FCMV

Extracurricular Nights: An Evening With Crockett's Battalion
2025-07-18 17:30 - 19:00 (America/New_York)
Out of abundance of caution, we have made the difficult decision to cancel tonight’s event due to the weather forecast. We hope you will join us for the next Extracurricular Night on August 1, 2025.
Any tickets purchased for this event will transfer to the August 1st or 15th dates. If you are unable to attend those, please contact the Visitor Center at 540-332-7850.

Join our semiquincentennial celebrations this summer! We have special after-hours programming for the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Test yourself- would you have been a patriot or a loyalist? Join in the defense of Virginia and enlist in Lt. Colonel Joseph Crockett’s Western Battalion. Sign the roll, draw your pay, and learn how these men fought to defend the Shenandoah Valley. Experience the American Revolution on the frontier and how Virginia’s unique frontier culture helped win American independence.
This event will take place on July 18, August 1, and August 15, 2025, from 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM. Admission for this event is $5 for children (6-17) and $7 for adults (18+), children 5 and under are free! This event is also included in our Annual Pass.
Tickets are available here.

Independence Day Celebration
2025-07-05 09:00 - 17:00
*July, 5, 2025*
In 1809, the Staunton Eagle recorded Independence Day as “ About 50 gentlemen and a number of ladies…partook of a plain Barbecue, where none but Domestic productions were eaten…In short, the whole afternoon was spend with a good humor, harmony, and joy, which the fourth of July ought always to inspire into the bosoms of Americans.”
Let the Frontier Culture Museum provide you and your family with an opportunity to find good humor and joy with our pay-what-you-will Independence Day celebration! Starting at 9 am and lasting all day, we’ll have apple pie making, games of all kinds, an audience participation required 19th century Civics Bee, and of course, a reading of the Declaration of Independence!
Join the Frontier Culture Museum this July 5 from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM to celebrate American Independence and learn how people celebrated Independence Day throughout history!
_______________________
How well do you remember your civics classes in school? Come test your knowledge in our 19th century Civics Bee in our 1840 schoolhouse! Audience participation is required in this reconstruction of a historical civics lesson. 11:30, 1:30, 2:30, 3:30
Did you know that the Declaration of Independence was not the first document expressing discontent with English rulers to be written by Virginians? Nathaniel Bacon wrote the Declaration of the People of Virginia on July 30, 1676 expressing discontent with Royal Governor William Berkeley, sparking Bacon’s Rebellion. Come here the Declaration of the People read on our English farm at 11 and 3.

Flag Day
2025-06-14 09:00 - 17:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum on Saturday, June 14, 2025, for our annual Flag Day event! Stop by the tailors shop at our German farm as our staff race against the clock to create a flag in a day. This year we will be recreating the Culpeper Minute Man flag.
Militia units in the Shenandoah Valley formed individually and headed north to the New England area before, with, and after the B-Line March occurring in July. In preparation for the treck north, to becoming Americans, Flags like the Culpeper flag would be made for regiments to take with them, ultimately distinguishing them from the rest of the army by doing so. Join us this flag day to learn more about this flag, and many others like it!

Memorial Day Weekend
2025-05-26 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-25 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-05-24 09:00 - 17:00
Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25
While the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution has already begun across the former colonies, this Memorial Day, we’re hosting guest reenactors to showcase other periods of history that helped shape American history. We will be joined by the Hog Island Garrison recreating a 17th century militia muster and the civilian response, Crockett’s Western Battalion during the American Revolution, and the Civil War Impressions reenactor group showcasing a period hospital.

Monday, May 26
Join the Frontier Culture Museum this Memorial Day, in commemorating the bravery of the many American patriots who made the ultimate sacrifice for our liberty. Sign up for a tussie-mussie making workshop, a 19th century memorial flower posey with different plants providing specific meaning. This workshop is $15 and you can sign up here!
This event is a general admission event and is included in the annual pass.*

*Workshop is excluded from annual pass.

May Day
2025-05-03 09:00 - 17:00
May Day has marked the return of spring for people around the world for millennia. Traditional celebrations included decorating people and structures with wildflower garlands, feasting on newly growing greens and, of course, Maypole dances. 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. Weather permitting, come learn a ribbon dance at our May Day festivities on the English Farm Saturday, May 3rd, at 1 PM and 3 PM!
This is a general admission event and is included in the Annual Pass.

