Reviews of West Virginia State Museum. (Museum) in Charleston (West Virginia).

West Virginia State Museum

790 Reviews

401 Comments

Museum

History museum

1900 Kanawha Blvd E #435, Charleston, WV 25305, United States

Description

Information of West Virginia State Museum, Museum in Charleston (West Virginia)

Discover the opening times, the location, contact, popular times, photos and real reviews by internet users.

This place has a very good rate, they treat their customers well and you’ll feel welcome, super recommended

Map

Open hours of West Virginia State Museum

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Reviews of West Virginia State Museum

Brian Dible

I would give this place 10 stars if I could!! Stopped to visit the capital building first and it was impressive as well. But I really enjoyed the setup of the state museum. They start you back from way in the very beginning of time and work you all the way to the present day. The detail and thought that went i to this is impressive. Unfortunately my time was limited as I had a full day planned. This place is easily 4 hours or more to really take time to read the stuff. Trust me, come here, you'll be impressed. And it's FREE!!

Sumiko Clark

I had the blessing of accompanying my sons on a field trip here. Such a great museum--very engaging and well thought out. Be sure to get a Student's Discovery Guide to complete as you go through the exhibits. The Museum Education Specialist, Nathan, was excellent! You can tell he loves his job and wants to share that love with others. All the other employees were friendly and helpful. Definitely want to return with the rest of my family.

Ward Dougherty

This is an absolute must-see in the capitol This is located in Charleston, West Virginia. It is in the lower level of the Museum building across the sidewalk from the State capitol on the West Virginia State Capitol Complex. Parking for this can be found either on a nearby street or in the metered parking to the northeast that is part of the complex. The museum is a marble building with a large open entryway/atrium that is beautiful. There are escalators to either side of the information desk in the center. The left-hand one will take you downstairs. The museum takes up most of the bottom floor. You can walk through the wonderfully descriptive parts of the museum that takes you through the various parts of the state history. It starts with the prehistoric era to describe how the area came to be and the other portions describe various historical eras and then focus on the most recent centuries. I really liked the coal mine recreation. As you leave, the other escalator takes you back up to the main floor. Please be sure to check out the gift shop on the way out. This site is a must-see for anyone in the area.

Jesse Moore

It's a really nice way to spend an afternoon in Charleston. Not to mention, Free! It was educational, interactive, and just good fun. There's plenty of West Virginia history here to be proud of and pass down for generations to come. Short version: Loved it!

Bennett Cowie

A wonderful museum!! Absolutely worth the visit. Free admission. Great exhibits and some really fantastic artifacts!

Jeffrey Bodensteiner

Informative state museum. I stopped on a recent road trip, wanting to learn more about the state. I wasn't disappointed. I would definitely recommend spending an entire day if you want to go thru the museum and read/visit all the exhibits, as well as checking out the capitol next door. I only dedicated a few hours and had other plans later in the day, so I felt rushed.

Lacie C

Absolutely awesome museum with a lot of informational exhibits. The set up and layout of the museum is very cool and interesting to see. You could easily spend a couple hours in the museum alone. They also have short videos playing on the West Virginia history. Best of all it’s free admission and worth the visit!

QL QL

WOW, West Virginia has such an excellent museum. Wish we have one too in our state. This museum has technologies, interactions and engagement with children. It's free to visit. Much better than expectation. Good job WV!

Benjamin “Ben” Taylor

Awesome place to visit, could probably spend the whole day at the museum and capital.

Kurt Johnson

Very impressed! The museum walks you through hundreds of years of enlightening historical experiences. More artifacts than I could even imagine! And it's free! Definitely worth checking out if you're from WV or even passing through.

C. Wang

Free Museum! Very informative and fun

Anton Lavrentiev

Wanted more of Adena culture and other pre-Columbian Americans. Also mandatory listening of Justice (governor) greeting and farewell. He is the biggest crook in a state, in my opinion. Overall a cute museum. Also lots of beautiful pictures of WV.

Niki Mastny

This seemed like a nice museum, but I cannot give it more than three stars because I didn't get to see all of it. The lower level which is apparently the best is closed for cleaning on Monday. We did get to see exhibits on local quilts, art, and WV police museum, and an exhibit on it's politicians and some of the first lady's dresses which was interesting. This museum he old contraband, which was interesting!

Frances Quigley

I've been here 3 t8mes and still haven't read and seen everything.

Tim O'Sullivan

This is a fabulous free museum! The breath of the collection is stunning and is really a hidden gem. Among the pieces they have are Billy the Kid's chaps! As well as State historical items, they have US historical items too. Well worth a visit if you are in town.

carl johnson

We had a wonderful time at the WV State Museum. We will be making another trip sometime and try to spend some more time because there is so much to see! Well done!!

P. Lamberty

Wonderful place to go if you have never been to the state. We could have spent hours there going through all of the exhibits but unfortunately we were only stopping through. They also have a really friendly staff. A great thing to do is park at the Capitol Market and take the trolley to the museum!

Trista Richardson

Great time there today with my kids kindergarten class. The gentlemen who helped us with our heavy stuff and our tour were great. Super knowledgable and helpful with the kids. There was another lady who was hepimg clean up at the end and she was a hoot too!

Tanner Paladino

A lot of information and artifacts at an entry fee of $0! Nothing beats that. And honestly a great walk through experience. Kind staff.

Kat

Hands down the best museum I’ve ever visited. It’s set up that you enter the museum in a “prehistoric cave” and you exit through “modern WV.” As you walk through, you visit each era from the age before dinosaurs, to modern inventions and art. It’s so incredibly beautiful and educational. I cannot believe it’s free. I wish we had something this cool in KY. I would make the drive up on a weekend just to visit this spectacular museum.

Albert Lodato

Fabulous and unique...a wonderful experience. I highly recommend this. I learned so much about this Fabulous state and it's history. Kids from 3 and a half to 90 will love this.

Bob Fink

This was a delightful free museum. Very well done, a lot of work put into it. Great for people of all ages, fun and informative. Plus it is free too! I highly recommend!

