Take a glimpse into the past when you tour a historic home this holiday season. Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley is chock full of historic homes, but these are usually top-of-mind when we think of traditions, nostalgia, and less materialistic Christmases.
Glen Burnie House
Surrounded by the opulent Glen Burnie Gardens, Glen Burnie House is the centerpiece and home of The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley in Winchester. Lovingly restored in the late 1950s by Julian Wood Glass, Jr., descendent of Winchester’s founder, James Wood, and his partner R. Lee Taylor, the home is open for tours as part of the greater museum experience. Don’t forget to shop the Museum Store for great gifts!
Additionally …
- December 10: Holiday Tea
- December 12: Memories at the MSV – Happy Holidays
- December 12: Teen Art Club – Holiday Crafts
- December 14: Adult Workshop – Holiday Wreaths
- December 15: Holiday Bluegrass Concert – Jack Dunlap
- December 21: Holiday Chamber Music in Glen Burnie House
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Woodrow Wilson Manse
The 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was born to Reverend John Ruggles Wilson and Jessie Woodrow Wilson on December 28, 1856 in Staunton, Virginia. The home they lived in until 1858, the manse, was constructed in 1846. Wilson is said to have stayed in it twice more in 1912 when he was President-Elect. Today it is the Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library & Museum and open daily for self-guided tours except on major holidays.
Get in the holiday spirit when you attend Celebrate the Season at Gingerbread Gardens on December 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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Stonewall Jackson House
The only home of professor and General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson is found in downtown Lexington, Virginia. He resided at 8 E. Washington Street with his second wife Anna from 1858 until he left Lexington in April 1861 to join the Civil War. Jackson died from pneumonia and wound complications on May 10, 1863 and is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Lexington. A tour of the Jackson House is a walk back into those years of homemaking and gardening, including the lives of enslaved people. See what Christmas 1859 was like when you tour on December 15 from 5 to 7 p.m. The last tour will begin at 6:40 p.m. and the admission is a canned food item for humans or pets for the local pantry.
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Patsy Cline Historic House
Relatively new in regard to being recognized as a National Historic Landmark (2021), the Patsy Cline House was home to the Country Music Hall of Fame singer (1973) from 1948 to 1953 and then intermittently until 1957. She lived at 608 South Kent Street in Winchester longer than anywhere else before her untimely death in 1963 at the age of 31. A tour of the home “is a reminder of her youthful exuberance and determination.” The home is open until December 15 and will reopen for the 2025 season in early April.
Belle Grove Plantation
Located in Middletown, Belle Grove is a gem dating to 1797 and is bustling this holiday season. See what the home of Nelly Madison Hite (sister of President James Madison) looks like decorated with fresh greenery and arrangements by area garden clubs. Guided holiday tours are available Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appreciate the ambiance of candlelight when you take a Friday or Saturday evening tour between 4 and 8 p.m. At 6 p.m. on Fridays live musicians share their talents and create even more magic for the evening.
Additionally …
- December 15: Join the waitlist for Cocktails at Christmas
- December 16: Holiday Arrangement Class
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Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
Thomas Jefferson’s personal retreat from the public eye was Poplar Forest near Lynchburg. An inheritance from Jefferson’s father-in-law in 1773 (three years prior to penning the Declaration of Independence), the Poplar Forest estate included 4,819 acres and 11 enslaved people. In 1806 Jefferson oversaw the building of the octagonal home. In its first iteration, the home was completed in 1812. A service wing was added in 1814. From its ownership by a nonprofit in 1984, Poplar Forest has been a work in restoration and preservation progress. Finally, in 2023, restoration is complete. Plan to visit this holiday season or as soon as you are able.
This Season …
- December 13, 19 & 20: Holiday Candlelight Tours
- December 14, 19 & 21: Daytime Holiday Tours
- December 14: Candlelight Wine Dinner
- December 21: Candlelight Wine Dinner
Header Image: Candle in the Window at Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest