Accessibility at the West Virginia State Museum

The West Virginia State Museum welcomes all visitors and therfore offers a variety of services to ensure the accessibility of the Museum and its exhibits. To help you prepare for your visit, we've put together answers to some of our most asked accessibility-related questions.

Arrival and Parking

Designated metered accessible parking is available in Metered Parking Lot located at the Greenbrier Street entrance in addition to a small number of metered spaces in the bus loop in front of the Culture Center.
Note: Vehicles must display proper Mobility Impaired or Disability parking placards or signage in these spaces.

Culture Center visitors are also welcome to be dropped off and picked up in the bus loop. Stairs and ramps are located at the front of the Culture Center that allow visitors entrance to the building. Entry doors are located on both the left and right of the front of the building. An automatic accessible door (operated by an ADA Push to Open Button) is located on the right-hand entrance.

Getting Around the Museum

The museum is located on the Lower Level of the Culture Center. Additional galleries are located on the main and second floors. All levels and public facilities are accessible by elevator, as well as an escalator. Seating is available throughout the museum for rest as needed.

The museum is an immersive experience that includes special flooring and some space limitations along the show path. For those using mobility devices, it is recommended that the device has pneumatic wheels, a short turning radius, and is no more than 38" in length.

All restrooms are wheelchair accessible. A family restroom is available near the front desk of the Great Hall on the main level.

Complimentary mobility devices, including both electric and manual wheelchairs as well as strollers, are available through Guest Services (located at the front desk in the Great Hall) and distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Complimentary strollers are also available.

Service Animals

Guide dogs are welcome.

Visitors Who are Blind or Have Low Vision

Large print and braille versions of the museum floor plan and select brochures, including transcripts of the audio program are available through Guest Services at the front desk.

Visitors Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Transcripts of the audio program are available through Guest Services at the front desk.

Sensory Information

The lighting and temperature of the museum are kept low to help preserve the artifacts. Please note that although overall, the lighting is quite dim, it varies throughout the exhibition spaces and can be quite dim in certain areas.

The West Virginia State Museum is designed to immerse visitors in Weset Virginia history and includes museum audio, visual presentations, and animatronics. Guests may want to consider bringing noise-reducing headphones.

In addition to varied lighting and sound, crowds can vary depending on holidays, weather, school vacations, and other various factors.