I love visiting museums. Now, sometimes I can get tired of walking the long halls and reading posters, but I did not feel that way when I visited the National Army Museum in Virginia.
My friend that I visited, found out about The National Army Museum and she wanted to check it out. I had heard nothing about it, but because it had to do with the army, I really wanted to see if it was worth it.
All I can say is that it was an amazing find.
We went there and spent most of the day going through the whole thing. And I think I could have spent longer.
What is there?
It is a cool building. They have a wall commemorating divisions and a lovely lawn area. The forest around it makes you feel like they are in the middle of nowhere.
Inside, there is of course security that you must go through but there is a lovely flag and emblem on the floor.
They have a cool video that plays in 2D but also has a 4D-like experience where the chairs shake and you can feel the wind.
The museum is set up in a way that makes it easy to go through. There are signs about each war and topic on the bottom floor. You can start at the beginning of the U.S. army and move to the last exhibit on modern warfare.
Each exhibit has fascinating facts and real artifacts.
The cool thing about the artifacts is that the majority are real and have some battle stories to go with them.
Talk to the Volunteers
The volunteers are incredibly polite and often can tell you interesting tidbits about the artifacts. Most have also served in the army, and many appeared to be talking about their army experience with veterans visiting the museum.
The World War II section holds the spot as my favorite.
The volunteer there told a riveting tale of where the Sherman tank on exhibit had been in Europe. He also showed pictures and shared stories that went beyond the signs the museum had posted.
In other words, if you can find a talkative volunteer, your trip will get even better.
Floors and Gift Shop
There are three floors to the museum.
The first floor has the most stuff. It had sections for all the wars that the US Army has been a part of. The upper floors dealt more with special sections, exhibits, and art.
The museum also had a gift shop. It held a limited book section within the shop, but there are a lot of army materials that you can pick out for an army veteran you know, or even wear just to support them.
I bought an army shirt to remember my great great uncle who fought in the army during World War II.
Visit It!
The day we visited, mid-summer, held fewer people than I expected at The National Army Museum. The museum opened right before Covid and then shut down due to it. They had only been reopened for just over a month when I visited, so hopefully, they have more visitors this summer.
It is a great museum, so if you live in the area or are visiting, I encourage you to stop by to remember army veterans and learn about the army.
