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.

Such a nice museum. A little bit of everything and great assortment of dinosaur fossils. Would…read morenever had expected this in Martinsville. Took our Grandson and he really enjoyed it. Also was able to get a free day pass for all of us at the library

Awesome Attractions with the Life size replicas of the Animals, the Dinosaurs and We took some…read moreamazing photos. My Client really enjoyed Himself, We were also Greeted by such a Wonderful Staff, It was my first time Ever entering the Museum and I really enjoyed it too. I've been back several times and My Client and I are planning on visiting again. He's invited His family to come down from Christiansburg and they did, They too enjoyed it and purchased a lot of things which made my client very happy because He was the beneficiary of all the items.

Our 2 year old had a fantastic time and was nothing but smiles and giggles. If you have young ones…read moreI would recommend stopping by!

Great stop for the granddaughters, age 9 and 8. Great stop for someone with a sense of humor, kids…read morewho love dinosaurs or just needing to give the kids a moment to run. It Was campy and over the top but hey... I think it was meant to be. The rating is strictly for young kids. Adults, don't waste your time. The price was a bit high but the kids got to squirt a "Bigfoot" who was also armed with a squirt gun.

I had a day to entertain my two year old by myself in Roanoke. This place was perfect! It was in a…read moregreat location, just down the street from our hotel, so we walked. It was a reasonable price. It was the perfect size for her to get through in two hours. She had a blast going from room to room playing in all the different themes. She loved the playground area for climbing and slides. She also loved the little camping area. The Kroger exhibit was quite a hit as well. I loved that she was learning about all the different trades and burning energy at the same time. I also loved the details they put into each station. The news reporting with the live broadcast and microphones were really fun. The working cash register experience at the Kroger experience was awesome. The black light area was a lot of fun too. I think I had as much fun as she did! Definitely recommend for anyone with a toddler and at least two hours to get through it.

My son absolutely loved this place and there were so many activities to do. It's well worth the $9…read moreper person and the price is nothing at all. You can spend hours in here. There isn't time did mission and you can stay as long as you want. There's activities for just about every interest your child can possibly have, a market place, a salon, trains, jungle gyms, digging, construction, sensory play, a black room, literally everything. The staff keeps it nice and clean, but your expected to clean up after your child as well, of course. There's even a section for kids two and below. The only thing I wasn't really fond of was when we first walked in, the employee was talking to my three year old autistic child, and telling him the rules, which he really doesn't understand, and she was expecting a response back from him. Just because you don't know the nature of younger children, I think it's better to direct rules and everything to parents, so they can direct it to the child.

Hubby and I wanted to explore Mt Airy on this lovely Monday early morning. Tickets are 10.00 a…read moreadult and plenty of parking around the museum. There are two small section one upstairs and the down stairs. I would say this museum is on the smaller side. We were done within 25 mins. It's nice to see things from the show since I did grow up watching this over at my grand parents house.

Nice museum with plenty to take in! There's beautiful…read moremurals outside for photo opportunities. Employees were friendly and both buildings were clean. You can get a deal on the museum across the street if you buy tickets for both places. It also includes the Earle theater. If you're in town definitely check it out.

The shape of this building is intriguing and, lucky for us, there is a very nice exhibit inside…read moredetailing how this came about. As you might expect, this museum is filled with of local artists. And instead of the usual cryptic information, most pieces have a brief biography of the artist and sometimes a bit more about the piece. It made each of these pieces come alive for me. The art placement seems very thoughtfully laid out. It's not a huge museum but it seems the perfect size for the art inside. Don't forget to check out the 3rd floor.

One of the required elements of a great city is to have a quality Art Museum. Here in the Star City…read moreof Roanoke that quality Art Museum is the Taubman Museum of Art. Art is what makes our lives ritcher and Art appreciation brings great joy to an otherwise boring life. For this reason is the important role that this Art Museum plays in our community. A couple of days ago I decided to become a member of the Museum, go visit it once more, and write this review for people to read, view my photographs and decide for themselves whether it's worth it to put aside some time to go visit it and what they could get out of it. First of all I would like to mention that the award-winning architectural design of the building by the internationally renowned architect Randall Stout is in of itself a Masterpiece work of art. At first sight it might look like a modern rendition of Noah's Ark. But if you look closer you can see that the architect took special care to honor naturalistic elements of the Roanoke region, such as its beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and the Mill Mountain Star. The building itself is something to admire and visually enjoy. Expensive gems come in small sizes. I consider this as one of the most beautiful and valuable assets of the City of Roanoke. As I entered its doors and introduced myself at the guest station in the entrance, simply as a new member who had just joined, I was warmly welcomed and given a ticket for the Special exhibition of Eternally New: The Art Nouveau World of Alphonse Mucha. The general admission to the public is free, but to see the Special exhibition there is a modest fee, unless you're a member. On the first floor they had everything set up for a wedding reception dinner. The area looked so elegant and inviting. I was amazed at how this Museum used some of its space for private or public gatherings and activities to involve members of the community. They also had a nice Museum Shop and a Cafe and patio on this floor. On the second floor they have eleven galleries to exhibit artworks from their respected permanent collection as well as a special space for rotating special annual exhibitions showcasing the best of the best. On the third floor they have the City of Roanoke Atrium and a wonderful Auditorium and other meeting and activities rooms. Besides all these spaces for exhibition and social events, the Museum has excellent programs for the community as well as hosts a yearly Sidewalk Art Show that is very popular to meet local artists, see their work, and be able to purchase some quality original art pieces. Art is wonderful, I remember the joy I had the time I purchased my most valuable painting by Mary K. Trotter, an American woman artist who studied in Philadelphia before moving to Paris. I highly recommend this wonder of an Art Museum in all aspects. Go visit it, appreciate its masterpieces, attend one of its tours, take one of its classes, get involved in one of its programs, learn to love and enjoy art. For art is a wonderful and splendid thing, that brings joy and flavor into our lives.

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.

Is there anything to dislike about over 75+ pinball machines at one price as long as you like? Had…read morea ball for hours going from machine to machine that looked appealing. The one time admission for adults is $15. They offer senior discounts. The museum is on the second floor wgich is accessed by stairs, or elevator. Restrooms are on the first floor as well as a candy shop. I found all the machines that I played in good working order. Thankfully it was not too busy on a Saturday afternoon and had no wait for anything. I took a photo of everything I played, around fifteen pinball machines in around two hours and had a ball. Unfortunately my childhood machine "Time Warp" was not in their collection. A few favorites were Star Wars, Elton John, Mandalorian and Fun House which pastas there most popular. Easy recommendation and full 5 stars. My wrist got a workout, but was fun!

We had a great time playing pinball. Some of the older machines were better than the newer ones,…read morethough all of them were at least 30 years old. It was a bit surprising that they didn't have any historical information about the machines. The machines were in great working condition.

Science museum with hands on exhibits and learning for kids!…read moreWe spent a good morning playing with family at the museum. We went to the human body exhibits and the magnatiles, blocks and dino dig upstairs. They also had fish in an aquarium on the ground floor.

2 hours was enough time. Admission is overpriced for what was offered. Theatre show should be…read moreoffered more then 2x a day

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.