The Poe Museum — Attraction in Richmond

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting the Poe Museum with its impressive collection of artifacts and photos, (deguerrotypes and the like) from Poe's life, and the accompanying descriptions. The grounds were peaceful but lacked in landscaping that would easily enhance the look and feel of the museum in general. Upon completing my self-guided tour, I visited the museum gift shop, in which I attempted to engage the attendant in conversation about what I had just learned while touring the museum. It was around 2 pm on Tuesday, and after browsing around, I commented on Poe's life and asked the attendant if he had seen a film about Shirley Jackson, whose photo was featured there in the gift shop. He said he had not, but didn't seem particularly interested in anything I had to say, which I found disappointing. Overall, I enjoyed each portion of the museum, which was organized generally by time periods and included a numbered audio tour. I was especially intrigued by the room that detailed Poe's mysterious death at age 40, and the subsequent attempts to determine the cause of his demise. I highly recommend this museum to anyone staying in or just passing...

The museum itself is so neat! Each point of interest explains different phases of Poe’s life and work. It’s beautiful and spooky! However the customer service made us feel unwelcome and ruined the overall vibe this place has worked so hard to cultivate. Upon arrival the person at the desk finished their conversation before greeting us, sort of leaving us awkwardly shuffling about waiting to be acknowledged. Once they did there was an air of annoyance around the brief conversation. We brushed this off and continued through our self guided tour. We read everything and even got to pet the super friendly resident cat Edgar. I felt better about our whole experience until we had the enter the gift shop to leave. The music playing in the shop was a variety of Megan the stallion and K pop. Now I love fun music but it was jarring to come from this quiet retrospective place into blaring music that just didn’t fit the vibe! Again the customer service wasn’t it. Not an ounce of effort put into simply smiling and being a kind human. I hope these employees gain a better understanding of how impactful their roles are. One employee can truly make or break...

I stopped by the Poe Museum in downtown Richmond over the July 4th weekend on a spur-of-the-moment trip, and I’m so glad I did! This little gem exceeded all expectations. The museum is organized beautifully, with a go-at-your-own-pace layout that makes it easy to explore at your leisure. Each room offers fascinating insight into Edgar Allan Poe’s life and work, with plenty of captivating artifacts and storytelling.

The gardens were absolutely lovely—a peaceful and picturesque space that felt like stepping back in time. I took some amazing photos that I’ll treasure, and it was the perfect spot to soak in the atmosphere.

And the gift shop? Adorable. Packed with unique and quirky novelty items, it had everything from books to themed home decor and plush raven toys (which made perfect souvenirs for my kids—they loved them!).

If you're in Richmond and have even a passing interest in literature or history, this place is a must-visit. Thoughtfully curated, welcoming, and just the right amount of spooky—thank you to the Poe Museum staff for such a memorable...