Tommy Marchal

I loved it and it was very accessible plenty of bathrooms everyone very nice and helpful wonderful place to go

Steve Bee

Awesome, well laid out museum that starts 325 million years ago and moves through time. Many different rooms with history and educational displays. Old muskets, guns, Indian artifacts, and short intro's to some of West Virginia's historic figures. We got through about 1/3 of this fine museum and plan on returning next week. Parking is in an adjoining lot with meters (30 mins for each 25 cents. Bring quarters or use your credit card. There is a most wonderful and moving war memorial there in the parklike setting along side the large museum building. It's said that West Virginians paid a large toll in WW II to help preserve what freedoms we have left. True. You'll see all the decendants names enshrined there along with some statues, all in beautiful marble, and there's tranquility pools all around this most moving memorial. It makes one see the sacrifices those that paid the ultimate price in order to help preserve our freedoms. One cannot help but feel the futility of war and the anguish all these deaths caused. I silently thanked them as felt profound sadness. What a tribute and memorial! One must stop by even if you don't go into the museum. There is no fee or admission cost for this wonderful museum. Plan on lunch or dinner at one of the many local food establishments in Charleston afterwards.

Chris Denise

Super friendly and fun place to visit. The staff is absolutely wonderful. The gift store is excellent, the collection is extensive and well presented. A truly fun and informative place to visit. A+

Alexander Rupp

We LOVED our visit. We spent several hours exploring the museum on a Saturday. Highly recommend to anyone visiting Charleston.

Todd Ellis

I live right down the street on the Blvd. This place is just such an asset and so awesome I can't believe I live less than a mile a away. It's a true insight into West Virginian's past and present. The place is awesome for you out of towners take the time get off the Greenbrier exit 1 minute off the exit and visit. The place is top shelf from start to finish. 👍👍

Juan Gonzalez

A must see, awesome educational experience! The West Virginia State Museum was well designed and provided an incredible chronological adventure into the history of West Virginia.

John Johnson

My kids went here on his school trip and it was a really cool place to see. You can probably see the whole thing in an afternoon. Would recommend to see it if you like history.

H Hosier

This has honestly been one of my favorite museums to visit. It was very tastefully but yet uniquely put together in a way that walked you through the history of West Virginia. It was well organized with clever images/set ups and sound effects to make you truly feel like you were a part of history. I only wish we had more time. We will be back!

Marcella Henry

Very well presented! Authentic antiques and beautifully displayed! This is a must see destination for anyone coming through this area!! Interactive parts...my favorite is the creek on video, as you step in the water you hear the splash and see the ripples your feet make, it is incredible and fun for all ages!! I love the beautiful glass work, the gorgeous costumes and carvings form local artists. You absolutely must go!

Suman S.R

It's a good one to visit for one who enjoys the museum concept....it gives us details of inventions and many more. I would recommend this place for sure.

T D

The West Virginia State Museum was one of the best State history museums I've been to. The museum had a theme in every section. You start off in prehistoric times, to the foundation of the State and it's history of the civil war, to coal mining and the present. This is a place I would visit again.

Allen McNeely

Grandkids thoroughly enjoyed their first visit to the WV State Museum. I highly recommend it.

Dixie Selmon

wonderful museum! was so impressed with all the displays .would go again!

Robert Gazzola

Very interesting museum with something for everyone. Nice entertainment room with games for kids as well, and free. Highly recommend

Micah Woods

An amazing exhibit to showcase the history of WV. Plan to spend at least half the day here as there is there is plenty to see.

Mike Sergent

If you've never been there it is a must go it's free it's very nice and learn a lot of interesting stuff

David Pieper

This was an awesome museum and the best part is it is free. They have great informational areas that form a path starting at the beginning of time and moving on from there.

Carpe Diem

So many things and displays here! Very interesting history! So much to look at! Much bigger than I thought it would be. Clean bathrooms. The staff were so friendly !

Mike Strollo

Awesome museum. Way bigger and extensive than I expected. Good mix of artifacts and information. Everything from prehistoric to modern history of the state. Definitely worth a stop if you are stopping by.

Lydia Wittmann

Great place to take family. It is so well done and there is no fee for entry. A wonderful free day out for families.

J L

Seriously, just one word ... AMAZING!! Due to our lack of planning (length of visit), we had to streamline at the end to get back to our vehicle (metered parking - 50 cents for 1 hour,).

Tom Murawski

The museum was free. Lots of interesting historic items.

Glenn Fleming

I was pleasantly BLOWN AWAY! For real. We were there for hours. Some real historical finds. It was free.

Trey Burwell

More West Virginians should take advantage of this massive museum. It’s one of my favorite museums, right up there with the new multi-million dollar museums at Williamsburg, but this one is totally free. Can easily spend a whole afternoon here. Family friendly.

Tara Akins

It was like a trip into Disney World, I'm still shocked that it was free admission considering how intricate all of the displays were!

Brian Arrington

A great place to experience West Virginia history and culture. A true gem of the mountain state. Visit here at least once a year.

Kerry Krivoshein

An outstanding museum that is right across from the Capital Building that features a walk through West Virginia history from the beginning to the present. Thousands of artifacts in dozens of scenes are displayed in hallways and rooms for you to meander through. Beautiful building and helpful employees add to the ambience.

Jason Hankins

The museum is nice and has lots to read. As you walk through it pay attention to the floor and your surroundings as they change the further in time you go through the exhibit. The one improvement that I noticed they definitely could use was signs directing you where they expect you to walk. Sometimes you will come to an intersection in the halls without any clear indication of where to go before it continues on. The museum was free but the parking is not. Make sure you park at a meter as any other spots are reserved for state employees working in the area!

Tom Koenig

An evening or night stroll around the WV Capitol grounds is magical.

Charlie Jennifer

Enjoyed it better than most museums in DC! Well organized. Interesting diversity of artifacts & historical information. Free admission & good air conditioning! Perfect stop on a long drive. Walk across the street and see the capital building while you’re here (you are allowed to stroll around or you can get a tour).

Rebecca Blake

It's one of my favorite places to visit. Every time I come to Charleston. I make sure to stop there.

Jeff Boggess

Nice exhibits it has a small Tamarac store quilt display, archive section, old musical instruments, and video of the construction of the New River Gorge Bridge

Jared Anderson

What a gem! I have been here several times and each time I learn something about my home state. Free and a must if visiting Charleston and interested in learning all about the Mountain State!!!

