Virginia Museum of History and Culture, Richmond (must see)

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture, founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, is a major repository, research, and teaching center for Virginia history. It is a private non-profit organization, supported almost entirely by private contributions, and is the Official State Historical Society of Virginia.

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture features award-winning exhibitions and programming that are entertaining and educational for visitors of all ages. One of the largest historical societies in the country, the VHS has thirteen exhibition galleries occupying more than 25,000 square feet and has the largest display of Virginia artifacts on permanent view. The VHS is the only museum with all of Virginia’s history under one roof — all centuries, all regions, and all topics are covered.

In its early years, the museum gathered an eclectic collection of natural history specimens, historical artifacts, and printed and written material. The museum gained its first permanent headquarters building in Richmond in 1893.