What to do and see in Lynchburg, United States: The Best Places and Tips

Amazement Square is Central Virginia's first multidisciplinary, hands-on children's museum! Climb, slide and discover as you make your way through four floors of exciting, interactive exhibits, activities and programs. Visitors of all ages, backgrounds and abilities can explore global and regional topics, the arts and humanities, science and health-related themes, as well as expand their creativity.

The Old City Cemetery, established in 1806, is one of the oldest public cemeteries in the United States still in use today. Mayors and other prominent civic leaders, along with the city's indigent and "strangers," are among the estimated 18,000 people buried here. Two thirds of those interred here are of African descent, both enslaved and free. The cemetery's Confederate section contains the graves of more than 2,200 soldiers from 14 states. Museums on the property interpret the diverse history of this rehabilitated graveyard and its inhabitants. Today, Old City Cemetery is the most visited historic site in the City of Lynchburg and is Central Virginia's most unique public garden. It is a Virginia Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

Point of Honor, the elegant Federal-style home built by Dr. George Cabell in 1815. Point of Honor is furnished with period antiques, and the grounds contain a recreated plantation kitchen, gardens, and the Carriage House Gift Shop.

The Lynchburg Museum at the Old Court House consists of the Court Room Gallery, the history of Lynchburg from the First People to the 21st century, and four other specialized galleries including: Art & Artisans, Piedmont Pride, Lynchburg Life, and An Oranment on the Hill.The First Friday of each month the Museum is open for free from 5pm to 8pm and each month is a different topic relating to Lynchburg history.

The Maier Museum of Art at Randolph College houses an outstanding collection of American art, chiefly paintings, works on paper, and photographs dating from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Located on the Randolph campus and open to visitors year-round, the Museum serves both the academic community and the general public and offers changing exhibitions, rotating displays of the College’s permanent collection, and educational programs. THE COLLECTION: The Collection’s strengths lie in American Impressionism and in early 20th-century Realism. The Collection in general features excellent works illustrating the evolution of American art from the early 19th century to the present day. Among the artists represented are Mary Cassatt, Thomas Cole, Edward Hopper, Winslow Homer, Georgia O’Keeffe, Gilbert Stuart, and Andrew Wyeth. PROJECT Y: In 1951, the National Gallery of Art (or the NGA) chose the campus of Randolph-Macon Woman’s College as the site of a secret art storage facility in the event of a national emergency. In the face of nuclear threat posed by the Soviet Union, this specially-designed structure would safeguard the nation’s art treasures. In exchange for its ownership, the College agreed to maintain and insure the facility, making it available for emergency storage for a total of 50 years. Given the code name “Project Y,” construction was supervised by NGA staff. Simply called “the art gallery” by the R-MWC community, the facility was dedicated on December 11th, 1952. Though Project Y was never used by the NGA, the gallery remained listed as a viable emergency location until 1979. A 1983 endowment established by the Pauline and Sarah Maier Scholarship Fund created the museum that stands today. The Maier Museum of Art carries the spirit of its original purpose, housing a collection of art for the education and enjoyment of future generations.

Sandusky is a federal style home built in 1808 by Charles Johnston. Today, the home is open as a historic house museum and is currently under ongoing restoration to the 1864 period when the home was used as Union Headquarters by General David Hunter. Historic Sandusky is operated by the Historic Sandusky foundation in partnership with Lynchburg College.