Museum of Natural History expected to draw more tourists to Martinsville

by Heather B. Hayes
for Virginia Business
April 2007

Dinosaurs could start giving NASCAR a run for its money this year in Martinsville. The Virginia Museum of Natural History, first opened at a former school in 1984, has reinvented itself as a tourist attraction. On March 31, the museum opened in its new $28 million, 90,000-square-foot building, which will house three permanent exhibits.

An economic impact analysis conducted by Market Street Services in 2005 predicts that the museum’s new site will increase attendance from 25,000 visitors a year to between 87,000 and 140,000.

The new building is expected to create 100 jobs at the museum and other businesses and generate more than $15 million annually in salaries and business revenue. “When you talk about more people coming, you’re talking about increased use of hotels, restaurants and visitation to other attractions in the region,” says Ryan Barber, the museum’s marketing and public relations director. “You’re talking about a wide range of benefits.”

One of those other attractions is the 65,000-seat Martinsville Speedway, which hosts NASCAR’s Nextel Cup races in April and October.

Helping to market the area’s attractions are the Route 58 Tourism Partnership, which serves Martinsville, Danville and South Boston, and the state-designated Southern Virginia tourism region. “Before, we were part of the Central Virginia region where we were lumped in with Charlottesville and Richmond, so we got kind of lost in the mix and didn’t get a lot of coverage,” says Barber. “Our hope is that now people will come to see the new museum but will then stay to see what all we have to offer down here.”