shape, triple chimneys and curvilinear gables. Today it offers to take you a step back to the late seventeenth and early eighteenth century through the doors of Bacon's Castle. The gardens are beautiful and the furnishings from 1711 and 1755 help interpret daily life.

Virginia Living Museum - Virginia Living Museum is a spectacular combination of the best and most enjoyable elements of a nature wildlife park with a science museum, aquarium, botanical preserve, animals and planetarium all in one inspiring and beautiful setting.

Nauticus, The National Maritime Center - Journey through the world's oceans at Nauticus, The National Maritime Center, a 120,000-square-foot, multi-level maritime showcase. Featuring more than 150 exhibits including computer and video interactives, commerce and military-related displays, and exotic aquaria, Nauticus offers a fun and exciting educational experience for all ages.

The Old Coast Guard Station - The Old Coast Guard Station is housed in a 1903 Life-Saving / Coast Guard Station. There are two floors of exhibits. The old boat room, the Lower Gallery, tells the story of the Life-Saving Service. Exhibits show rescue equipment and methods.

Water Country Usa - Water Country USA, the mid-Atlantic's largest family water play park, features the world?s latest, greatest, state-of-the-art water rides and attractions, spectacular entertainment, shopping and restaurants -- all set to a colorful 1950s and '60s surf theme.

Busch Gardens - Set on 360 lush acres in Williamsburg, Virginia, Busch Gardens boasts some of the least placid roller coasters ever seen.

Colonial Williamsburg - Colonial Williamsburg is the world's largest outdoor living history museum located on a 173-acre, 18th-century town.

Go Karts Plus - Go-Karts Plus is Williamsburg, Virginia's premier family fun center featuring three go-kart tracks, miniature golf, bumper boats, kiddieland, midway games, a snack bar, an arcade and more!

Jamestown Settlement And Yorktown Victory Center - Only a few miles from where America's colonial history began at Jamestown in 1607, colonial America came to an end with the Battle of Yorktown 174 years later, and a new nation began. Today, the struggles, adventures and hopes of those momentous early years are brought to life through engaging exhibits and dramatic living history, all within a 20-mile stretch of road.

Chrysler Museum Of Art - Chrysler Museum of Art offers over 30,000 objects. The museum's collection spans over 5000 years of world history. American and European paintings and sculpture from the middle ages to the present day form the core of the collection.

Virginia Marine Science Museum - The Virginia Marine Science Museum is one of the top aquariums in the country with more than 800,000 gallons of aquariums and live animal habitats, over 300 hands-on exhibits, an outdoor aviary, ten acres of marsh habitat and a 1/3-mile nature trail.

The Hermitage Foundation Museum - Formerly home to the Sloane family, the Hermitage is hidden on the shore of the Lafayette River. The estate encompasses woodlands, gardens, and early 20th century buildings, all of which appear frozen in time. Yet the Hermitage is alive with a colorful new rose garden, changing art exhibitions and events, and a permanent collection of treasures from around the world.