Imran Khan

Great place! Enjoyed a lot. Its free, no tickets required. Parking is paid.

Angela Snider

What an awesome museum!!! It starts you out during different time periods and leads you up to the present. So proud of the work and preservation of West Virginia culture and history. Highly recommend!! It's FREE 👍

Brian Conlon

Big huge beautiful building, it's obvious West Virginia has enormous wealth to spend on their museum, but no parking, it was all "permit parking only" because the legislature was in session except it wasn't, not to mention the entrance faces the Capitol and not the street.

Billie Jo Runyon

Very nice museum and gift shop. Wish i had time to do research

Matt Rutland

Amazing! Truly amazing. We stopped by on a whim and we were blown away. This place is a must see. Give yourself a couple hours and you will not be disappointed. And it's free!

Nanci See

Truly a lesser know gem! We did a homeschool field trip and had so much fun.

Mike Standing

Nice place! Had lots of historical artifacts!

Zachary

Love this place. I go every year. A great mix of state and national history. West Virginia has an amazing history during the civil war. It's free and a great place to learn history from fossils to modern day. They add things every year so it never gets old. Definitely a must do if your in the area.

Kimberly Kasper

Lots information and exhibits packed into a very small space that is very well organized, visually interesting, and has pleasant voice recordings. One of the best "State" museums I've been too.

Cleaver Putz

What a wonderful experience. You can just walk through or spend all day reading all of the very interesting things about West Virginia. They have done a wonderful job putting this together. I was proud to bring my family here who were visiting from California. I think they were impressed.

Ryan Dutil

Incredible museum showcasing the amazing history of West Virginia. The quality of displays and artifacts is outstanding, especially considering the admission is free! You could spend hours upon hours walking this museum and still not see everything. You can tell they really care about the museum and have put a lot of time and effort into it. Quite an exceptional place.

Kate Moore

The staff is always so friendly whenever we come in. They always immediately greet us and tell us about any exhibits they have currently going on. The museum is very interactive, making it good for children and it's full of information.

Lori Elling

Lovely museum with tons of information about the state and it's history. I loved the narration throughout and the displays. It's hard to believe it is free admission as some paid admission museums don't have this much quality displays. Plan to spend a few hours here so you can read most of the information and, enjoy the many displays.

Amy Karnes

The state museum is a terrific jewel. Great place for children and adults. The state archive is fascinating.

Kennedy

Made a trip to Charleston with my friend who was visiting me from out of state. I said “hey, this museum is free, let’s go in and take a look.” We spent 4 hours in there and the only reason why we left was because our parking time ran out. I could have spent all day in there. It’s literally FREE so there’s nothing to lose.

Stephanie Conner

The museum is amazing, I only gave 4 stars because we arrived at 3:30 and were told that they close the museum down at 4:30. If the hours are 9am-5pm, why did everything close at 4:30? Even the gift shop closed at 4:30, despite signage that said 5:00. I was very disappointed because I wanted to buy something after we looked around in the museum, but couldn’t.

Tarah Cantrell

This is probably the most underrated museum I've ever been to. It's tucked in the basement of one of the capitol buildings, so unless you already know to look for it you may miss it. There are artifacts and oddities from the past, various stories about the state told, and a great deal of West Virginian spirit on display throughout. It'll probably take you a couple of hours to walk through the entirety, but it really is worth it if you're already in Charleston.

Charlie Decker

Always a fun trip once or twice a year. If you geo-cache they use to have one that takes you throughout the museum to get the answers to find it.

Kathy Lowery

Wonderful museum....set up very nice...plan to spend several hours here a lot to see....enjoy.....

Timothy Smith

very interesting and well curated. the first floor of the museum documents and displays West Virginia's rich and diverse history - from prehistoric times to native culture thru the civil war and statehood on up till present day. the second floor appears to be used for other more seasonal displays such as state first lady gowns and old toys. it was a great way to spend an afternoon while we are visiting my local father - educational, informative and well done... worth the time!

Maria Osuna

Very neat place to check out

Kathy H.

Lots of stuff to see. Clean and there is thought taken with the exhibits. Worth while to visit!

Rae Pawling

A very nice and free museum. Instantly, you get a sense of what makes West Virginia different than the other 50 states. Lovingly curated, it seems to me. If your kids have not come here as part of their school, then bring them here yourselves. Worthwhile.

Crystal Schwind

Packed with interesting exhibits about West Virginia. We had a very good time. My only complaint is the artists exhibited in the Capital gallery were not WV artists. Shouldn't we be exhibiting art created in our state?

David Walker

I almost didn't go to the West Virginia State Museum, but hey, it was free. Turned out to be an amazing labyrinth of history spanning time: from the formation of the Appalachian Mountains thru to today. It was truly a wonderful museum, the entrance lobby displaying dozens of large, hand-made quilts. Do yourself a favor and take your time, browse through the many wonderful displays, room-sized recreations, and the countless intricate details documenting the history of West Virginia. Do not miss this. Highly recommended.

Ron Hawketts

This has to be one of the best museums that you will ever visit if you want to understand American History of the people. The museum is free to enter (not as other reviewers imply it is expensive.) You travel downstairs on an escalator and start from before man was on the planet. Slowly you walk through a labyrinth of corridors each one leading to the next and a date stamp on the floor to give you an idea of the period you are in. This must have taken a few years to set up and one of the attendants told us that if you were to read all the plaques, it will take you 30 hours, from start to finish. This is excellent and highly educational and if you visit Charleston an experience you should not miss. you have to give the museum 10 stars out of 5 and I would have gladly paid 20 dollars unfortunately I was unable to pay a cent or leave any money for a local charity, that was a shame. I must add I was a visitor from the UK and will always remember this museum. Thank you

Tyler Sabo

Amazing museum that tells West Virginia's history in a creative and fun way. Following the timeline and seeing the scenery change as you walk through was really fascinating. On top of that, there are areas with artifacts that you can step off the timeline and view. I do wish that the artifact rooms didn't make you jump past parts of the time lines at times and that there was a way to reset the speaking, as sometimes you'd trip the sensor for the next part before you were done with the last one.