Easter Weekend
2025-04-20 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-04-19 09:00 - 17:00
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, and more!
This event is general admission and included in the Annual Pass!

Revolutionary Virginia
2025-04-17 13:00 - 20:00, 2025-04-16 13:00 - 20:00, 2025-04-15 13:00 - 20:00
Join us for this special extended hours event at the Frontier Culture Museum! On April 15-17th 2025, we are excited to host the Virginia American Revolution 250th Mobile Museum! This free interactive experience allows the visitor to engage with Virginia’s rich Revolutionary history. The Mobile Museum will be open from 1-7 pm.
After visiting the Mobile Museum, receive a coupon for a special $3 entrance to the Frontier Culture Museum to use that day. Our special Revolution on the Frontier program will run from 1-8 pm on the Eastern Woodlands Indian and 1760s Settlement sites. Immerse yourself in Crockett’s Western Battalion, a state regimental force tasked with maintaining the western front of the Revolution. Learn about Native allies and how the Revolution affected Indigenous neighbors.

Fiber Festival
2025-04-05 09:00 - 17:00
*Golf carts will not be rented on April 5, 2025*

Join the Frontier Culture Museum for the 3rd annual Fiber Festival. This festival highlights the historical importance of natural fibers such as wool, flax, cotton, and hemp, and the ways in which they were processed and used by people in the past. Visitors are invited to engage with our historical interpreters as they demonstrate traditional activities related to fiber production such as sheep shearing, spinning, wool washing, dyeing, and more.
This event is a pay what you will donation day!

Workshop
Join the museum at 10 AM (SOLD OUT), 1 PM (SOLD OUT), or 3 PM for an Introduction to Portuguese Knitting Workshop! Each session is an hour and half long and is $15. This workshop will introduce knitters of all levels to an ergonomic style of knitting that lessens small movements of the wrists and simplifies basic stitch styles (such as ribbing) by only working with the yarn in front. This style is goodfor knitting while walking or standing, knitting in the round, garter stitch, ribbing, and long, sometimes monotonous stretches of stockinette. If using multiple knitting pins, it prevents color work from becoming tangled or lacking tension. This is an especially quick style. While it helps with those who have issues with wrist and finger joints, it involves heavy thumb movement and would not be suited to knitters with arthritis in their thumbs.
Participants must bring their own needles and yarn, but it can be any size or style. It must be something the participants are alright with holding around their neck. Participants must know how to cast on and how to perform a knit and purl stitch. Knowing how to “read” your knitting is also helpful.
Register now!

Timed Activities
10AM: 1st sheep dog demonstration (in field behind 1820s)
11AM: Sheep shearing demonstration (in front of 1850s barn)
12PM: Heritage Breed Sheep Presentation (in 1850s barn)
1PM: 2nd sheep dog demonstration (in field behind 1820s)
2PM: Sheep shearing demonstration (in front of 1820s barn)
3PM: 3rd sheep dog demonstration (in field behind 1820s)

Vendors
The current vendors for this event include:
Original Fiber
One of A Kind
Virginia Quilt Museum
The Fuzzy Ear
Simple Hill Farm
Misty Mountain Farm
Aleta Spring Farm & Fiber
Real Keen Leashes
Fog & Honey Artisan Boutique
Farm Experiences
Which Way Crafts
Kathie’s Cinches & More
Zombot Creations
Longshot Fibers
Broken Arrow Creations
Semper Fi Farm

Spring Homeschool Days
2025-03-28 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-03-27 09:00 - 17:00, 2025-03-26 09:00 - 17:00
Come see all the activities we have planned for our Spring Homeschool Days! Homeschool days provide homeschoolers the chance to participate in the increased hands-on experience of a field trip. Try your hand at splitting a log to make fence rails or experience an early 19th century school lesson!
Golf carts will not be available for rent on Spring Homeschool days.
Pre-registration is highly recommended for this event!
Purchase Now

Toddler Time
2025-03-15 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-03-01 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-02-22 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-02-08 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-01-18 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-01-04 10:00 - 12:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum this January, February, and March for Toddler Time! Each Toddler Time will include a story, a hands-on historical activity, and a craft to keep.   Adults are $5, and children are $3. We ask that no more than two adults per child allow the maximum number of children to participate. All Toddler Times are included in the annual pass! If you have difficulties booking your Toddler Time through your Annual Pass, please call the Visitor Center at 540-332-7850 or email us at visitor.center@fcmv.virginia.gov.
Tickets for each of the Toddler Times can be purchased here.
Please note that each Toddler Time session requires a separate booking. If you wish to reserve your spot for multiple dates, you must complete multiple bookings.
If you are an Annual Pass Holder, please contact us at visitor.center@fcmv.virginia.gov, or give us a call at 540-332-7850 to reserve your spot.

