Wilderness Road Regional Museum
Wilderness Road Regional Museum
5
About
The town of Newbern was established by Adam Hance in 1810 along the primary migration route westward into Kentucky and beyond. Today the Wilderness Road Regional Museum is house in the Hance residence. Adam and son Henry Hance ran a store, post office, tavern, and land development from this location. Tours are given Tuesday-Saturday 10:30am to 4:30pm and by appointment. Donations accepted.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
21 reviews
Excellent
19
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2
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0
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Eric T
Norfolk, VA76 contributions
Jan 2022
This is such a treasure for those interested in the westward expansion and the impact on daily life. The archives that this museum has access to is stunning and they have enlisted the help of three local universities to aid in the cataloguing and interpretation. The preservation of a key 18th/19th century home and business along with transactional records is fabulous. It is located minutes off of I-81 and leaves you wanting to return and dig deeper into this rich history. The docents are both historians as well as fabulous story tellers. command get edutainment
Written January 7, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Keri M
10 contributions
Apr 2021 • Family
April was a very, very informative, helpful guide and historian! We highly recommend this museum if you’re in this area. I’ve never seen many of the artifacts that she has on display; 100’s of farm tools, household tools, furniture, clothing, textiles, artwork! Also, the mail building and all out-buildings were very informative. Very quaint town, too. There a festival there in summer that sounds fun with live demonstrators and food to try from other cultures and eras that settled in the area, too!
Written May 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
84Hokie
Blacksburg, VA133 contributions
Mar 2019 • Solo
I went to the Founders Day special event day which included a wine, cheese and chocolate tasting (there was a fee for that). I had been to this museum years and years ago when it was a small pokey operation with dusty old records. Wow what a difference! And what a special treasure off the beaten track which was once the historic great Wilderness Road, that I-81 now parallels, that provided a pathway to thousands of pioneers to the West including my ancestors. The volunteers were enthusiastic about what they were doing despite all the rain we got. I only saw a fragment of what there was to see so I am coming back on dry day to catch up on that.
Written March 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vickie G
2 contributions
Dec 2019
Just got home from a lovely candlelight Christmas event at the Wilderness Road Regional Musem.
The colonial decorations made from natural materials were simply beautiful and were everywhere, inside the museum and barn, and outside around the charming old buildings.. I really enjoyed strolling inside the lighted barn full of colonial costumed vendors selling all sorts of hand made items including hand spun, hand knit and hand woven wearables. It was like stepping back in time. There was live music, and singing and two huge, gorgeous black horses pulling a wagon full of carolers up and down the road in front of the museum. The finger food was really fun too, historical recipes I had never tasted before but really enjoyed everything they had for us to try. I especially liked the Cherokee black bean balls! It was a magical evening and I’m so glad I came. Will put this on my calendar for next year for sure!
The colonial decorations made from natural materials were simply beautiful and were everywhere, inside the museum and barn, and outside around the charming old buildings.. I really enjoyed strolling inside the lighted barn full of colonial costumed vendors selling all sorts of hand made items including hand spun, hand knit and hand woven wearables. It was like stepping back in time. There was live music, and singing and two huge, gorgeous black horses pulling a wagon full of carolers up and down the road in front of the museum. The finger food was really fun too, historical recipes I had never tasted before but really enjoyed everything they had for us to try. I especially liked the Cherokee black bean balls! It was a magical evening and I’m so glad I came. Will put this on my calendar for next year for sure!
Written December 14, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Don L
2,766 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
This wonderful country museum is filled with artifacts from the earliest days of Virginia.
Located on the famous Wilderness Trail and the Center of the country and commerce Newbern witnessed some of histories most interesting events including the murder Trial of the 19th Century...State of VA vs William Feagles, my Great Grandfather.
Newbern is like a time capsule that is a Must See. Be sure to leave a donation for this great historic museum. Enjoy
Located on the famous Wilderness Trail and the Center of the country and commerce Newbern witnessed some of histories most interesting events including the murder Trial of the 19th Century...State of VA vs William Feagles, my Great Grandfather.
Newbern is like a time capsule that is a Must See. Be sure to leave a donation for this great historic museum. Enjoy
Written April 2, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andriy_7
Washington DC, DC8 contributions
Mar 2021
My family thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Even my teenagers who are not museum material, liked it. I want to thank all the volunteers working there for their great work of saving our history.
Written April 1, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Katie M
Pulaski, VA17 contributions
Jan 2020
I do enjoy each visit I make to Wilderness Museum. The staff are extra helpful if you have a question and they go all out to provide information and entertainment for their guests. I highly recommend going!!!!!
Written February 6, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EHJ
1 contribution
Dec 2019 • Friends
Spectacular experience. Thoroughly professional presentation of Colonial era holiday. Costumed interpreters were amazingly knowledgeable and friendly. Excellent food and fun. Don’t miss this museum anytime of the year.
Written December 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TramsAndTrains
Canberra47 contributions
Oct 2019
A very interesting place to stop by. Almost a tiny village overlooked by time that has essentially stayed the same as it was in the 1880s when it stopped being the county seat of Pulaski County (when that role was taken over by Pulaski City).
History seems to just swirl about the place, and the Museum sits right on the verge of the original two-lane Wagon Road (or Great Wagon Road if you prefer).
Well worth a visit. And, I agree, April Martin Danner is a great attribute as a staff member.
History seems to just swirl about the place, and the Museum sits right on the verge of the original two-lane Wagon Road (or Great Wagon Road if you prefer).
Well worth a visit. And, I agree, April Martin Danner is a great attribute as a staff member.
Written November 4, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meg
Newland, NC3 contributions
Jun 2019
This wonderful museum, with exceedingly helpful staff, is a work in progress. I say that as a high compliment. The story, not only of the past, but of current efforts to grow the museum from artifacts to a complete story, is very impressive. They are very passionate about their work. This museum is well worth the stop and time you will spend there.
Written October 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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