These unconventional museums in Virginia showcase everything from the world’s oldest ham to vintage pinball machines, attracting curious visitors year-round.

Beyond Virginia’s well-known historical landmarks and natural attractions lies a fascinating trail of unconventional museums that showcase the commonwealth’s eclectic cultural offerings and quirky historical treasures. From a ham that’s been preserved since 1902 with its own social media following to a massive collection of playable vintage pinball machines spanning nearly a century of American entertainment, these offbeat cultural institutions reveal unexpected facets of Virginia’s heritage. 

1. Camera Heritage Museum

Location: 1 West Beverley St., Staunton, VA 24401

The Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton claims to be the largest camera museum open to the public in the United States. Housing over 6,000 cameras and accessories dating back to the 1840s, the museum chronicles the technological evolution of photography through the ages. It displays a unique collection of antique cameras with both historical significance and interesting provenance.

Visitors can learn about the development of the first cameras, from conception to the present day, and hear stories about photographers who recorded history or made history themselves.

2. Roanoke Pinball Museum

Location: 1 Market Square SE, Roanoke, VA 24011

For those seeking interactive experiences, the Roanoke Pinball Museum offers more than 70 playable machines spanning nearly a century of American history. Executive Director Nic Schell, who previously traveled 30,000 miles across North America for a full year studying pinball culture, has helped make the museum “an absolute must-see destination” for travelers passing through southwest Virginia.

With production dates spanning from 1932 to the present day, visitors can enjoy all-day play with just an admission ticket.

The Roanoke Pinball Museum has 70 playable machines. (Photo by Aila Boyd)

3. First Peanut Museum in the United States

Location: 201 Hunter St., Waverly, VA 23890

Virginia’s agricultural heritage takes center stage at the First Peanut Museum in Waverly, which sits in what was once known as the “World’s Largest Peanut Market.”

Associated with the Miles B. Carpenter Folk Art Museum, it documents how Dr. Matthew Harris grew the first commercial peanut crop just two miles from the museum’s location in 1842, after years of experimenting with various types of peanuts. In 1880, the Old Dominion Peanut Company opened in Waverly as the first commercial company to buy, grade, shell and market peanuts. One of its first customers was P.T. Barnum, who popularized “Hot Roasted Peanuts” at his circuses. While peanut cultivation has spread to other regions, the historical legacy remains in Waverly. The museum welcomes groups by appointment to hear fascinating stories about the peanut.

4. Frontier Cultural Museum

Location: 1290 Richmond Rd., Staunton, VA 24401

History buffs might prefer the Frontier Cultural Museum in Staunton. As the largest open-air living history museum in the Shenandoah Valley, it features costumed interpreters demonstrating the customs of Native American tribes and early European settlers. Visitors can interact with a blacksmith at an Irish Forge, woodworkers, tailors, and yarn spinners, learning how early settlers cooked and worked the land.

Self-guided tours utilize walking paths and trails to allow museum guests to visit all 11 permanent exhibits. The museum recommends allocating three to four hours to explore all exhibits on foot, with golf carts available for rent for a nominal fee on a first-come, first-served basis until 3:30 p.m. daily.

The Frontier Culture Museum is the largest open-air living history museum in the Shenandoah Valley. (Courtesy of Frontier Culture Museum)

5. Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum

Location: 880 W Roslyn Rd., Colonial Heights, VA 23834

The Keystone Truck & Tractor Museum in Colonial Heights spans more than 125,000 square feet and showcases restored antique farm tractors, vintage road trucks, classic cars, and automotive memorabilia.

Located just 30 minutes from Richmond, this “no ordinary museum” promises visitors an exhilarating walk down memory lane. The museum offers a glimpse into the last century of agricultural heritage through fully restored antique farm tractors, ongoing restoration projects, and other farm-related equipment. Beyond agricultural items, visitors can explore vintage gas pumps, oil cans, automotive signage, clocks, and advertising posters of yesteryear.

6. American Celebration on Parade

Location: 397 Caverns Rd., Quicksburg, VA 22847

The American Celebration on Parade in Quicksburg houses 15 massive parade floats that have appeared in prestigious events, including Inaugural Parades, Tournament of Roses Parades, and Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parades. The 44,000-square-foot space features spectacular displays, including the 60-foot-long by 40-foot-tall United States Flag, the Fife and Drum team, the American Revolutionary drummer built for the 1976 Bicentennial Parade, and Freedom Hall, which showcases memorabilia dating back to President Truman’s parade.

Other notable exhibits include the Iwo Jima monument, the Capitol Building, and the iconic Donkey and Elephant. Some floats have moving parts, like Polar Bears rolling in the snow, leaving visitors in awe of the craftsmanship and artistry.

Related: See Atlas Obscura’s 36 most unusual museums in Virginia 

7. Cooter’s Place

Location: 4768 U.S. Highway 211 West, Luray, VA 22835

Pop culture enthusiasts can visit Cooter’s Place in Luray, dedicated to the television show “The Dukes of Hazzard.” The attraction features replicas of iconic vehicles from the show, including the General Lee, Cooter’s Tow Truck, and Boss Hogg’s Cadillac. The location features a Dukes of Hazzard Museum, a replica of Cooter’s Garage, and Daisy’s Diner.

