Virginia has a way of surprising you. Sure, the state is packed with battlefields and colonial landmarks, but tucked between the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay are some wildly unexpected museums that have absolutely nothing to do with portraits or pottery.
I’m talking pinball machines, ancient hams, underground coal mines, and cameras older than your great-great-grandparents. Pack your curiosity because Virginia’s quirkiest cultural stops are seriously worth the detour.
1. Roanoke Pinball Museum
Forget the velvet ropes and hushed gallery voices. At the Roanoke Pinball Museum in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, the only rule is simple: play everything.
Every single machine on the floor is set to free play, meaning your admission ticket is basically an all-you-can-play pass to decades of flashing lights and satisfying steel ball chaos…