Carolyn B.

An accessible collection of displays about the history of the Mountain State.

Mike Gibbons

This is a great museum giving history of the state. Would recommend everyone visiting. It is free which makes it even better! If you are in Charleston, or even just passing through and have a couple hours, be sure to check it out.

Allen Solberg

Very nice gift shop. Liked looking at the exhibits and memorials around the building.

Douglas

Great exhibits and a thorough history of West Virginia.

Amy Loring

The display is fantastic! My brother came back cause our other sister got really sick, so he came to see her. We had some time before we could go see her and we ended up at the museum. I was awe struck! The time and work that went into the display was worth it!! It was beautiful!

Frank Daugherty

Only my 2nd visit. My 1st was 2016 and I grew up in Charleston and am now an old man. There were ballet classes for the kids that day. And lots of Spring formal/Prom pictures being taking.

Leif D

Great place to take the family and learn about West Virginia, great history lessons and a few interactive displays.

Dave Gordon

Very highly recommended, and free. Aka Bldg No.9 Science & Cultural Center, aka West Virginia Capital Complex Building 9 Culture & History Commission is a thorough look at WV history and industry. A must-see stop, even if just passing through the state. The kids enjoyed the scavenger hunt, completing the self-guided tour within 2 hours.

Rebekah

We went on an educational trip as a family. The staff is vary friendly and had provided a map of the downstairs for easy manuverability. Definitely a place to go for learning about the states history. There are plenty of well preserved artifacts and my family and I all had a marvelous time.

Scott Black

I cannot even begin to tell you what a fantastic experience this was

Maynard Dodson

It's a nice museum with a lot of things to see. It's set up to basically wander around, not go in a straight line to see exhibits. Because of that I feel like I probably missed a few things but the admission is free.

Wiggy Man

Thought we'd take in a museum as we were spending the night on our way up to Ohio from North Carolina. I am glad we did! This is a very nice museum! Lots of wonderful artifacts and history to see and experience. Only negative was finding it. We parked in the near empty lot on a Saturday, and had a little bit of a hard time locating it until we pulled out Google Maps in walk mode. Took us right there.

Micah Richmond

Free art gallery and museum. The museum is fantastic!!! Very interactive. Watch for the fish pond and put your leg in the lights...

Chessa Johnson

We were in Charleston West Virginia just for the weekend.. needed to get the kids outta the hotel for a bit and this was the best!!! We had 4 kids with us 4,4,8 &13, also had 4 adults and 2 senior citizens... this place was free and not dirty and there was something for everyone here!!! It was a great place to visit, and learn something without knowing u were getting an education. Haha.

Jan Chandra

Well worth the visit. The museum is very informative and well laid out. We missed the state capital due to covid and extensive renovation to the dome. Disappointed not to see the gold dome. But the museum and grounds are still good to tour.

Brian Brumfield

AWESOME...very great place to enjoy, especially with the family and kids. It's really enjoyable with a group of school kids, we went with our 8th grade class from Beth Haven Christian School. The kids had a great time and learned so much about our West Virginia History, Heritage, and Culture. There's also a really nice gift shop at the end of the tour.

Jess B

This museum has a great collection of exhibits with an interactive walk through format. Be sure to make time for the various short films and interactive programs in each exhibit that flesh out the history represented by the objects in the cases. Kids have a chance to get more involved by completing a scavenger hunt!

Dave Pogue

I'm a big fan of this place. There are lots of interesting artifacts and immersive exhibits, and you will leave feeling a sense of pride in our State. If you haven't been to this museum before, or it's been a long time (they've made substantial improvements within the last 10 years or so), you should definitely check it out sometime soon.

Mona Wilson Floyd

The West Virginia State museum is a very special place. I was fortunate enough to attend the Black history month celebration for student writers in West Virginia. We had a delicious lunch and a wonderful reception in the main entryway. It was truly an experience to cherish.

Jordan Lovejoy

This is one of the coolest museums I've ever been to! It's completely free, parking is simple, and the museum is under ground which really makes a unique experience because alot of West Virginia's history has to do with mining

Simon Terry King

I took my teenaged son to the museum while we were in the area to visit my father over Christmas. We were both overwhelmed by the attention to detail everywhere we looked within multiple VAST displays of West Virginia history! Before arriving, I was seriously expecting a long boring walk highlighting the finer points of the coal industry (no offense). But this place completely blew me away! The museum does feature several displays on the history of coal mining, it's a rich part of the state's heritage, but the presentation goes exceedingly beyond mere coal. Featuring civil war relics, the humble beginnings of the emancipation proclamation, President Lincoln, Daniel Boon, Byrd, Yeager, the state police, crafts, all the way back to geological specimens AND MUCH MORE (including a robot). Stop by if you're curious and in the area, expect to spend a couple hours. My son and I both want to go back so we have more time.

Dani Marie

I can't stress enough how awesome this Museum is. I've never seen a state museum so cool. Wish we had longer to see everything. I'll be back for sure!

Meresa Mann

Beautiful place. Enjoy the history and culture of our state and nation.

Steven Thulin

My kids love to visit museums and learn about history, and this is one of their all time favorites! It is full of information and extremely well presented. To begin with, the displays flow very well through the state's history. Each one is a bit different, so even the youngest stay interested about them. My kids especially loved the animatronic statues (except for the youngest who was a bit scared when it first turned on). There are also collections on display in a historical setting. The variety, technology, and overall presentation of items at this museum mean there is truly something for everyone who visits. Add to all that the free entrance, and you can't go wrong with a visit. If you only have time for one stop in Charleston and you want to make the most of it, this is it!

Jeanette Verhofstadt

Truly loved the display. Very well done...as though you were there in that era. Very informative and best of all FREE. I enjoyed it very much.

Baba Lewie

Surprisingly well done. The internet doesn't offer much information about this gem, but we had so much fun and learned something too. Even the 4 yr old enjoyed the visit. We allotted 90 mins for the journey and didn't even get to the upstairs exhibits. There is also a pretty amazing War Memorial on the grounds. There are videos, audios, some things you can touch and so many things to see. AND ITS ALL FREE!! (parking meters must be fed . 75 cents for 90 mins)

Brandon Alger

Surprising little piece of West Virginian cultural history with enjoyable exhibits and a lot to learn. You certainly can't beat the price!

