The Wytheville Historic District covers the central blocks of Main Street and the surrounding streets, containing a largely intact collection of 19th and early 20th-century commercial and residential buildings. The scale is small — this was never a large town — but the coherence of the streetscape makes it genuinely pleasant to walk. Most of the significant buildings have interpretation plaques that give enough context to make the walk informative without requiring a guide.
The Civil War history runs through the district in particular. Wytheville's position on the main road through the Blue Ridge made it strategically important to the Confederacy, which is why Union raiders came here twice in 1863. The town's lead supply from nearby mines was critical for ammunition throughout the early war years. Walking the few blocks of Main Street, it's possible to trace the path of that 1863 raid and understand why the town's defenders, outnumbered and fighting from buildings and windows, were able to hold long enough. The local historical society maintains a walking tour map available at the museums.