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

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture, originally founded in 1831 as the Virginia Historical and Philosophical Society and headquartered in Richmond, is a significant center for the exploration and education of Virginia's history. It operates as a private, non-profit entity, heavily reliant on private contributions, and holds the distinction of being the official state historical society of the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2004.

In 2018, this institution transitioned from being known as the Virginia Historical Society to its current name, the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. This museum is dedicated to offering a comprehensive display and interpretation of Virginia's past, featuring over 25,000 square feet of exhibition space. It proudly presents the largest permanent display of Virginia artifacts, claiming the unique status of covering the entire spectrum of Virginia's history under one roof.

The museum’s mission is to bridge historical knowledge with contemporary society by collecting, preserving, and interpreting the Commonwealth’s history. This mission is supported through a variety of educational programs aimed at students and teachers, including school outreach programs, guided tours, workshops, and specialized summer institutes for educators.

Additionally, the museum engages the public and its members through regular programming such as members-only evening lectures and approximately 20 public noontime lectures annually, with past lectures available in audio and video formats on their website. One of the current key exhibitions, "The Story of Virginia," spans 16,000 years of history, showcasing artifacts from the Native American era to the early 21st century.

An extension of the museum's historical preservation efforts is the Virginia House, located on the James River in Richmond. Built in 1928 by Alexander W. Weddell, a former U.S. ambassador, and his wife, Virginia, using materials from a 16th-century English manor, the house is a model of early 20th-century innovation combined with historical architecture. Now managed as a museum, it preserves the living conditions of the Weddell with its original features intact. The surrounding gardens offer a vibrant array of ornamental plants, providing a year-round spectacle of color and texture, and enhancing the historical ambiance of the Virginia House.