Jeff Matthews Museum — Attraction in Galax

Galax, VA has foothill views and some amazing local museums that show off the history and flavor of the region. One of these is the Jeff Matthews Museum, a collection of regional artifacts and curiosities that is anchored by the collections of two men: Mr. Jeff Matthews contributed his collection of 10,000+ Native American artifacts and Mr. Glenn Pless contributed his collection of North American game animal taxidermy mounts, realized after a lifetime of hunting around the world!

Further dispersed among these two anchor collections are a carefully-curated selection of artifacts that tell the history and stories of the people of Galax, VA. And what interesting stories there are with docents that take the time to explain every item on display! From outlining a caravan of Airstream campers across Africa in the 1950s to a land grant signed by Daniel Boone, the stories are varied and interesting. Recommended.

ETA - see if you can find the copy of Walter Lord’s book, A Night to Remember, on display in the museum. A bestseller for its dynamic recount of the RMS Titanic’s sinking, ask one of the docents how the Titanic ties back into...

This is a nice museum with varied exhibits. Owners are friendly and knowledgeable. Entry was free but donation was recommended. There is a large animal skin and stuffed display. Including a huge bear. Lots of old clothing and items, cultural displays, and there are a lot of displays in the basement. My favorite was the arrowhead artwork! You can also get a tour of the cabins and old smithing building with the owners. We will...

I visited the museum with my family. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. There were a lot of interesting things to look at and learn about. There weren’t dates on the placards for the majority of items, but a handful had notes stating "80 years old", or "very old". Would have been interesting to better understand the historical context of the items on display by knowing when they...