Bill Kelly

Terrific experience. Only complaint, lighting of exhibits could be improved, shadows casted on display made it hard to read information provided, and in some cases, the exhibit itself. Would still recommend.

Dianna Castle

The museum is an amazing place to see the history of the area, my scout pack love it there

Austin

Absolutely lovely facility, and really nice that it's totally free to anybody...as it should be. Anyone visiting this town, or even passing through the area should stop here and soak up some local history & culture

Dominic Ottaviano

The museum is absolutely awesome and deserve 5-stars but parking was such a nightmare it completely ruined it. Don't go if House is in session. Evidently parking for those who are supposed to serve the public is more important than the public. Follow the signs for parking only to find all of the meters reserved. Absolutely miserable trying to find a parking spot.

Emmanuel Perez

I enjoy my visit there with my wife. I am from Panama. She took me there and it was fascinating getting to learn the history WV. Great place. 100% recommended.

Barbara Anderson

This is a must stop n see. The war memorial outside the Capital n a vast museum of WV history beside also. No charge to visit the museum or war memorial. Just pay for parking. At least an hour to go through. Minimum.

Hippie Buddah

One of my favorite places to visit! The downstairs part of the museum, on the history of West Virginia, is as nice of a display as anything I've ever seen in any museum, anywhere. So proud and happy this is in my state!

Carolyn Francis

Great place for history buffs . Learned some things I didn't know about west virginia. Overall a nice place to take your kids to learn about west virginia. Other than history books at school.

Patrick MacKinlay

Great free museum, wonderful layout and exhibits

S178 Travels

Having seen many state museums this is the Best! Very nice "Displays".

Tommy Witt

As a fellow American born and raised in WV, there were many things I did not know about this beautiful state. Thank you for everything, you are never too old to learn new things

Julie Spencer

Very comprehensive History of West Virginia with so much to see. Good job to the curators.

Luther Chase

This free museum is very nice. Instantly, you get a sense of what makes West Virginia different than the other 50 states. Curated with love, it seems to me. Worthwhile.

Kristin Fielding

My boyfriend and I took my granddaughter to.the museum. Entering the bldg on crutches the young man at the desk immediately approached me to see if I wanted to use the wheelchair while in the museum. It was greatly appreciated and made the experience even more wonderful

Laura Thomas

I'm not a museum person, but this was engaging and quite interesting. I'll return with more grandchildren. ❤️

Toni Sterling

Great museum. Free admission. Metered parking. Multiple exhibits overviewing West Virginia's history. They currently have state police memorabilia for the 100th anniversary. Worth a stop.

Heather Gimlich

Great experience for children young and old. Enjoyed the education center movie about how wesr virgina came to be.

JM Bauer

This museum features engaging, up to date exhibits. Works well with kids. Good place to get to know the Mountain State.

John Harrington

The museum is free! It moves through history sequentially, which gives context. One of the best state history museums I have been to. Give yourself 1-2 hours to properly enjoy it.

Eden

Really nice museum with a very well done gift shop

Michael Lopez

Nice walk through a timeline path of artifacts from earliest of time through modern day. Free admission.

Morgan Cox

Love this place! Used to visit here as a kid and it's still wonderful! I recommend going on the weekends, as per their website, metered parking isn't monitored. And there's less people and you can tour by yourself.

Robert B. Fish

I visited the Genealogy library at the Cultural Center. They have an excellent array of vital documents, wills, newspapers, land records. Etc plus reference materials. Watch out for the parking police!

Jon Jay

Was really impressed by this museum! A ton of interesting info presented in a compelling way, and it's free! Too bad I only had an hour.

Jason “Jehworld” Harman

A wonderful place to catch mountain stage live music or do some research in the WV archives. Beautiful quilts welcome you as you enter the building and obtain directions from the friendly staff.

Brent Hyre

Everyone should see this place. To get it all would be quite the outing.

Maggie Linsky

The Museum at the Culture Center is always changing, always free, always hosted by friendly, knowledgeable people. Celebrating 100 year history of the WV State Police with special exhibits now.

Marilyn Poindexter

Excellent display of history here. Expect to take 2 hours or more to see it all.

Kayla Skidmore

Love going through this museum, even though I've gone through it probably more than a dozen times by this point. It's super immersive and fascinating even to those who might not be so interested in history. I could visit here time and time again.

Ryan

This is an absolutely fantastic State Historical Museum! And it was free. The staff does a great job welcoming you. My kids loved it and we loved it!

Daniel Foster

I was blown away by how nice the museum was. I loved learning about West Virgninas heritage and more. I would love to go again. Didn't get to fit the whole place in before they closed.

Joan Tallroth

Free museum that we could have stayed at for at least 3 hours. Interesting exhibits, great gift shop, and helpful staff!

Cherie Dimmick

Excellent museum! 7,8, and 9 year old really enjoyed and so did the adults. Great way to spend a couple of hours in Charleston.

Olga Kornilova

Very interactive and interesting. Great for kids that are interested to learn about WV history. Free to visit.

Jacob Tanner

I was surprised by how much there was to see at this museum. There's plenty for anybody who is even remotely interested in history. We will definitely be back, and we'll plan to spend more than 2 hours there

Dakota Chirdon

Very nice museum. Walked through and looked at everything in about 2 hours. Bring quarters for the meters.

Yeo Jott

People were extremely friendly and my family had an educational time. They have added some areas since I last went and I'm glad they still had the 2 ton coal cube.

Chris Tso

A ton of things to see in this museum about Wear Virginia history. Free admission is a cherry on top.

Rami Batarseh

The place gives you the history of the state from Stone age The staff was very nice We arrived late 30 minutes before closure yet they let us in, we had a quick tour There is lots of stuff to see, it seemed very interesting for sure we will come back to visit for longer time to see everything

Elliott Smith

It was a good place that has a lot of history of the state and is a wonderful place to just kill time if you have nothing to do

Nathaniel Peery

This is an excellent museum covering the history of the area from prehistoric to modern. It is extremely well done.

corey jones

Very nice and informative. We spent almost 2 hours looking around but it didn't feel like that long. Learned lots of interesting facts about WV

Chris Bloomfield

Great museum that was bigger than we thought it would be. You have to pay for metered parking at 30 minutes per quarter. Worth it to visit the state house and this museum.