February 8th, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Toys and Games: Our third Toddler Time will be focused on historical toys and games. Children will be able to try out things that historical people enjoyed from long ago. We’ll play games and even have a chance to make your historical toy!

February 22nd, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Chores: Our fourth Toddler Time will be focused on historical chores. Children will have an opportunity to experience daily life as a child in the past, including chores! Participants will have the chance to try out some tasks children would be expected to help with, such as fetching water.

March 1st, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Gardening: Our fifth Toddler Time will be focused on historical gardening. Children will learn about different plants and their uses and even plant their own to take home to watch and grow. *Weather permitting, participants can explore the museum’s gardens.

March 15th, 2025 (SOLD OUT)
Animals: Our final Toddler Time will be focused on the animals of the Frontier Culture Museum! Your child will have the opportunity to meet some of the critters who make their home at the FCM and make a craft in honor of their favorite new friend.

You can purchase your tickets to any of the Toddler Times here.

Irish Road Bowling
2025-03-08 10:00 - 15:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia and Staunton Parks and Recreation this March 8th for Road Bowling.

Road Bowling is a traditional Irish game played with a road bowl and is on a long course. The object of the game is to get to the finish line in the least amount of throws, but be careful, if the bowl goes off course, you may lose it! One road bowl or team road bowl is included with the team registration fee.
Irish road bowling has been played in the Irish countryside since the 1600s. Its origins are unclear-perhaps it was brought to the Emerald Isle from England by weavers in the new textile industry, or perhaps from Holland by the troops of William of Orange, or maybe it began when Irish patriots robbed small English cannonballs and rolled them home by light of a full moon. Irish troops traditionally have played road bowling wherever they were stationed around the world. Road bowling has a passionate following primarily in County Armagh in the North, where it is called bullets or long bullets, and in the South, mostly in County Cork, where it is called road bowling. The two regions independently developed distinct and very different hurling styles.
– Information courtesy of Dave Powell with West Virginia Irish Road Bowling

The Game

The ball- “bowl” or “bullet”- A 28 ounce iron and steel cannonball the size of a tennis ball is rolled down a country road to a finish line. The team with the fewest shots to the finish line wins.
The start- A chalk line is drawn across the road. The thrower stands behind this line, and his/her teammates (called road showers) go at least 20 to 30 yards down the road to show the desired path of the bowl. They stand like human croquet wickets, feet apart, straddling the “perfect path” to be taken to achieve maximum distance. Note: this is optional, intended for those experienced players. You do not have to stand in the path of the roll; you are there to advise the roller and chase the bowl when it goes off the road. Remember this is a 28 ounce iron ball you do not want to get hit by it.
The grip- The bowl should be held in a C formed by the thumb and the index and/or middle fingers. The bowl should be thrown from the fingers, not from the palm of the hand.
The throw- The bowler should back up 10–15 yards and take a running start to gain momentum to the throwing line. For many, however, taking two or three steps is sufficient. The thrower runs to the throwing mark and whirls the bowl underhand before stepping over the mark. The bowl may fly through the air a few yards before striking the pavement. You do not have to immediately roll it into the pavement. The bowl will hit the road with heavy topspin, rolling exactly on the path your teammates, the road showers, have pre-planned for glory.
The shot- Wherever the bowl leaves the road surface, the bowl is taken directly to that point and a chalk mark is made. The next throw is taken from behind that mark by the next teammate in rotation, and so on to the finish line. It is customary to write the cumulative shot count on the road under each mark. (*Note: this is a house rule change due to this particular road course and the long downhill stretch. Normally the next shot is taken from where the ball stops and moved to the nearest point on the road from there.)
The finish- The final shot to the finish line should be thrown as far as possible past the line. If two or more players or teams have an equal number of shots crossing the finish line, the winner is decided by which shot goes the farthest distance past the finish line.

— Information courtesy of Dave Powell with West Virginia Irish Road Bowling

Play in teams of 3-4 along the scenic pathways of the Frontier Culture Museum. Each team registration is $40. Register with the Frontier Culture Museum here.

