The Museum of Edgar Allan Poe-Richmond, VA

"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."-Edgar Allan Poe

We went to Richmond, VA to go to a performance shop for my husband's truck that needed work and before heading back we stopped at The Museum of Edgar Allan Poe. 

I didn't know there was a museum until looking it up on one of my favorite apps History Here. Poe never lived in the building that the museum is in, but it is set up to reflect Richmond at that time. The museum hosts a large collection of manuscripts, personal belongings, first editions and a 3D model of Richmond from when he lived. 

Pictures were not allowed to be taken inside so sadly I have none to share but this one to the left. In the museum you get to learn of his life. They have relics from his boyhood bed, his truck, walking cane and even handwritten first copies of some of this work. 

It's interesting to learn more about him then the things you are taught in school. It would of been nice to have someone dressed up as him reading "The Raven" or a "Tell Tale Heart." I would visit it again next time I make it back to Virginia. 

Virginia Holocaust Museum-Richmond, VA

If you are in the Richmond area then you must visit the Virginia Holocaust Museum. I have been to the one in Washington D.C. and I thought the one in VA was a lot better. 

Walking up to the building  you see the fence around the entrance and signs in German telling you to stop. Outside they also have a railcar from Germany that held Jewish people as they were being transported.

The whole experience is a moving one. World War II is in my top 5 things of history to study. 

The museum is free of charge and they recommend it for children 11 and up because of the graphic content. Walking through the museum you see the cramped quarters they were forced to sleep in. They give you more of a perspective because they have mannequins cramped in the bed. You also see teeth, hair, and other items that the Nazis collected. 

In the museum, they have interactive parts where you can step into a mock gas chamber and crawl through holes to "hide." You will definitely get a history lesson even if you know or don't know anything about the genocide the Nazis committed.

One sad thing is seeing children's artwork and poems from that time.  During 1939-1945, 1.5 million children were annihilated. They have a memorial with their names and some pictures. 

We happened to stumble across this place when in Richmond and I'm glad we stopped. We spent a few hours in here and I would gladly go back and stay longer. The museum also focuses on genocide after WWII. Lots to be learned when you walk in those doors.