Mary Locatelli

Wonderful museum with so many interesting exhibits on West Virginia. I very much enjoyed it. So worth the visit!

Greg Mullins

Extremely nice people extremely a lot of things in the library that you wouldn't know about West Virginia free faxing free computers usage I hate to say this they always have a pin for me cuz it always slips my mind I once told them cuz of the faxing is free I said I hope you never go out of business gentleman working there said me too LOL

Allyssia Johnson

It's a wonderful place to visit I took my kids and they loved it.

Urania Harrison

Amazing place to visit, its free to enter! My husband kinda rushed me lol but it was fun! I loved the gift shop too!

Tiffany Bailey

This is a really underrated museum. It's extremely well-done, with plenty of interesting exhibits arranged chronologically.

Michael Morgan

Excellently laid out, and free. So much information.

Cathy Martyn

Very well designed museum, easy to follow by listening to the audio and/or reading the descriptions. Great presentation of coal mining and the labor issues.

Amanda “MissCrazyB” Huff

A wonderful and lifetime memorable experience.

Jessica Hall

This is a wonderful museum. It is great to take a self guided tour in. Go when you have plenty of time to take everything in and get the full experience

Josh Lott

Loved this place!! We had a great time exploring the complex. Many neat things pertaining to our great state can be found here.

Roger Massey

Vandalia Gathering , old time music and crafts , food Family friendly and dog and cat friendly

John Giroir

Great collection of various West Virginia history and Culture. Also, location of Mountain Stage, an amazing show found on NPR (National Public Radio).

d R

Very nice. Never been there before the history the pleasant atmosphere the staff all top notch. Prices at gift shop to high

Adam Hodges

One of the best state history museums in the country! Worth a trip and designed in a way that is even engaging to young children!

Daniel Clay

A great place to take your pup and walk around with or without your pets. Squirrels everywhere. Great place to see monuments as well.

Angelic M

The museum was super cool and very in depth, though alittle hard to locate/find parking.

Lorna Jean Steele

Had a great visit, my 3 girls 1st time there, saw the capital & the museum. Went to an escape room, it was great!

Cameron Spradling

Very nice museum, with great exhibits and artifacts. Competes easily with any DC museum, just doesn’t get the traffic or recognition of any of those.

Cindy Keely

A phenomenal representation of West Virginia history to current day!

Ben Graham

It's free and definitely worth a visit. Great learning about the history of WV.

Christian Pechuekonis

MUST SEE if you are want to know more about West Virginia. Great overview of the history of WV. Very well done and interesting.

Tad Boyle

I really enjoy the museum there's a lot of Hands-On exhibits and they're continually updating things I love her they close at 4:30 not 5

Bill Mcpherson

This place is very cool alot of history and good things to know about wv

Stephanie Lupson

This place is and has always been one of my favorite places to go when I have the free time to let my kids look around and learn things about the state and to top it off it's absolutely FREE

Kang WANG

Such a nice museum

Terri Breeden

We were here for the Vandailia Gathering. I was disappointed in the number of craftsmen who were demonstrating their crafts. They definitely needed more access to restrooms.

Alan Kuhlman

Changing exhibits on main floor and balcony are generally pretty interesting . The WV museum in the lower level is very well done.

Chris Kagy

Neat, comprehensive exhibit covering the history of the state. They did a nice job of incorporating information about the vast diversity of life experiences of those who people the state

Tammy Harper

Absolutely loved it! Staff was extremely helpful and nice.

Brenda Keiffer

Great place to see many historic items and interest ing items. Free. Great way to spend an afternoon on a hot summer day.

Chris C

I don't go as often as I did, but this is a great place to visit with a lot on unique items from West Virginia's history.

Larry Eiss

This was a comfortable and enjoyable stroll that took about 90 minutes. I learned a lot and would love to return.

Anna H Dawson

Wonderful museum! Very impressed with scope, details, layout, and settings. Great place to spend an afternoon.And it was free!

Deanna Thomas

It wasn't as clean as it usually is & I really MISSED seeing the quilt display. We left a lot sooner than we normally do.

New Day Music

One of the best museums I have been to. And absolutely free of charge

Matt LeVeque

One of the best museums I've ever been to. We spent almost 3 hours here, and could probably have spent more.

Julie Morris

Great historic museum, very interesting, beautiful staff at the gift shop with wonderful hand made items from Wv.

John Lockhart

Saw Guster @ Mountain Stage. Great show but the openings took up way too much time and shortened the headline acts show. Kinda of a bummer.

Donald Tabor

Wonderful Christmas Tree displays with decorations made by WV students.

Sidney Jackson

Shows the history of the area from prehistoric to modern times. See the front desk and get the treasure hunt book, it makes the tour more fun.

Warren Peace

Currently, they have a WV state police exhibit, which is pretty awesome if you like historical fire arms.

Denise Ferguson

Love this place...We make weekend trips taking our grandkids. Alot of history and the atmosphere is very creative.

Loudonna Watkins

Really wonderful to see so much history of our great state so beautifully displayed. Would be for any age.

Zach Richmond

Attended the Mountain Stage taping. Great theatre with beautiful acoustics. The museum is very cool too.

Samantha Farley

I enjoy visiting any and all museums. My reviews regarding museums will always be a bit bias. I enjoyed all the war uniforms.

Alex Voskoboinik

This is a beautiful museum that reveals many interesting facts and illustrations about the history of West Verginia. I highly recommend it!

Clement Bell

The staff were very friendly and accommodating but the museum was not well-maintained.

Steve Ritter

This place was awesome. It could entertain kids or adults with it's stories and sets/scenery.

Lauren

Had the place to myself! Great staff! Cool exhibits!! Plus it's free!

John Nitis

Huge amount of material for view. Best count on several hours at least. Capital complex well worth viewing. Gem of WV.

Larry Wall

Major update was done since my last visit many years ago. It's a top quality show case of what it represents.

Mike Keller

Nice museum with some interactive bits. There's a route you travel through the exhibits so once you've done it, you've done it.

