Science Museum of Virginia: Richmond, Virginia

Have you ever wondered about the world of science?  A great place to experience it is at the Science Museum of Virginia in Richmond.  There is so much at this museum from hands on exhibits to exploring the universe to just having fun while learning.  The Science Museum of Virginia has something for everyone.  It is a place that will truly enlighten all five of your senses.

Now some of you are saying, “This is amazing.  I have never heard of the Science Museum of Virginia before.  It does sound like a great place.  However, there are science museums everywhere, and all of them enlighten the senses.  Besides, I am more into railroads and not science.  Therefore, it makes absolutely no sense to visit this place.”

What is so special about the Science Museum of Virginia?  It is a museum about science.  It is an interactive museum.  It has many great exhibits about science.  What is so special about this museum?

The Science Museum of Virginia focuses on science just like any other science museum.  However, this place was not always the Science Museum of Virginia.  Before it was the Science Museum of Virginia, it was… the Broad Street Station.  What makes this museum special is that it is housed in what was once a train station.

When you arrive here, you will first notice its grand train station like appearance.  You park your car and then walk to the entrance.  You get a great glimpse and feel of a grand train station like those in major cities like Washington D.C., New York City, New York and Chicago, Illinois.  You enter the lobby area and look up at the grand domed ceiling, and you get the feeling of passengers walking through.  You pay your admission, and you make your way through the exhibits.  You notice something else about this place.

Although the Science Museum of Virginia is focused on, of course, science, this place has never forgotten its roots… as a train station.

Through the museum you will see old photos of the station, and there are displays of some of the locomotives that once served this station.  You may even sit on some of the old benches that the train passengers once sat on.  If this is not enough for you, you can go outside.  On the east side you can see the old overhangs and platforms that passengers stood under while awaiting their train.  On the west side, you see more.  You have an old caboose from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and a kitchen car and passenger car from the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.  If that is not enough, you can the Number 2732 steam locomotive from the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway.  You can also see the old tracks where the trains entered and exited the station.

What is so special about the Science Museum of Virginia?  What makes it special is that it is a science museum that is rooted in railroad history.  Even if you are not into science, you will appreciate the structure, and although it is no longer a train station, you can appreciate the fact that this magnificent structure has been preserved for many generations to come.  Although the trains do not come here anymore, there are people who still do come here to see the exhibits and the history… and some trains.

The Science Museum of Virginia is located at 2500 West Broad Street (U.S. Routes 33 and 250) in Richmond, Virginia.  It is just minutes from downtown.  Parking is on site and is free.  The museum is handicap accessible.  Paid admission is required to enter the museum.  You can get information on admission, directions and the exhibits at https://www.smv.org.

Do you still think that it makes no sense to visit the Science Museum of Virginia?  It makes plenty of sense.  You get to see a great science museum, and you get your railroad history too.