Easter traditions have a long history. Serving ham, cheese, and bread, along with special sweets to end Lent began around the 12th century. The first decorated Easter eggs date to the 13th century. Come join us as our costumed interpreters demonstrate historic Easter activities all weekend long, including naturally dyed eggs, making hot cross buns, playing games, [...]
Join the Frontier Culture Museum for our 2024 Lecture Series. The final installment of the 2024 Lecture Series is titled "A Common Place: Harrisonburg and the Shenandoah Valley," will take place on April 2, 2024 at 7:00 PM. The Lecture Series will take place in the Dairy Barn Lecture Hall and is free and open [...]
Join us on April 6 as we highlight our heritage breed sheep. We’ll learn about natural fibers such as wool, linen, and hemp as we explore the ways in which these fibers have been used throughout history as well as how they’re used today.
Maypole dances have had many iterations throughout history. The earliest May poles were simple poles dressed in greenery and flowers, with no ribbons. The dancers wound in and out in complex patterns that evolved much later into the iconic ribbon dances that are still performed today. Come learn a ribbon dance at our May Day [...]
Rebellions and Revolutions Join us at the Frontier Culture Museum for Rebellions and Revolutions this Memorial Day Weekend. Rebellions and Revolutions will bring living historians from around the country to the Frontier Culture Museum to represent the many rebel movements that have shaped, and been shaped by, American History. On Saturday, May 25th and Sunday, [...]
Rebellions and Revolutions Join us at the Frontier Culture Museum for Rebellions and Revolutions this Memorial Day Weekend. Rebellions and Revolutions will bring living historians from around the country to the Frontier Culture Museum to represent the many rebel movements that have shaped, and been shaped by, American History. On Saturday, May 25th and Sunday, [...]
Rebellions and Revolutions Join us at the Frontier Culture Museum for Rebellions and Revolutions this Memorial Day Weekend. Rebellions and Revolutions will bring living historians from around the country to the Frontier Culture Museum to represent the many rebel movements that have shaped, and been shaped by, American History. On Saturday, May 25th and Sunday, [...]
Join us on June 16, 2024, as we celebrate the many influences Africans and African Americans have had on American culture with demonstrations including cooking, music, and more! This event is a general admission event and is included in the Annual Pass!
Do you like science? Do you like history? Then come visit our 17th and 18th century exhibits for a night of historical science! Our interpreters will demonstrate period-appropriate scientific discoveries or inventions with hands-on experiments. Come visit 17th century England to see Isaac Newton’s prism experiments or 18th century Germany to understand Franz Joseph Gall’s [...]
'The ever memorable day was ushered in by the discharge of guns,’ said one observer of Staunton’s 1830s 4th of July Celebration. Come out to the Frontier Culture Museum this 4th of July for a day of historical weapons demonstrations, readings of the Declaration of Independence, games, and more! Join us in celebrating America’s 248th birthday [...]
For our second Extracurricular Night on July 19th, join in the defense of Virginia, and enlist in Lt. Colonel Joseph Crockett’s Western Battalion. Sign the roll, draw your pay, and learn, first hand how these men fought to defend the Shenandoah Valley. Experience the American Revolution on the frontier, and how Virginia’s unique frontier culture [...]
Lord Dunmore's War Weekend Before the American Revolution began in 1775, the roar of guns and the beat of drums could already be heard beyond the Blue Ridge. 250 years ago, in 1774, western Virginia was engaged in America’s last “colonial” conflict, Lord Dunmore’s War. Starting in Staunton, the men of Augusta, led by [...]