Shayla Layne

Neat and free place to take the kids. We had a blast doing the scavenger hunt and looking for items on the list.

Clark Wheeler

Excellent museum. You could zip through in an hour, or really enjoy it for 4 hours or more!

Cyndi Nelson

I went for Bob Thompson's Christmas concert and it was amazing!

Holly Kimble

The museum is amazing, free, and interactive enough to occupy kid's attention for a little bit

Dylan Bailey

Large newly renovated walkthrough museum. Can get guided tours and guided audio tours. Large theatre attached for performances.

Jerry Myers

Best free afternoon you can spend in Charleston.

Steve Beckelhimer

Great place to spend a day learning more about the history and culture of West Virginia and the Appalachian area.

kevin taylor

WV proud, lots of info and great displays anyone and everyone should stop by and take a look and its FREE!!!!!!

Cullen Byers

A lot of whitewashed history. They should do some deep reflection about the history of their state.

_Egg_

As a kid I really loved this! Would highly recommend to anyone 1-90 who live in West Virginia.

Jim Murphy

Great place to visit, the only negative; pre-recorded narrations talking over each other which is distracting.

Kipp Ferrebee

Great opportunity to learn local history of WV. I love history and the staff were very helpful and attentive.

terry songer

It was extremely interesting and entertaining. We very much enjoyed our tour 🤗 …

Arlene Bennett

What a great museum. This is a must when visiting Charleston

Rodney Richardson

I go to do ancestry searches,it's a great place to do research and the people that work there are very helpful.

Cory Brown

This is a really good museum. A must see if you live in WV.

C Huge

I used a device that videoed an ASL interpreter for each exhibit and the staff wete extemely courteous.

Cheryl Adkins

This museum is an awesome place to visit and learn the History of West Virginia. Take your kids.

Karen Grosz

Wonderful State Museum with a free-will offering definitely worth seeing

Tandi Smith-Vogel

They have a wide selection to choose from. The prices are a bit high. The people the work there are friendly and helpful also.

Vish Yerabati

Great Museum worth visiting and its free.

Ashley Watkins

Love all the detail on the history of West Virginia.

Terry White

We visited the annual quilt display and gift shop. The best of WV!

Albert Stegner

Museum is very nice. would liked liked to see some history of the steel industry.

Marcellin Kopandru

Good museum. I wish many state would follow this example. Unfortunately, the history of slavery seemed like a footnote :(

Vicki Dove

Wish we had more time to spend there.

Jessica and Steve Wollschleger

This is a very cool museum, very immersive

3utton

This place is awesome! I would have never knew this was here. Everyone needs to see this!

Dennis Sweet

Wonderful experience. Plan to be there for hours; there is a lot of information to soak up.

Jonathan Brier (wolfgang8741)

Impressive refresh to the old museum. Great summary of West Virginia history and culture.

Ken Faulkner

Visiting and interested to learn more about the history of WV? This is the place for you - and it is free!

Nancy Shimp

We stopped here while traveling through West Virginia and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Lynn Heinze

Great interactive, visual, audial, and informative displays. A "must" see experience.

Adam Weber

Very well designed exhibits. Comprehensive information. Well organized. Free!

Steve Stone

Make time to visit, it's amazing

Jim Ayers

Does a nice job of exploring the states history. Learned a lot!

Kevin Douglas

A well run and insightful museum showing the history of the state

Gary Sporer

Incredibly large, wide-ranging displays. Two hours were not enough.

Mike Hazelwood

Nice museums and it's free. Lots of need exhibits and historical information.

Zach Locks

Very well done museum if west virginia history.

Savannah T

Very interesting. All 3 of my kids found things that caught their interests.

Jeanie Waugh

Wonderful place to visit with history from all 55 counties.

David Ellis

Very fun and educational

Angela Meadows

Stumbled on a history museum and loved it. Had no idea the place was there!

Tracy Clary

This was a great museum and it told the complete story of West Virginia.

Julianna R

Fantastic and free. Free parking at the Capitol building lot on weekends only

Christopher Mitchell

Going back for sure. There was a lot to learn and see. Friendly staff and was very spotless.

Kyle Berry

Very nice museum with great historical artifacts.

Jason Lilly

An impressive and immersive celebration of the best aspects of West Virginia and its history.

Vicki Broce

I took my 8 year old granddaughter and she loved it!

christin miller

This is a great place to visit ...make sure to visit the gift shop everything is made in wv

Gerald Epling

Very professional in detail

Sharon Lee Gates

Just a fabulous resource. Museum Shop is great! So are the Arcives.

Robin Bell

Love visiting here. Love the museum and the history library.

Pam Wallace

Love this place. Very well done. Suggest everyone visits

Evan Kegley

Really neat and free museum with cheap meter parking.

Michael Oculam

Ngl, better than my own State Museum

David Grazulis

Everything you could ever want to know about wva.attractive setting with attractive young guides

James Smith

I and gf often go here the museum is fantastic!

Valerie McVey

Have always found this place magical

Fawn Washington

Great place for history buffs to visit with thw family.

Clayton Brogan

It's some what a good place to visit. Not like it used to be.

Beth Griffin

Very interesting FREE place to go and take people both young and older.

Roger Smith

You have to see the dresses fleas. They are amazing.

Daryl Baker

Very interesting place to be in order to learn about our state!

Jasmine Coleman

The museum is one of the best that I have been to.

Rosalind K Ramsey Rhodes

The downstairs museum is really well done and very educational.

Adam Reeves

Very interesting, nice place to visit.

Mandi

Almost as good as DC museums. Loved it!

Bryanmarc Ray

Amazing history and interesting facts. A 'go-to' for West Virginia History

Ron Walters

Wonderful well rounded museum great for families

Doss Arts Danielle Doss

A great museum with a wonderful representation of the history and culture of WV

Amber Penner

Good place to go if you like state history

Jozlantice Tucker

Very informative and is climate control. Very interesting concepts.

Crassus53

Phenomenal museum, one of the best I've been to

Debbie Cooper

Excellent state museum.

Jeff Hackney

Great free place to go with kids for learning and fun

Darrel Smith aka Built2LastConstruction

Excellent museum. Wholesome family fun.

