Monday-Saturday: 10am-5pm
Sunday: 1pm-5pm
The VHS offers FREE ADMISSION to the history museum and research library daily!
Long term exhibits – visit Museum website to confirm exhibits are still available:
The Story of Virginia, An American Experience
Long-term
This 10,000-square-foot, family-friendly exhibition includes several interactive features. It showcases more than 1,000 objects and covers 16,000 years of Virginia history from prehistoric times to the present.
Silver in Virginia
Long-term
This exhibition includes hundreds of pieces of silver not only produced in such major urban centers as Alexandria, Norfolk, and Richmond, but also works crafted in small towns like Dumfries, Fincastle, and Waynesboro.
Four Seasons of the Confederacy: Murals by Charles Hoffbauer
Long-term
French artist Charles Hoffbauer was commissioned by the Confederate Memorial Association to paint a series of Civil War murals, which were unveiled in January 1921. The murals follow the changing seasons and include Confederate commanders and battle scenes. (Please note: the Hoffbauer murals are currently undergoing major conservation. Portions of the murals may be obstructed by equipment, but the murals can still be viewed during this process.)
Making the Murals: Studies by Charles Hoffbauer
Long-term
This exhibition shows the models, tools, and techniques Charles Hoffbauer used to produce the large-scale mural paintings, Four Seasons of the Confederacy, that progress through the seasons of spring to winter, from the opening years of the Civil War to its close.
Virginians at Work
Long-term
Hundreds of objects in this exhibition tell the story of how Virginians have made a living and why jobs have changed. The exhibition follows four economies: agricultural (1607–1790), commercial (1790–1865), industrial (1865–1945), and service (1945–2006).
The Virginia Manufactory of Arms
Long-term
This exhibition presents weapons made in Richmond from 1802 to 1821. Examples of flintlock muskets, pistols, swords, and rifles supplied to the Virginiamilitia by the state are on display.
Solving History’s Mysteries: A History Discovery Lab
Long-term
This interactive exhibition, co-organized by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources, focuses on the process of discovery, how we learn, and the important role historic architecture and archaeology play in defining our communities and culture.
The War Horse
Long-term
This life-size sculpture designed by Tessa Pullan of Rutland, England, was installed at the VHS’s Boulevard entrance in September of 1997. Mounted on a six-foot stone base, the bronze riderless figure is a memorial to the 1.5 million horses and mules of the Confederate and Union armies that were killed, wounded, or died from disease during the Civil War.
