Museum of the Shenandoah Valley

07/21/2026

This Friday: Country Music, Art & More at the MSV!

Spend a summer evening at the MSV with live music, art demonstrations, and after-hours access to the galleries, gardens, and Glen Burnie House.

With their rich three-part harmonies, Sweet Mountain Laurel celebrates legendary women of country music like Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline, and Mary Chapin Carpenter. Performances take place in the gardens from 5–5:45 p.m. and 6:30–7:15 p.m. Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy an evening of music in the gardens.

Also happening at MSV at Night:

◆ Watch quilling artist Lana Lechkina - Contemporary Quilling Artist create intricate paper artworks

◆ Enjoy food and drinks available for purchase from Billy Sous and 3Fires Oven, with hard cider, beer, and wine also available

◆ Explore the MSV’s gardens and galleries after hours, including "Earth & Sky: Sculptures by Marguerite Elliot"

FREE for MSV members & ages 12 & under! Admission for all others is $10–$15.
Friday, July 24 | 5–8 p.m. | Rain or shine

Get details & discount tickets here: https://bit.ly/4purqhL

MSV at Night is sponsored by Braddock Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.

📍 Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St., Wi******er, VA

Friday, July 24 • 5–8 p.m. Experience the MSV after hours!

07/20/2026

Last chance!

The MSV Online Spring Bulb Sale ends tonight! Order by midnight, Monday, July 20, to add beautiful spring-flowering bulbs, peonies, and curated collections to your garden.

Choose from more than three dozen selections—including dramatic alliums topped with enormous, softball-sized purple blooms, fragrant peonies, daffodil favorites, beautiful tulips, and unusual varieties rarely found at local garden centers.

Every purchase helps care for the MSV’s gardens and landscape.

Shop now: https://www.themsv.org/bulbs26

07/14/2026

FREE Antique & Modified Car Show This Saturday!

Classic cars, custom rides, food trucks, and a chance to vote for your favorite—it's all happening at the MSV this Saturday, July 18, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m.

Nearly 50 cars are already pre-registered for Saturday's show, including a 1934 Hupmobile, a 1978 MG Midget, a 1969 Plymouth Road Runner, a 1984 Rolls-Royce, and a 1991 Nissan Figaro. Now in its 17th year at the MSV, the event is organized by the Shenandoah Region of the Antique Automobile Club of America.

Cast a vote for the People's Choice Award, enjoy food from Laura's Lemons, the Apple House Fork'd, and The Station Mobile Café , and spend the morning admiring an incredible lineup of vintage and modified automobiles.

Admission to the car show is FREE. Standard admission is required to visit the galleries, formal gardens, Glen Burnie House, and special exhibitions.

📍 Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, 901 Amherst St., Wi******er, VA

07/06/2026

Shop for beautiful spring blooms from the comfort of home! The MSV Online Spring Bulb Sale is happening now–July 20.

Browse the bulbs and shop online: www.themsv.org/bulbs26

Choose from more than three dozen varieties, from classic daffodils and tulips to uncommon varieties not typically found at local garden centers, including the deep orange crown imperials (pictured) and alliums with 8-inch globes of purple or white flowers that bloom atop 3-foot-tall stalks.

Some of the new offerings this year include an ‘Apple Blossom’ amaryllis kit and a selection of curated bulb collections designed to create beautiful garden combinations, including a 300-bulb deer-resistant assortment and a 235-bulb native collection.

Bulbs will arrive in time for fall planting and will be available for pickup at the MSV November 3–8 (please note that bulbs cannot be shipped or delivered). Every purchase supports the ongoing care and maintenance of the MSV landscape, making this sale both a great opportunity to enhance your own garden and an easy way to support the MSV.

Monday, July 6–Monday, July 20 New varieties are here! Browse online and purchase a curated selection of bulbs frequently planted ...

07/02/2026

Beat the heat this July 4 with FREE admission at the Museum of the Shenandoah Valley ☀️

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is offering FREE admission on Saturday, July 4 (10 a.m.–5 p.m.) to celebrate the opening of the new exhibition, "Revolutionary Valley."

Explore 250 years of Shenandoah Valley history through original Revolutionary-era documents signed by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson & others; see patriotic ceramics and portraits, a 150-year-old Centennial celebration costume, and experience powerful stories of how generations in the Valley have pursued freedom, equality, and justice. More exhibition details:
https://bit.ly/4wmdOHC

Free family-friendly activities will be offered from 10 a.m.–2 p.m., including a gallery scavenger hunt, Revolutionary hat-making, a star painting activity, and Colonial toy demonstrations.

Readings from Frederick Douglass's powerful speech, "What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?" will take place in a special program from 11 a.m. to noon, and those interested in the site's Colonial-era history can take a self-guided tour throughout the day.