The attraction offers free concerts on weekends, with Cooter’s Garage Band performing on Saturdays from 1 to 3 p.m. and bluegrass musicians taking the stage on Sundays from 2 to 4 p.m. The site includes a store, museum, and restaurant.

8. Virginia Musical Museum

Location: 6316 Richmond Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23188

The Virginia Musical Museum in Williamsburg displays memorabilia from famous Virginia musicians. Some notable items include Patsy Cline’s handmade scarf and stage-worn outfit, Ralph Stanley’s gold-plated banjo, Ella Fitzgerald’s performance dress, Wayne Newton’s 1978 custom roadster, Bruce Hornsby’s Key to the City, and The Statler Brothers’ performing outfits.

The museum also houses rare instruments, including harpsichords, nickelodeons, phonographs, and music boxes, as well as amusement park attractions and other musical artifacts. Visitors can follow the history of recorded music from Edison’s tin foil machine to one of his best opera phonographs, entertaining family members of all ages.

9. Steins Unlimited Museum

Location: 616 Swan Rd., Pamplin, VA 23958

Beer enthusiasts will appreciate the Steins Unlimited Museum in Pamplin, which is home to the world’s largest beer stein, measuring 32 liters. The collection includes thousands of steins, from antiques dating back to the 1500s to modern collectors’ series featuring NASCAR and Anheuser-Busch designs, as well as character steins depicting Laurel and Hardy.

Located just outside Historic Appomattox, the museum offers both collectors and curious visitors a chance to explore one of the most extensive collections of antique steins in the world.

10. Isle of Wight County Museum

Location: 103 Main St., Smithfield, VA 23430

A truly unusual attraction is the Isle of Wight County Museum in Smithfield, home to both the “World’s Oldest Ham” and the “World’s Oldest Peanut.” The ham, which dates to 1902, was overlooked in a packing house for 20 years before becoming a celebrity in its own right. By 1924, P.D. Gwaltney Jr. considered it his “pet ham,” keeping it in an iron safe opened daily for guests and advertising it as the world’s oldest Smithfield ham. Gwaltney fashioned a brass collar for the ham and exhibited it at shows to demonstrate his smoking method’s preservative powers. The ham has been featured in “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” in 1929, 1932, and 2003, and now has its own Twitter account and 24/7 live “Ham Cam.”

Founded in 1976, the museum features exhibits on the county’s colonial history, the Smithfield ham industry, the Blackwater River, and both the Civil War and the Cold War.

P.D. Gwaltney Jr.’s pet ham, thought to be the world’s oldest ham. (Isle of Wight County Museum/CC BY-SA 3.0)

11. Virginia Quilt Museum

Location: 2328 Silver Lake Rd., Dayton, VA 22821

The Virginia Quilt Museum serves as the commonwealth’s official quilt museum. Its collections include historically and aesthetically significant quilts reflecting Virginia’s heritage. The Permanent Collection focuses on quilts of high-quality historical, aesthetic, or technical significance related to Virginia. The Education Collection, on the other hand, includes quilts that can be used for hands-on educational purposes.

The museum also maintains a Sewing Machine Collection featuring machines in good repair that are significant to Virginia history or the history of the sewing machine, and a General Ephemera Collection containing objects that contribute to the interpretation of the quilts or the building’s history. The museum offers rotating exhibits and hosts workshops, as well as lectures to further its educational mission.

12. Poe Museum

Location: 1914 E Main St., Richmond, VA 23223

Literary enthusiasts can visit the Poe Museum in Richmond, which boasts the world’s largest collection of Edgar Allan Poe artifacts. Opened in 1922 in the Old Stone House, Richmond’s oldest standing structure, the museum is located just blocks from the sites of Poe’s first Richmond home and employment. Virginia’s only literary museum includes exhibits on Poe’s life and death, the “enchanted” courtyard garden, and the Poe Shrine.

Visitors can enjoy guided tours and even visit with the museum’s resident black cats. The museum features a unique gift shop with dozens of Poe-related items and offers its historic garden as a venue for corporate events, wedding ceremonies, photography shoots, and filming.

The Poe Museum features an assortment of artifacts related to the famous Richmond resident’s life. (Courtesy of Virginia Tourism Corporation)

13. Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum

Location: 105-107 South Fairfax St., Alexandria, VA 22314

One of the nation’s oldest pharmacies, the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum in Alexandria houses a vast collection of herbal botanicals, hand-blown glass, and medical equipment. This National Historic Landmark also maintains extensive archival materials, including journals, prescription and formula books, ledgers, orders, and invoices.

The museum exists to promote an understanding of historic public health issues, inspire visitors with the values of Quaker founder Edward Stabler, and engage visitors in local and national history by sharing how this business and family profoundly impacted the community in areas such as education and the abolition of slavery.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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