Explore our Exhibits

Visitors wishing to connect to the internet are welcome to connect via the Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Information Center’s public network. Connection information is located on the front desk when entering the main lobby.

Restrooms can be found off of the main lobby of the Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center, and inside the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums off of the Trackside Gallery near the theater.

Because of Roanoke’s direct historical connection to the railroad and Link use of trains for his photography, the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums do discuss trains, but are not a “train museum.” The 611 and Link’s beloved 1218, along with other trains, are located in the railyard at the Virginia Museum of Transportation on Norfolk Avenue SW.

In the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums is a viewing window where visitors can look at Link’s caboose. The museums do offer specific programs periodically that include a tour of the caboose. Outside of these specific programs, it is not safe for visitors go out to the caboose as the railroad tracks behind the building are live tracks.

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Yes, there is a lost and found. The staff of the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums make every effort at the close of each day to see if anything has been left behind by visitors, but it is always best to contact the museums as soon as you believe something has been left behind so that staff can try to locate it.

The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums offer a discounted price for Seniors (60+), Military (Active and Veteran), Educators, and University students. The museums are part of the Southeastern Reciprocal Membership program through the Southeastern Museums Conference. For more information about this program, please visit https://www.semcdirect.net/SERM-Participants. Additionally, the museums are part of the Museums for All program, which provides free admission for those receiving food assistance (SNAP benefits). 

The tracks behind the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are live tracks. It is possible for visitors to see freight trains and Amtrak go by during their visit. The windows in the gift shop as well as at the Raymond Loewy Gallery in the lobby of the Visitor Information Center offer excellent viewing opportunities.

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No, you cannot get on Amtrak from the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums. Though the museums are located in the old Passenger Station, passenger train service is accessed from the Amtrak platform located on Norfolk Ave. on the other side of the tracks from the museums.

Visitors to the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums arriving with luggage are welcome to store luggage at the coat rack just inside the entry from the gift shop or they may ask the gift shop associate to hold the luggage behind the register. The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are not responsible for the luggage while out of the visitor’s care.

Visitors are welcome to take photographs without flash in the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums with the exception of taking photographs of O. Winston Link’s photographs, which are under copyright.
I want to visit the museum before I get on Amtrak. Can the museum store my luggage?

While there are no vending machines or cafes in the old Passenger Station, there are a number of dining options within walking distance of the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums. Staff and volunteers, as well as those at the Visitor Information Center front desk, are happy to provide recommendations and directions. If you feel that you have not completed your visit to the museums and would like to take a break to get food, please let an associate in the gift shop know that you plan to return after exiting the museums.

The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums do ask that visitors not bring food or drinks into the museums. Visitors are also asked to keep refillable bottles with them at all times. There are water fountains located within the museums and in the Visitor Information Center.

The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are not part of the Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center; they are separate organizations. But they are both located in the old Norfolk & Western Passenger Station.

Service animals, as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are permitted in the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums. Comfort animals, therapy animals, companion animals and emotional support animals are not classified as service animals by the ADA and therefore not allowed into the museums. Pets on a leash or in a carrier and not exhibiting aggressive or problematic behavior are allowed in the gift shop as well as in the Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center.

The amount of time it takes to visit the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums is really based on the desired experience of each visitor. Some visitors stay for an hour, while others stay for several hours. One thing to keep in mind is that the documentary, What a Picture I Got, has a 30-minute screen time. 

Throughout the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are hands-on and interactive stations with which children are encouraged to interact. The museums offer a number of programs specifically for children; please visit the Learn page for more information.

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Admission for the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are just $6. Seniors (60+), Military (Active and Veteran), Educators, and University students can get a discounted admission of $5. Youth ages 12-17 are admitted for $3, and children 11 and under (with an adult) are free. All admissions are sold onsite in the museum gift shop where visitors enter and exit the museums.

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The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are two museums in a single location. The galleries of the Roanoke History Museum explore the region’s history from its Indigenous inhabitants to the European settlers that arrived via the Great Road to the impacts of technology and transportation on a true railroad boomtown. In these galleries, visitors will gain insights into the region’s history and culture through a mix of displays showcasing photographs, documents, and artifacts from the museum’s collections and tactile stations to provide a hands-on understanding of the past. The galleries of the O. Winston Link Museum provide visitors with the opportunity to take in Link’s photographic masterpieces and come away with an understanding of Link’s technical genius. The documentary, What a Picture I Got, which is screened at the top of each hour in the theater, helps to contextualize the artist and his work. In addition to the permanent galleries of the museums, three rotational galleries provide space for temporary exhibitions. For more information about the exhibitions currently on view in these galleries, please visit our Current Exhibitions page.

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The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums share a small parking lot with the Visit Virginia’s Blue Ridge Visitor Information Center directly in front of the building. Visitors are also welcome to utilize other parking options such as nearby street parking and parking garages. For more details about parking options, including a map, please visit our Directions and Parking page.

The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are open Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 4:30pm.

The Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums are located at 101 Shenandoah Ave. NE in the old N&W Passenger Station across the street from Hotel Roanoke. Please visit our Directions and Parking page for how to get to the building and where to park.

Your ticket grants access to both the O. Winston Link Museum and Roanoke History Museum, plus any exhibitions currently on view. Members enjoy free entry year-round.