Apr 17, 2007 By Christine Haines 2 min read

What’s the most interesting site you’ve tripped over on vacation? I like to break up long drives by stopping at museums or historic sites along the way, making that mid-point stop a destination instead of just a hotel room for the night. One of the places my family included in a recent vacation is the American Armoured Foundation Tank Museum in Danville, Virginia.

Now, Danville’s not exactly on the beaten path and one reason the tank museum is there is because there was an abundance of empty factory space, to it’s not necessarily a tourist town, but we enjoyed our short stay there.

The museum is the largest privately owned collection of international tanks and cavalry artifacts in the world and is extremely well-documented. It’s well-worth spending the time to read the informational plaques that accompany the uniform display-these aren’t generic examples of uniforms, but documented items that belonged to some pretty interesting people.

Of course, you don’t go to a tank museum to look at uniforms. The restored tanks and armoured vehicles are pretty impressive too. Be sure to check the website www.aaftankmuseum.com (it includes virtual tour options) for special event information. The museum is open Monday through Saturday, though it is occasionally open on a Sunday for special events like the radio controlled tank battle on April 28 and 29.

Now, where have you been? Send me your thoughts and photos from your favorite trips for use in future articles.