Tee times vary and there is limited space in each time, so be sure to sign up today!
Thank you to McDonough Toyota for sponsoring this event!

Augusta Resolves
2025-02-22 10:00 - 16:00
250 years ago, the men of Augusta County came together and signed the Augusta Resolves. This document, while one of many throughout Virginia, pushed the county towards rebellion. Join the Frontier Culture Museum, the Augusta County Clerk of Courts Office, and the Augusta County Historical society this February to commemorate the signing of the Augusta Resolves. Learn not only about the document, but about some of the men whose signatures adorn the page.
Be sure to join us at 1:00 PM for a panel about Resolves from across Virginia and how the Augusta Resolves, and the men from Augusta county fit into this step towards revolution.
This event is general admission and is included in the Annual Pass!

Meet the speakers:

Tammy Mannarino –enjoyed the nomadic childhood of a “Navy-brat” before her family settled in Fairfax County, Virginia. She graduated from James Madison University and spent most of her career at the National Security Agency in the field of Information Systems Security. She and her husband split their timebetween Staunton, Va and the Mount Vernon area where she researches, writes and presents local history on her website, BackyardMountVernon.com . She is a founding board member of the Mount Vernon Regional Historical Society. She was appointed to the Fairfax County History Commission in 2020 and currently serves in the position of Secretary.

Steve Landes – was sworn in as the 17th Clerk of Circuit Court for the County of Augusta after winning a Special Election in November 2019. Steve was re-elected to a full eight-year term in November 2023. Before being elected as Clerk of Court he represented the 25th District in the Virginia House of Delegates, which included portions of Albemarle, Augusta, and Rockingham Counties for twelve terms. He was Chairman of the House Education Committee and Vice Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. In addition, he was a member of the Rules and Privileges and Elections Committees.
A lifelong resident of the Valley, Steve is a graduate of Buffalo Gap High School in Augusta County, and he received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. He and his wife Angela live in Fort Defiance. They have a son Roth, who is a graduate of Virginia Tech, and is a District Manager for Aldi. Steve is a Member of the Virginia Court Clerk’s Association, and Co-Chairman of the Legislative Committee and a Member of the Public Relations Committee. He is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia, and the State Historical Records Advisory Board. Steve is Past District Governor of the Woodrow Wilson Ruritan District, is a two-time Past President and a Member of the Weyers Cave Ruritan Club. He is a Member of the General Daniel Morgan Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution. Steve and Angela are both Members and Past Elders of Mt. Horeb Presbyterian Church.
Steve worked as Community Liaison for Home Instead Senior Care of Staunton, Virginia. He also worked as Vice President of Market Development for Blue Ridge Bank, and prior to that he worked as Community Relations Coordinator for DuPont Community Credit Union. He also worked as Executive Director of NewBiz Virginia, the Shenandoah Valley’s small business incubator. Steve was a Life Insurance Agent and Registered Representative with Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. In addition, he worked at Davis & Davis Marketing, Inc., a Staunton-based marketing, and advertising firm, as a Media Buyer and then as an Account Executive. He was a Member of the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, representing the House of Delegates, and served on the Education Commission of the State. Steve served as Vice Chairman of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, and was a Member of the Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board. He also served as a House Budget Conferee. Steve served as Legislative Assistant to former Delegate A.R. “Pete” Giesen, Jr., and he served as former Congressman Bob Goodlatte’s District Director and District Representative
Sam McGinty – is the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s Military Programs Supervisor. Having spent more than 10 years as a museum professional and historian, Sam specializes in the history of the American War of Independence, and on the rifle culture of western Virginia in the 1770s. Sam previously worked for Colonial Williamsburg from 2014-2017, as a Military Interpreter, while studying psychology and classics at Randolph-Macon College. In 2017, he accepted a full-time position at the Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia. Over his 7 years at FCMV, Sam studied frontier history, historic clothing, tailoring, and the military history of western Virginia. As the primary researcher for FCMV’s recreation of Crockett’s Western Battalion, Sam traveled across the Commonwealth, hunting down the details on often forgotten and elusive figures of Virginia’s revolutionary past. As a somewhat proficient tailor, Sam served as lead tailor and costumer at FCMV from 2021-2024, and spearheaded the physical reconstruction of uniforms and equipment for public and educational programing for Crockett’s Western Battalion, which will be available throughout the Commonwealth in the lead up to Virginia’s Semiquincentennial and beyond. Sam also serves as the President of Crockett’s Rifles, a progressive focused Revolutionary War living history organization, founded in 2025, focused on highlighting the stories and spirit of the American riflemen who helped to shape American liberty. In returning to Colonial Williamsburg, Sam has worked to revitalize the Department of Military Programs through well researched, thoughtful interpretation, fostering a tangible, experiential learning environment for guests and staff. He’s been honored to take stewardship of the Public Magazine, the Guardhouse, and of the more than 60 years of institutional history and legacy of Military Programs at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.

