November 2010

The Manse house museum comes to life through period furnishings, the Wilsons' household belongings, and guided interpretation. A charming 1933 boxwood garden, a restoration project of the Garden Club of Virginia, is available for visitors to tour through.

The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library houses a unique collection of Woodrow Wilson materials from during and immediately after his life, including many works by those who knew him best such as Edith Bolling Wilson, John Randolph Bolling, Stockton Axson, and his daughter Eleanor.

The Frontier Culture Museum is an outdoor, living-history museum and educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia. The Museum currently features six permanent, outdoor exhibits comprised of original farm buildings from Britain, Germany, and Virginia. These buildings have been carefully documented, dismantled, transported to Virginia, and restored. The Museum's exhibits serve as the settings for interpretative and educational programs designed to increase public knowledge of the diverse Old World origins of early immigrants to America, of how these immigrants lived in their homelands, how they came to America, and how the way-of-life they created together on the American frontier has shaped the success of the United States. The Museum's plans for the future include the expansion of its exhibits and programs to include an American Indian and West African exhibits, a working grist mill, and mid-1800s American village. Visitors can see rare breeds of animals, help harvest crops, watch the blacksmith at work, and pitch in with crafts.

The park is a memorial to writer and adventurer Jack London, who made his home at the site from 1905 until his death in 1916.

The park contains the cottage residence where he wrote books, short stories, articles and letters while he oversaw various agricultural enterprises. After London’s death, his wife, Charmian, continued to live in the cottage until her death in 1955. It was her wish that the ranch be preserved in memory of Jack London and his work. The park was once part of the famous writer’s Beauty Ranch. A ¾ mile walk takes visitors to a dam, lake, and bathhouse built by London. Other hikes lead up through fir and oak woodlands to views of the Valley of the Moon. Another trail leads to Jack London’s grave and to "Wolf House," London’s dream house, which was destroyed by fire in 1913.

From soldiers and generals to civilians--Shenandoah Valley Americans experienced the full horror of the Civil War. Visitors can explore the campaigns of Stonewall Jackson and Philip Sheridan and the effect of those campaigns on the civilian population. The visitor centers throughout the Valley help guests find their way to the region's numerous Civil War sites.

This Roanoke Valley history museum has an extensive and unique collection of artifacts.

This institution interprets 10,000 years of Roanoke Valley history with its large collection of Native American artifacts, including a rare example of Rawrenoke beads that gave the city its unusual name, and exhibits pertaining to early settlers, the Civil War, and World Wars I and II. Visitors are also invited to see the O. Winston Link Museum, which features Mr. Link's railroad photography, and Crystal Spring Pumping Station, the steam-driven water pump that served the city for more than 50 years.

Originally used for the dual purpose of a residence and post office/general store, today the Salem Museum maintains its collection at this site. The museum displays several permanent exhibits, including "Community and Courage: The African American Experience in Salem," and "Twenty Decades: A History of Salem through 200+ Years." The Salem Museum also sponsors a rotating gallery of local artwork, publishes A Guide to Historic Salem, hosts workshops and programs, and maintains a historic herb garden.

Launched in 1954, the USS Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine ever constructed.

The New Market State Historic Park commemorates a pitched 1864 battle in which cadets from the nearby Virginia Military Institute helped score a win for the Confederacy.

Group tours of the battlefield interpret the 1864 conflict with a special emphasis on the role of Virginia Military Institute cadets in the Confederate victory. The Emmy-award winning film "Field of Lost Shoes" is shown daily on the hour in the Hall of Valor.

Natural Bridge and the Monacan Indian Nation of Virginia have joined together to construct a living history Native American Village complex. Visitors will be invited to step back in time and see what life would have been in a typical Native American Village in the 17th century. Near Natural Bridge, visitors can experience life in a traditional Woodlands Indian culture, and enjoy demonstrations of ancient crafts such as basket weaving, shelter construction, hide tanning, rope making, tool making, harvesting, cooking, and pottery making.

Built in 1668, the House of Seven Gables is the oldest surviving 17th century wooden mansion in New England. The home in which Hawthorne was born was moved to The House of the Seven Gables and now lies just feet away from the mysterious mansion made famous in fiction. At the Nathaniel Hawthorne House (c.1750), visitors will learn about the life of the famous author.