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Tours, Activities and Workshop Options for Schools and Groups

Museum Tours

The West Virginia State Museum offers a variety of free tours and activities. The tours range from self-guided to in-depth discovery tours. Contact Education Coordinator, Nathan Barner, via email or telephone (304) 558-0220 ext 185, to find the right tour program for you and your students.

The Show Path is an approximately 45-minute tour through West Virginia history from prehistory all the way up to the 21st century. Vistors are immersed in each time and place as history comes alive through first-person accounts and dynamic re-creations of pivotal events and places in the state's past. 26 Discovery Rooms featuring artifacts, artwork, stories, music, film clips are connected to the Show Path. Two Connections Rooms allow visitors to learn even more about West Virginia. Touchscreens within these rooms provide the opportunity to explore photographs, documents, journal articles, and additional information about the state's deep cultural roots and rich history.

Preview your visit with a short virtual tour of the the Museum's 26 Discovery Rooms (courtesy of WVPBS) Company Store

Capitol and Governor's Mansion Tours

Tours begin on the first floor Rotunda at specific hours. Any group of 10 or less is welcome to join a regularly scheduled tour without reservations. Groups of more than 10 are best served by making a reservation ahead of time. It is highly encouraged to make your reservations 48 hours ahead. Please call for reservations at 304-558-4839.

Monday through Friday

Tours start every half hour

9:00 am till 12:00pm

1:00 pm till 3:00 p.m.

*Tours of the Governor’s Mansion are currently unavailable.

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Activities and Workshops for Schools and Groups

Museum Education Student Activities

The West Virginia State Museum offers a variety of educational activities. Please see below for a description of our current activities. Contact the Education Coordinator, Nathan Barner, via email or telephone (304) 558-0220 ext. 185, to find the right activity type for you and your students.

Homeschoolers

The West Virginia State Museum offers programs that can add enrichment to your curriculum. Take a look at our current activities, grade specific programs and student workshops offered. Also feel free to utilize the Museum Education e-WV lesson plans for Elementary through Eighth Grade West Virginia studies.

Scouting Programs

The West Virginia State Museum Education Department has teamed up with the West Virginia Girl Scouts of Black Diamond to provide Girl Scouts the opportunity to learn their story while celebrating West Virginia's past, present and future. During our program, Girl Scouts are encouraged to dig into their history with activities that are immersive and educational, but most importantly, fun.

K-12 Activities Offered

We welcome groups of all ages and sizes to the museum! To make the most of your visit, we encourage you to review the museum guidelines with your students. We offer a variety of activities and programs designed to fit your specifc needs.

We also offer the option to add a movie to your museum experience. We show a variety of movies in the Education Media Center with several topics to choose from. Topics include:

Museum Education Student Workshops

The current available workshops are:

Parking

The Culture Center, which houses the West Virginia Archives and History Library, West Virginia State Museum, State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), Arts Office, Library Commission Library and Tamarack Museum Gift Shop, is located at the State Capitol Complex in Charleston. We are located in Building 9, directly across from the West-Wing of the Capitol building's public entrance.

If traveling on the Interstate, take Exit 99 (Greenbrier Street/State Capitol Exit) on I-77/64, one mile east of the I-64 and I-77 junction in Charleston. The Culture Center is located along Greenbrier Street, just beyond the intersection of Greenbrier and Washington streets.

Visitors to the Culture Center have these parking options:

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Museum Hours of Operation

Operating Hours:

Tuesday through Saturday

9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

***Closed Sundays and Mondays***

Closed all National Holidays except Memorial Day weekend

Admission is free

For more information call: (304) 558-0220