There are two parking lots that can be used for accessible parking spaces, and both of them can be entered on Tredegar Street. There is one closer to Brown's Island Way, which is a paid parking lot, and visitors are required to park there if not using an accessible space. There is also one closer to South 5th Street, which is closer to the museum entrance and has the most accessible parking space. We will show the parking closer to South 5th Street first. In this picture is the road leading up to the gate to enter the parking lot. This parking lot is for Staff & Service Only, as marked by the silver sign in this picture (also says "Do not Enter"), but staff members told us that visitors needing accessible parking can park in this lot if there are accessible spots available. You want to turn left after passing the "Do Not Enter" sign and go through the gate. The gate also has a sign on it that says private parking, staff and permit parking, towing enforced, etc. After going through the gate, you want to go to the end of the parking spaces and the accessible spots will be on your right.
Shown are the accessible spaces in this staff parking lot. There are two spaces at the very end of the parking lot on the right hand side, closer to the museum. The spots are marked with the international symbol of accessibility, painted on the pavement (although the symbol on the left in this picture was covered by new pavement), and signs past them. The signs are at accessible heights and label the spaces as van accessible. Both of the spaces and the access aisle between them meet the requirements for a van accessible spaces and access aisles. There are wheel stops centered at the end of each of the parking spaces. The parking lot surface is smooth, paved asphalt and is relatively flat.
Shown is the curb ramp at the end of the access aisle, which will bring you to some public bathrooms. Only the left side of the curb ramp is flush with the parking lot, but is more than 36 inches wide where it is flush. There are no truncated domes on this curb ramp but the curb has a contrasting color. The slope of the curb ramp is about 2.6-8%.
Shown is the view after getting on the sidewalk past the curb ramp. The sidewalk is a very smooth stone paver material, and has a slight slope downwards of about 3-3.5%. There will be a sandwich board sign in front of you that says "Public Restrooms" in large, color-contrasted print with an arrow pointing to 2 doors that will be ahead on your right after getting onto the sidewalk. There is no braille or tactile alternatives to the sign. The pathway to the bathrooms is more than 36 inches wide the entire way.
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Last updated:
Oct 25, 2022
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Call:
(804) 649-1861
Busy Hours
12-3 PM on any given day is the most busy
Saturday and Sunday at 12-3 PM is about as busy as this museum gets
Amenities
Accessible Bathroom
Elevator
Electric Scooter
Wheelchair
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Accessibility Notes
Staff is friendly, and ready to help however they can. For example, staff can help open and close any doors, help you find quiet areas if needed, etc.
There are mobility devices available for guests to use during their visit, including two wheelchairs and a scooter.
There are kid’s welcome kits that have coloring books.
The location is service animal friendly, but not pet friendly in the museum.
The museum has an online store if online shopping is easier/preferred.
Bags with handles are available for any purchases in the museum gift shop to make carrying items easier.
There is a guest parking area about 300 feet away from the main entrance with five total accessible spaces, 2 of which are van accessible.
The surface of the accessible parking spaces in the visitor lot is gravel.
There is an “employee only” lot, about 200 to 250 feet away from the main entrance, that has 2 asphalt paved van accessible spaces available, which guests can use as long as they are available and let museum staff know.
The pathways from either parking lot are relatively smooth and wide, with stone pavers.
There is an entrance ramp up to the main entrance doors to the left of the staircase as you face the building, and there are also stairs as an option.
The main entrance doors to the museum are fairly heavy glass doors that have about 40 inches clear width with the door fully open, a minimal threshold, and door hardware at an accessible height.
Once inside, the flooring surface is primarily smooth concrete and wood flooring in the lobby areas and hallways, with low profile, compact carpet in the theater and main exhibit spaces.
Interior pathways are spacious, most doorways are kept open, or are automatic and are also very wide, and flooring transitions and thresholds are minimal to non-existent.
There are some changes in level along the edges of some outdoor paths and indoor paths that don’t have edge protection, but they are mostly not along the main circulation routes.
There is a cannon in the main entrance area and the outside area on the Mezzanine and Terrace level with a barrel that protrudes slightly into the circulation path.
There is plenty of seating throughout the museum, some of which is slightly above or below an accessible height, and about half of the available seating inside and outside of the museum has backrests and armrests.
The Robins Theater has plenty of accessible seating, mostly in the front, with spaces available for wheelchairs and seats on the ends of rows with armrests that fold up for easier transfers.
The point of sale counters at the welcome desk and museum gift shop are at an accessible height, the card reader is movable, and staff can assist with credit card purchases if needed.
There is some merchandise in the gift shop that may be difficult to reach for some, but staff is able to assist if needed.
The exhibits themselves are spacious, and cover two main floors and a mezzanine level with an outdoor area.
There is an elevator in the museum which provides access to all 3 levels, however for the outdoor section of the mezzanine level, there is no re-entry from the doors you come out of and are required to take steps, or an outdoor elevator, which appeared to be broken at the time of our assessment, to gain access back into the museum. If you get stuck outside in this area, please call the front desk of the museum at (804) 649-1861 to ask a staff member to let you back in.
The information within the exhibits is mostly in text form, with no braille, digital, audio, or tactile alternatives.
There is an introductory film that has closed captions above the screen in the Robins Theater.
There are several touch screen displays and other interactive exercises that are mostly vision and writing based, with no audio or digital alternatives.
The site is fairly busy, generally, and there can be echoes at times and in certain locations.
There are quiet spaces available on the mezzanine level where there are several chairs inside, and the outdoor section of the mezzanine level has several benches and is fairly quiet. Ask staff for a more quiet, private space if needed.
Windows in the front lobby space have shades, but most of the exhibit spaces and theater type areas do not have windows.
Signage, where it exists, for the most part: has good contrast, and some identification signage next to doors has braille and tactile alternatives.
Restrooms are generally very accessible, although they are not marked as accessible, with 3 accessible single occupant restrooms (family restroom on the first floor, and two gendered restrooms on the second floor), and two multi-stall restrooms on the first floor (one men’s and one women’s).
Please note, there are two single occupant, public restrooms outside the museum entrance that are not technically part of the museum, but are available to use if needed. We would encourage guests of the museum to use the restrooms in the museum for the most accessible and accommodating experience, however if you need to use the public restrooms, the one on the right side is the more accessible of the two options, with grab bars around the toilet.
Click the black "Accessibility Test Results" button at the top of this page to view in-depth accessibility metrics for this business!