Salem Museum in Salem, Virginia

Preserving 300+ years of history, art, and sports in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains

When Salem Sizzles: Tales of Summers Past

Now open in our Main Gallery, through mid-September

Enjoy a fun look back in time to see how we kept our cool in the days before air conditioning, and the fun we had once the weather turned warm. Learn about graduations, June weddings, Fourth of July parades, scout camps, and lots and lots and lots of sports. And, oh – the trouble we had with the iceman! When Salem Sizzles was designed by Alex Burke, the Museum's former Assistant Director.

The Annual Ghost Walk Returns to the Salem Museum

All tickets are now available for purchase through Eventbrite or at the Salem Museum - click here for online ticket link!

East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! The Salem Museum welcomes the living once again for the annual Ghost Walk on October 3-5, 2024. Tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past on walking tours that are family-friendly, fun, and informative, but not scary.

Tours leave the Museum every 15 minutes from 6pm to 8pm. An ASL (American Sign Language) interpreter will join the 6pm tour each evening. Tickets are $12 for adults, $8 for students of any age, and free for children ages three and younger.

The Ghost Walk is generously sponsored by Sherwood Memorial Park, Blue Ridge Beverage, Wonderous Books, Chick-Fil-A, SERVPRO, BLANCO Labels, MKB Realtors, and James T. Jordan, Attorney at Law. All proceeds benefit the Salem Museum and its educational programs.

General Andrew Lewis, Colonial Hero

Step back in time with the Salem Museum to the Colonial era on Saturday, September 7, from 10am to 4pm. Enjoy a full day of living history! Historians in Colonial-era attire will bring the past to life for kids and families alike! Salem’s very own Revolutionary War hero General Andrew Lewis will present two talks on his extraordinary life and times at 11am and 2pm. All events are free to the public.

Colonial living historians from the Fincastle Company will demonstrate the professions, trades, and crafts essential to the era while telling stories about the brave men and women who built a life on Virginia’s frontier with determination and heroic deeds.

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Through Their Eyes--9 witnesses to history

Through Their Eyes: The Moments That Made Salem

Over a year in the making, this Gallery highlights sixteen major events, dating back to 1671, that have shaped Salem and the Roanoke Valley into the community it is today. History gets personal as seen ‘through the eyes’ of men and women who lived here at the time. Visitors will experience the emotional, life-changing impact of each of these events—including the coming of the railroad, the end of the Civil War, desegregation, the Flood of ’85, and so many more. The Gallery features personal narratives, pictures, maps, artifacts, and hands-on elements.

HOURS OF OPERATION

Open Tuesdays — Saturdays, 10 am to 4 pm.

Closed on July 4; Thanksgiving; Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the day after Christmas; New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, and the day after New Years.

If the City of Salem Schools are closed for inclement weather, the Museum does not open.

LOCATION & DIRECTIONS

Located next to Longwood Park in Downtown Salem
801 East Main Street
Salem, Virginia 24153

From I-81, take exit 140 and head toward Salem on Thompson Memorial Blvd. At Main Street (US 460), turn left. Go .3 mile; the Salem Museum is located at the top of the hill on the left. Our entrance is across from the Berglund Ford service entrance. Look for the “OAKEY FIELD” sign. There is plenty of free, on-site parking.

ADMISSION IS FREE.
DONATIONS ARE
APPRECIATED!

Admission is FREE for all self-guided visitors.

Guided tours are $10 per adult age 15+, and $5 for children. For school groups and educational groups, students are $3 and chaperones are free. Group visits are available when booked at least two weeks in advance.