The Poe Museum offers on-site, virtual, and outreach opportunities for visitors of all ages. Additionally, we offer sensory-friendly and interactive programming for all learners. Our guided tours and programs align with the Virginia Standards of Learning, structured around guiding objectives which build students’ critical thinking and historical analysis skills.
Browse our current program and tour offerings below or download our Student Programs Catalog.
In addition to our tour and program offerings, The Poe Museum offers free educator resources to use in your home or classroom.
See our Educator Resource Packet to view our downloadable resources.
Enjoy a guided tour of the world’s finest collection of Edgar Allan Poe’s artifacts and personal items. Learn about Poe’s tragic life and how it influenced his famous tales of terror. Leave with a greater understanding of the Master of the Macabre and his literary legacy.
45 minutes
5th – 12th Grade
Created with a younger audience in mind, the Junior Raven Experience offers a shorter, and more age-appropriate story of Poe’s life, with less grisly murders and scary ghosts! The tour is followed by a craft project and interactive reading of “The Raven.”
45 minutes
Kindergarten – 4th Grade
Students will listen to and read a selection of Edgar Allan Poe’s poetry including “Alone,” “Annabel Lee,” and “Eldorado.” Throughout the reading, students will pay attention to the
imagery in the poems.
Then, students will create their own artwork inspired by the poems and showcase their creations to their fellow classmates.
30 minutes
Kindergarten – 5th Grade
Students will be introduced to the way curators and museum professionals use objects to tell stories. In this hands-on program, students will collaborate with their fellow classmates to identify, analyze, evaluate, and interpret reproduction primary sources from the Poe Museum’s collection. At then end of this program, students will be able to learn how these objects can give us insight into Poe’s life, literature, and the world he lived in.
40 minutes
5th – 12th Grade
Students will listen to a dramatic reading of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell- Tale Heart.” During the reading, students will focus on the themes, tone, symbolism, and other literary devices present in the story, to determine whether the narrator is reliable or unreliable.
After the reading, students will “put the narrator on trial” and argue their cases in front of the jury.
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Students will understand the Gothic genre by reading select passages of “The Cask of Amontillado.” Students will use this short story to identify Gothic themes, settings, and plot points by building an interactive plot diagram using bricks. After learning about the elements of a gothic short story, students will plan and write their own Gothic story.
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Students will understand Poe’s literary contributions to the genres of science fiction, mystery, and horror. Students will then examine various references to Poe’s works and his life in pop culture and compare adaptions of Poe’s works across multiple mediums. Lastly, students will evaluate Poe’s portrayal in media from
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Students will examine the Gothic form and its history as well as analyze comparisons to other Gothic artists like Mary Shelley and Horace Walpole. Using text from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” students will understand Poe’s pioneering techniques in creating unease and how these techniques continue to be used in horror films today.
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Earn your Junior Scribe or Junior Detective badges at the Poe Museum! This program starts with a guided tour of the Poe Museum where scouts will learn about Poe’s life, literature, and legacy while viewing the largest collection of Poe primary sources. Afterwards, scouts will complete their designated activity book while exploring the museum and garden.
Try our the skills that make great detectives.
When you’ve earned this badge, you’ll know how to follow clues and discover facts like a real detective.
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Explore what you can do with words and find out how you can encourage, entertain, and excite people with your writing.
When you’ve earned this badge, you’ll know how to write different kinds of stories-both true tales and ideas from your imagination.
45 minutes
6th – 12th Grade
Want us to come to you? We are happy to bring Poe-to-go and travel to your organization or school to deliver one of our programs. All of our programs and virtual tours are eligible for outreach programs. Organizations or schools need to be within a 15-mile radius of the Poe Museum. Contact us to arrange your group’s outreach program.
To schedule a group visit, please fill out our booking form here.
For more information on our tours please contact us.
Payment is due the day of your scheduled program.
Payment can be made in-person, by mail, or over the phone by calling (804) 648-5523.
Discounts available for RPS and Title I schools. Contact us for additional information.
