Salem Museum, VA - Preserving 300+ Years of History

(540) 389-6760

Salem Museum in Salem, Virginia

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

The Ghost Walk Returns to East Hill Cemetery!

Thursday-Saturday, October 5-7

Click here for tickets!

East Hill Cemetery comes alive after dark just once a year! Tour the historic graveyard and meet notable characters from Salem’s past. These walking tours are family-friendly, fun and informative, but not scary.

Tours leave the Salem Museum every 15 minutes from 6 pm to 8 pm. There will be a sign language interpreted tour each evening on the 6 pm tour.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students of any age, and free for children three and younger. Ghost Walk 2022 completely sold out! READ MORE...

Murder and Mountain Justice in the Moonshine Capital of the World

Book Talk and Signing: Thursday, September 21 at 7 pm.
A story of hard spirits and defiant souls in Franklin County, Virginia, "the Moonshine Capital of the World." County and state officials struggled to maintain order in a region where unsolved murders, strange disappearances, and senseless killings were a way of life. The peak came in 1978, with nine murders linked to moonshine and drugs in the county. Historian Phillip Andrew Gibbs will tell the story of that horrific year.

Historic Homes Bus Tour to Poplar Forest and the Anne Spencer House Museum

Friday, September 29, departing from the Salem Museum promptly at 8:30 am and returning by 5 pm. $89 per adult; $79 for seniors 65+.. The Salem Museum and the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation present a day trip to tour two notable historic homes, Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest and the Anne Spencer House and Garden Museum in Lynchburg. The fee includes motor coach transportation, all entrance fees, guides, tours and lunch at The Neighbor’s Place Restaurant. Space is limited. Pre-registration is required. To register, call 540-389-6760 or email frances@salemmuseum.org READ MORE...

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Through Their Eyes: The Moments That Made Salem

New permanent gallery traces Salem and Roanoke County history

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, hands-on elements, and augmented reality technology accessible with a visitor’s smart phone. READ MORE.

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 COMPLEX” 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.