Winchester Museum

— The museum is currently closed and in the process of relocating to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium —

Paying Homage to the American Wild Turkey

The Winchester Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to wild turkey restoration, management and hunting. The amazing comeback story of the wild turkey unfolds through exciting displays. The museum welcomes more than 5,000 visitors annually.

• The world’s largest turkey call: Visitors can step into this oversized box call and learn how to make different types of wild turkey sounds.
• A helicopter simulator: Sit in a retired USDA Forest Service helicopter and go along on a controlled burn expedition.
• Shooting simulator: This arcade-style shooting game is fun for the young and young at heart.
• Wildlife oddities: See the unexpected and sometimes strange variations in nature when it comes to wild turkeys and white-tailed deer.
• 3D wild turkey dioramas: This isn’t the shoebox stories of elementary school. See artist renderings and taxidermy of the five wild turkey subspecies and the ocellated species in their natural habitats.
• Animated storytellers: A life-like grandpa sits in a rocking chair and tells stories about the history of the NWTF, turkey hunting and conservation. We also have a state-of-the-art animatronic Cherokee Indian who shares legends and stories of wild turkeys.
• Historic turkey calls: Donated by master turkey callmakers Neil Cost and M.L. Lynch, these are some of the museum’s most treasured collections. Visitors also can view the wall that depicts the evolution of turkey calls spanning more than a century.
• Virtual reality theater: Enter the theater and you’re immediately transported to the break of dawn on a spring morning. Hear the sounds and see the sights of the woods waking up. Watch out for the turkeys flying off their roost.