Food will be available for purchase from Mimi's Food Trailer and The Station Café from mid-morning through lunchtime.

Spend part of Independence Day discovering the stories that have shaped the Shenandoah Valley for 250 years. Admission is free all day!

📍 Museum of the Shenandoah Valley
901 Amherst St.
Wi******er, VA 22601

WIth acres of gardens, landscape and trails in Wi******er, VA, the MSV preserves and enriches cultural life and heritage of the Valley

06/25/2026

Looking for Friday night fun? MSV at Night returns this Friday, June 26, with live music, art, food, and gardens from 5–8 p.m.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Michelle Lockey brings her blend of folk, acoustic pop, and Americana to the MSV from Maryland. She’ll perform favorites from the 1960s to today in sets at 5 and 6:30 p.m. in the gardens. Bring a chair or blanket.

Throughout the evening, see fiber and leather artist Sarah Perks demonstrate traditional spinning techniques, and browse a selection of her handcrafted works.

Enjoy BBQ and more from The Apple House Fork’d food truck, wood-fired pizza from 3Fires Oven, plus beer, wine, and hard cider available for purchase.

Admission includes after-hours access to the MSV gardens and galleries, including the new outdoor exhibition “Earth & Sky: Sculptures by Marguerite Elliot.”

Admission is FREE for MSV members (no tickets required) and ages 12 & under. Tickets for all others are $10–$15. Learn more & save with advance tickets: https://www.themsv.org/Nite626

The MSV is located at 901 Amherst St., Wi******er, VA.

MSV at Night is sponsored by Braddock Wealth Management Group of Wells Fargo Advisors.

Friday, June 26 • 5–8 p.m. Experience the MSV after hours!

06/19/2026

Calling all Trails fans—MSV Trails Manager Kyle Stayer has been busy this week. Any guesses what he's been working on?

🌻 The MSV sunflower meadow has been planted—and expanded!

After becoming a Trails favorite last year, the sunflower meadow now stretches along both sides of the trail. By late August, the meadow should be filled with thousands of sunflowers reaching up to seven feet tall, creating an even more spectacular display than last year.

Here's a question: How many sunflower seeds do you think it took to plant the expanded meadow? Share your guess in the comments!

A free-admission art park with miles of trails, The Trails at the MSV is open daily from 7 a.m. to dusk.

06/17/2026

Get children ages 5–10 outside and into the garden at the MSV during Garden Explorers this Saturday, June 20, from 10:30 a.m.–noon.

Led by a museum educator, participants will explore the Vegetable Garden in search of tomatoes, strawberries, broccoli, asparagus, banana trees, and more while learning what plants need to grow and how to care for them. Hands-on activities include potting a sunflower seed, starting a chive plant, and taking home a fresh mint cutting.

This hands-on experience is a fun way to get your kids interested in gardening. Registration is required. Register here: https://bit.ly/4fRE1sM

06/11/2026

A swarm of honeybees made a brief stop at the MSV this morning, gathering in a White Oak tree near the Glen Burnie House.

The good news? Swarming is a natural sign of a healthy, growing bee colony. The MSV contacted our friends at Beekeepers of the Northern Shenandoah BONS, and beekeepers "Squirrel" and Ed Shideler safely collected the bees so they can start a new hive.

As the largest green space and only working farm in the city of Wi******er, the MSV provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife and pollinators. Whether these bees were attracted by the open landscape, the flowering plants in the gardens, or simply found the White Oak to be the perfect resting spot, we're happy the MSV could play a small role in helping these important pollinators thrive.

Swipe through to see photos of the swarm and the beekeeper in action!

06/10/2026

What bird is making that sound? Can your child identify a robin's song or an owl's hoot?

Discover the songs and calls of North American birds during a FREE day of stories, bird songs, and hands-on fun at the MSV this Saturday, June 13, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m., with children's author June Smalls!

June's interactive new book, “Hear Them Sing: Songs and Calls from North American Birds,” combines a beautifully illustrated guidebook with a built-in soundboard, allowing children to hear the calls of 14 North American birds at the push of a button.

Enjoy live readings by June Smalls at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., book signings, bird-themed activities, and opportunities to learn about local birds from experts with the Northern Shenandoah Audubon Society.

Activities take place in the Reception Hall of the galleries building. Autographed copies of “Hear Them Sing,” along with a curated selection of additional books by June Smalls, will be available for purchase in the Museum Store.

Admission is free to the book event and related activities. MSV admission is required for ages 13 and older who wish to visit the gardens and galleries. Admission to the MSV is free for ages 12 and under, MSV members, and those receiving SNAP/food assistance benefits (EBT card required). All others may purchase discounted tickets online here: https://bit.ly/3Ob6uLT