tank museum

The AAF Tank Museum is easy to find along main highway in Danville; plan ahead due to museum's limited hours of being open. Metal detector at entry gate reinforces no personnel firearms allowed - this place is one of largest private collections of operable automatic weapons in USA so hosts take no chances on people bringing in their own weapons. I did the tour in 3 hours while my wife went shopping elsewhere; could have used 1 more hour to really inspect the uniforms & small arms. Enjoyed the film room of Russian movies about WW II. The tank displays are well done either as basic show & tell or dioramas with mannequins in uniform, etc. The German Panver Mark IV is great, the Sherman dozer tank is even more rare. Hope benefactors with big bucks can help keep this place open, would be a shame to see the collection split apart.

If you like military hardware this is a great place. Takes about 3 hours to see everything. These people are doing great work restoring tanks and other war machinery. Mostly WW II equipment. There are even German tanks there. Huge collection of artillery, both towed and self-propelled.

I worked at this site when it was Disston Tool manufacturing & distribution. Since becoming a military museum, it provides a great historical attraction for the area. It has a nice gift shop with military memorabilia and informative exhibits--not only tanks but rifles,machine guns, and other combat weapons. Well worth the time for anyone who appreciates military history.

I had visited museum in the 2007 and 2008 timeline and brought friends with me this time. Arrived and its charm was as it was before. Lots of vehicles to see - each with fantastic tidbits of information posted so you know what you are looking at. Very happy to see several vehicles/equipment in customized displays that provide more info. The Korean display with the blowing snow was one that was very effective. Worthwhile for families and those interested in military history - you will not be disappointed! Tips: Only open on Saturdays and due to size of warehouse/area- it is not heated/ac'ed. So it will be cold in winter and probably a tad warm in the hottest days of summer. Don't let that stop you from going though!

This place was amazing! We are an Army family and have lived on most Armor bases and this museum had the most tanks and artillery pieces we've seen. It's really two museums, one section is full of uniforms, small arms, and machine guns; and the second section filled with the armor. We spent over two hrs walking through this massive place and would have spent more time but it was freezing inside (no heat). Plan to return when it gets warmer.

My daughter and I stopped in here Saturday morning just for something to do, since we had seen the sign numerous times while traveling through Danville. I wasn't sure she would like it all that much (she's 10) but to my surprise she was fascinated. First, it's waaaayyyy bigger than it looks from the front. Think two and a half football fields big, with roughly 150 tanks, half-tracks, light armored vehicles and the like, plus rooms full of uniforms, machine guns, and even a display on Elvis and his military service. There are several exhibits you can touch (no, sadly, you can't actually get in the tanks, but you can get right up to them.) Flash photography is not allowed, and the huge rooms are not as well lit as they might be, The museum seems to be privately owned, so I'm guessing there is little state or other funding, and it is open limited hours so call ahead to make sure you don't waste a trip. It has a decent gift shop with military books, patches, tank models and the like. It cost $22 for the two of us when we went.One note: the display areas are not heated/cooled due to their size; so if it is 40 degrees outside, that's pretty much what it'll be in the exhibit areas. Just keep it in mind before you visit. And as always, happy motoring....

This place is about the size of four WalMarts, and it is full of military stuff. If you like history, or even if you are just into old machinery and like to see it in 'real life', this is the place to come to and visit. It is a bit hard to find, once you leave the well marked highway exit, (something the local tourism authorities need to address). Taking the 29 By-Pass, you will go about 5 miles - through the town of Danville (if you come from North Carolina - like I did), and go North on Business 29. The Museum is located just on the North side of Danville. You can't miss the armored vehicles parked in front, and the green buildings are just a flavor of what you will find inside. The admission is $15.00 for adults, and it will take you at least 3 - 4 hours to see the place. There are tours, or you can do it on your own. Highly recommend to go here, and enjoy as Saturday with family, by yourself, or with friends. Great way of introducing young people to real history. Wen you get hungry, go down the street to O'Kelly's for one of the best deli sandwiches you have ever had.Enjoy...

So much to see! Displays were authentic! Enjoyed! I want to go back because there is so much to see.

We drove to see this museum. Great experience! It's housed in an old factory, and they have some incredible tanks. The Panzer IV is great. Overall, we'll worth a visit as long as you are into tanks!!!

I love military history.....awesome place to visit. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. Enjoyed it very much.

We were travelling from the Blue Ridge to Virginia Beach and stopped at Danville - a nice town (city?). The tank museum is only open on Friday and part of the weekend - so dont try to get there unless you have checked whether it is open. It is a private collection and may lack some of the sophistication of, say, the Smithsonians of this world, but it has a great collection of tanks. Some are soviet and some other nations however the collection is largely US centric. But for all that it is interesting - and large. It is manned by volunteers when it is open and there is an entrance fee which is reasonable given the upkeep costs which must be immense. There was one guy on a bike that offered to answer questions and had we had more time we might have taken the time to have a chat about the exhibits. The lady on the desk was a volunteer and professed not to be an expert, Thery have some great kits for sale in the shop - if you are not travelling by plane....

The museum has uniforms, weapons, and tanks from different countries and wars. Everything thing is displayed nicely. We did not run into any "rude owners" like other people have commented about. Everyone was really nice. Would definitely recommend a visit.

Several months ago, my grandson told me that he wanted to go to a tank museum. I told him that I didn't know that such a thing existed, so you can imagine my surprise and delight to discover this on Trip Advisor! When we saw that it might be leaving Danville, my husband and I drove up to Danville to check about the information and were told that it wouldn't be happening immediately, so the next weekend we brought our grandson with us to tour the museum. I have had a hard time trying to put this place into words...it was unbelievable to see so many military artifacts under one roof. The place was enormous! We enjoyed looking at the helmets and uniforms on display and when we walked into the first tank area our grandson's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree! We walked and walked and it seemed like the displays would never end. What a labor of love this place is! Things were well labeled so you knew what you were looking at and the owner came by twice to see if we had any questions. I asked him about the move and it seems that it is going to take an incredible amount of money to make the move but there has not been a lot of support for the museum in the area. It is just hard for me to fathom why a town that has lost much of its economic resources like the mills and tobacco industry would not welcome and promote a place that could draw in tourists. I am not a military buff and had not really expected to be interested when we came but I have to say that I found everything fascinating. It is well worth a stop! I think that my husband and grandson want to come up for the remote control tank battles in September...I just hope they will be doing it then.

With dismay I read the comment posted here recently that the Tank Museum would be exiting Danville by Nov. 11, 2014. We're going to Virginia in October 2014 and the museum was my personal No. 1 place to visit (hopefully there's something else in Danville my wife can do for 4-5 hours). So Aug. 4, I called the museum and the person who answered said YES the museum would be open as scheduled in October, and the previously announced relocation to Ohio was NOT happening, at least at this time. Although I certainly appreciate that a business/museum like this may need a new location to be sustainable, I am planning on checking it out Oct. 17-18 in Danville.

Had no idea that there even was such a place, let alone that it would be in Danville. No frills, no dog and pony show, just lots and lots of tanks, as well as more military-related items and memoribilia than I have ever seen in one place (patches, hats, uniforms, guns). It was nice to visit something like this where you are welcome to do your own thing and see the exhibits in whatever order you please, as many times as you like. Be sure to chat with the chief cook and bottle washer - he's the one on the 3-wheeled bike!