Fodor's Expert Review Virginia Museum of Transportation

Near Market Square, just a short stroll along the Railwalk, the Virginia Museum of Transportation has the largest collection of diesel and steam locomotives in the country—not surprising, considering that Roanoke got its start as a railroad town and was once the headquarters of the Norfolk and Western railroad. The dozens of original train cars and engines, some of which can be boarded and many built here in town, include a massive nickel-plate locomotive—just one of the many holdings that constitute an unabashed display of civic pride. The sprawling model-train and miniature-circus displays please young and old alike.