Lantern Tours
2024-12-22 17:30 - 20:00, 2024-12-21 17:30 - 20:00, 2024-12-20 17:30 - 20:00, 2024-12-19 17:30 - 20:00, 2024-12-18 17:30 - 20:00
LANTERN TOURS ARE NOW SOLD OUT
Save the date for our holiday Lantern Tours! Come ring in the holiday season with our walking tour around the Old World side of the museum. Our decorated historic houses are backdrops to new skits both heartwarming and comedic, and our warm apple cider and cookies will help spread the holiday cheer!
Tours will run from December 18, 2024 – December 22, 2024, and will leave every half an hour from 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM.
Tickets are available here.
If a member of your party requires mobility assistance, we will have limited spots on our mobility shuttle for each tour, and spots must be reserved at least 24-hours in advance. Please call our Visitor Center at 540-332-7850 to reserve the spot after you have purchased your tickets.
This is an outdoor walking tour and evenings in December can drop to below freezing, please remember to dress appropriately.
*Tickets are non-refundable.

Holiday Workshop Series
2024-12-21 11:00 - 12:00
Join the Frontier Culture Museum this holiday season as we bring back our Holiday Workshop Series. Make pomanders, create a yule log centerpiece, paint springerle, and decorate your very own stocking. Each workshop requires individual registration. The registration fee is $15 per person and is not covered by the Annual Pass.

Holiday Tour and Making Pomanders (SOLD OUT)
November 30, 2024
Start your holiday season with a special guided tour of our historic houses decorated for the season. Each house is decorated appropriately to its time period, and you can see the emergence of modern holiday celebrations as you move through the museum. Your journey will end on the 1850s Virginian farm, where you can make a pomander, a historical aromatic decoration, from oranges and cloves!
This workshop is $15 per person and will run from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. The $15 charge includes all materials needed to create your craft. We recommend all attendees arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to allow time to walk down to the exhibit area. A shuttle service will be available during the workshop. Each workshop also includes entrance into the museum for the rest of the day.
Purchase your tickets here.

Wassail Party and Making Yule Log Centerpieces (SOLD OUT)
December 7, 2024
England has a long history of holiday traditions. One of the most beloved was wassailing, or toasting to the health of the farm and the neighborhood. Come join us for a wassail party, learn the dance Hey for Christmas, and create your own Yule Log centerpiece to take home.
This workshop is $15 per person and will run from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. The $15 charge includes all materials needed to create your craft. We recommend all attendees arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to allow time to walk down to the exhibit area. A shuttle service will be available during the workshop. Each workshop also includes entrance into the museum for the rest of the day.
Purchase your tickets here.

Knocking and Painting Springerle (SOLD OUT)
December 14, 2024
German holiday traditions were brought to the American colonies by immigrants throughout the 18th century. Some have faded out of memory while others, like spice cookies, have remained popular. Come visit our German farm to learn about some German holiday superstitions and decorate your own ‘cookie’ ornament to take home.
This workshop is $15 per person and will run from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. The $15 charge includes all materials needed to create your craft. We recommend all attendees arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to allow time to walk down to the exhibit area. A shuttle service will be available during the workshop. Each workshop also includes entrance into the museum for the rest of the day.
Purchase your tickets here.

Twas the Night Before Christmas Reading and Decorating Stockings (SOLD OUT)
December 21, 2024
First published in 1823, A Visit from St. Nicholas by C. Clement Moore was many American children’s first encounter with the Germanic St. Nicholas, later known as Santa Claus. Come hear the poem read and decorate your own stockings to “hang by the fire with care!”
This workshop is $15 per person and will run from 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM. The $15 charge includes all materials needed to create your craft. We recommend all attendees arrive at least 15 minutes early in order to allow time to walk down to the exhibit area. A shuttle service will be available during the workshop. Each workshop also includes entrance into the museum for the rest of the day.
Purchase your tickets here.