Amanda Kloos

Very nice place very peaceful too

Gordon

Fun time went thru twice on same visit.

Diane Cooper

Went and watched a taping of Mountain Stage. Always a good time!

J Fred

Tons of great exhibits on West Virgina history.

JUDITH PANTIGOSO

Loved the museum especially from beginning to end.

Dave Sypolt

Very well done! This is in line with a Smithsonian exhibit.

fred kocsis

Very educational and free. A must see.

Jackie Ison

Great place to visit! I loved it!

Brian Flanagan

It's a good free place to take your kids

Steven Kaz

Cool I'll go back when I have more time.

Chase Devlin

Beautiful museum for West Virginia's history.

Corey Robinson

Good experience and friendly staff

Maria Vasquez

Awesome knowing the History. So Beautiful ♡

Richard Garrison

This place has some amazing facts...check it out

Thomas Legg

Great place to learn about the history of the state of WVa

Cindy Bragg

Friendly, courteous folks; it was my friends first time.

D S

Pretty nice natural history display related to WV

Joe Smith

Educational, fun, just needs food to make it easy to spend the day

Adam Osborne

It was pretty cool. The whole man middle went.

Triston Tyler

It was a fun place to go with the girl i liked

Bryan Browning

Loved this place as a kid, it's even better now.

Jjlafa

Wow!!! A lot of work went into this...really great!

Marsha Stearns

Very informative. Always a casual, personal experience.

David Sanders

Great exhibits.

Joan Parker

Stellar offering of West Virginia's treasures... and it's FREE!

Melanie Griffith

Very interesting!

CM Smith

This was fun and interactive for the students that went with us.

stephen roberts

Awesome way to discover the history of the state of West Virginia

Julia Bliss

Fun place Interactive and very interesting even for kids

Jeremy Reger

It's beautiful, and always has new stuff

SirMcSqueak

Great place to learn history about West Virginia!!!

Leila von Stein

Great history of WV!

Angie SOS UK

It was closed but they opened it for us to visit. Up West Virginia *****

Amy Lowther

Love it! Very interactive, informative, and interesting.

Shelby Emerson

Very nice and lots to see

Don Harper

Beautiful great memories

Andy

Jam packed full of history 😁👍🏻 …

PAD Schlachter

Excellent way to spend a couple of hours.

Bethany Sullivan

One of our family's favorite places.

D K

Nice to see alot of things and is free

Gloria Martin

Amazing place to visit and learn about US HISTORY

Godsgiftmykids

Such a nice place

Marlene Price

Beautiful quilts and helpful staff.

Melissa Shorts

Free! So informative!

Vicki Glancy

Loved the layout!

Emily Hinchcliff

Awesome , very informative. Interesting

Mark Esslinger

Open area with interesting local displays.

Bill Lang

Neat museum but easily overlooked.

Stephanie Robinson

An amazing collection of West Virginia memorabilia and collectables.

Cindy

Very Informative and full of WV history.

Martyn Pollard

Very Interesting and well set out.

Amy Stevens

I love the West Virginia Capitol Museum

Jonas Borkholder

Very interesting to learn about West Virginia!

Jessica Benson

Amazing hidden gem in the capitol complex.

Vadim Vulfov

Free entrance and great exhibition

Michael

The renovation they did is incredible.

Ken White

Beautiful set up and displays.

Mark Sowards

Awesome place and it's free

Patricia Stone

Great Mountain Stage Concert.

Bethany Ramey

Great place our state History

Go Journey Inc.

Very nice event and venue

crboothjr

Rich in West Virginia history and beautiful craftsmanship

Lisa Hale

Expansive and complete. It is also interesting!

Abby Bankson

Very nice complex and people.

C Smith

Great place for WV history!

JODY LAINE HADDOX

Excwptionally well done & its F R E E

Cindy K

We had a great time

Jimtwigg55 Twigg

Always makes me proyd to be a Mountaineer

Bradley Myers

Very enlightening about state history.

Jason Butcher

Great WV museum and other facilities

Ken DeWalt

One of the best weve been in

Nate Nuss

Nice labirynthine museum, recommended.

Joseph A

Very informative, interesting and free!

Deirdra Halley

Wonderful little WV adventure.

Somenath Chakraborty

Wonderful!

Christine Underation

Lots of historic information and displays.

Joel Conner

Always fun to go here.

Stella Peterson

The mostrar beautiful state cspitol

Randy Fry

The gift shop is great.

Reuben Sivan

Great museum!

Gloria Jones

Fantastic, beautiful and great staff

John Jones

Learned allot

Jason Snapp

Great history of our state

Jeffrey Allen

Very nice

Tyler Davis

Free and very informative!

Linda Kasal

This place is really nice.

jade lilly

The sites were amazing

Toni Risk

West Virginia History at its finest

Kimberly Franks

Very Interesting

justin altizer

Really nice gift shop

Dave Falcone

Super friendly place.

Rafael Levy

Worth a visit.

Karen Smith

I love this place.

Barry-Lee Pace

Truly a hidden gem in Charleston

Pam Sawyer

Loved this museum!

debi schaible

Wonderful exhibits

Betty Hendershot

Everyone was pleasent there

N H

Really nice and informative

Francis Fisher

Reserve a couple hours for this one

Lucas Coffey

A WV treasure that showcases treasures.

God of Doorknobs Benjåmīn

Fun art & artifacts

Jeff Rupersburg

Best museum ever!!!!

Carrie Hunt

Amazing! Absolutely amazing!!

Sheryl Aldridge

Love it.

Annmarie Gruttaduaro

Had a blast!

Brittane Rhodes

Very educational place.

Patricia Cochran

Loved it

Miriam Freeman

Interesting museum

Lewis Golightly

Such an amazing experience

Pam Summers

Vandalia Festival at Cultural Center

Dirt Cheap

Loved it

Edward Mucklow

Wonderful place to visit

Sandra Nelson

Awesome!

Michael Griffith

Everything West Virginia here👍 …

Jarrod Owsley

Nice place to visit.

patsy adkins

Great place to visit

Margaret Staggers

The best of West Virginia,

tabitha hoffman-wagner

Great museum

margaret bevel-jeter

History of ALL persons of WV

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