Belle Grove decorated for the holidays and open for touring December 4-30, 2020

Belle Grove will host, for the first time, the Kris Kringle Outdoor Market on Saturday, December 5, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. and Sunday, December 6, 1-5 p.m. It will have local artisan and craft vendors, socially distanced in the upper level of the Beverley B. Shoemaker Welcome Center and around the property. Masks will be required for everyone 5 and older both indoors and outside (unless eating or drinking). There will also be Storytime with Santa on the front lawn. Food will be sold by Shaffer’s BBQ Food Truck on Saturday. Admission to the Market is free, but there is a fee to tour the Manor House.

“We are delighted to be able to offer this outdoor market,” said Executive Director Kristen Laise. “It is a great way to support local businesses and artisans, while providing a safe holiday shopping experience for our community.”

In December, Belle Grove Plantation including the Beverley B. Shoemaker Welcome Center (which includes the Museum Shop, exhibits, and restrooms) is open Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Friday-Saturday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m. Belle Grove will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and will close for the winter on December 31.

Guided house tours are offered Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. with tours beginning at quarter past each hour (first tour at 10:15 a.m. and last tour at 3:15 p.m.) and on Sunday 1-5 p.m. (first tour at 1:15 p.m. and last tour at 4:15 p.m.). On Friday and Saturday evenings 4-8 p.m. visitors are welcome to take self-guided tours, the Manor House will be lit by candlelight, and there will be live music in the Parlor from 6-8 p.m. (schedule at www.bellegrove.org). These hours could be subject to change given the ongoing pandemic.

Guided tours of the Manor House have been modified to accommodate physical distancing. There is a limit of ten guests per tour and admission is sold on-site only and on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests over the age of 5 are required to wear masks over their nose and mouth while on the property and maintain six feet of distance from others in the Museum Shop and when looking at exhibits.

Admission for both guided and self-guided Manor House tours is $12 for adults, $11 for members of the military, AAA, the National Parks, and individuals 60 and older. Students 6-16 and National Trust for Historic Preservation members are $6. Children 5 and younger are free. Belle Grove members are free of charge as benefit of their membership. Visitors may join Belle Grove and immediately use this benefit at Christmas along with 10% off non-consignment purchases in the Museum Shop.

The Shenandoah Valley Tapestry is on display in the Beverley B. Shoemaker Welcome Center until December 30. In its honor, the 2020 Belle Grove holiday decorating theme is a “A Homespun Holiday” and features crafts in addition to natural decorations throughout the Manor House.

Belle Grove volunteers decorated the front porch and carriage on the lawn and the Apple Valley Garden Club decorated the Manor House’s front hall, which welcomes visitors as they arrive. The Glen Burnie Garden Club’s decorations in the Parlor surround the 12-foot Norway Spruce Christmas tree donated by John and Judith Tole of Evergreen Christmas Tree Farm in Woodville, Virginia. Middletown Garden Club decorated the Library and Hawthorne Garden Club decorated the Day Sitting Room. Winchester-Clarke Garden Club decorated the Office, and the Little Garden Club of Winchester decorated the Dining Room. Colonial Garden Club decorated the Nursery and Warren County Garden Club decorated the Gold Bedroom. Shenandoah Garden Club of Woodstock decorated the Winter Kitchen and the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardeners Association provided natural and craft decorations in the other rooms of the lower level of the Manor House.

The Shenandoah Valley Tapestry, a community stitching project which was done between 2015 and 2018, depicts in embroidery the painting Winchester and Frederick County, Virginia by Page Huff Dillon, which was in turn, was inspired by the book Defend the Valley by Margaretta Barton Colt. It meticulously illustrates historic sites in Winchester and Frederick County, including Belle Grove. Eighty-one stitchers of all skill levels and ages, from across five states and from abroad worked on the Tapestry. Through community outreach events, 1,400 community members also made one stitch in this unique artwork. There is no admission to see the tapestry on display at Belle Grove.

“We thank Belle Grove for hosting the Tapestry, especially during holiday touring. It has become a tradition for the project’s stitchers to thank the hosting organization with a special needlework project. Since the Manor House was embroidered for the Tapestry, we decided to choose the image of the Plantation Office and Shop for the new community stitching. All are welcome to come and take a stitch. No embroidery skills are required. Afterwards, the piece will be finished by the Shenandoah Valley artists and donated to Belle Grove,” said Irina Galunina the Shenandoah Valley Project Manager.

Belle Grove Plantation is a non-profit historic house museum that is a National Trust for Historic Preservation site and a partner in Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park. It is located off Route 11 at 336 Belle Grove Road south of Middletown, Virginia. Information and updates on holiday tours may be found at www.bellegrove.org or at www.facebook.com/BelleGrove.