Belle Grove Plantation Opens for 2019 Season, Saturday, March 23, 2019, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Belle Grove Plantation will open for its 2019 season on Saturday, March 23. The Manor House will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and then resume its schedule of being open seven days a week.

To celebrate Opening Day, Belle Grove Manor House tours will be offered free of charge. The tour lasts one hour and will be offered at :15 minutes and :45 minutes past each hour, with the first tour beginning at 10:15 a.m. and the last tour beginning at 3:15 p.m.

In 2019, Belle Grove Plantation’s 1797 Manor House and grounds will be open March 23-October 31, Mondays through Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m. (closed major holidays). From November 1 to December 5, Belle Grove will be open Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays 1-5 p.m. December 6-30, Belle Grove’s annual Christmas tours will take place Mondays through Thursdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m.-8 p.m., and Sundays 1-5 p.m. More information, including admission prices may be found here.

Belle Grove annual special events include the “Of Ale and History” Beer Fest (May 11), Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener’s Association Garden Fest (June 1), Wine Fest (August 24), Farm to Fork Fondo Shenandoah bicycle event (September 14-15), the Battle of Cedar Creek Commemoration Weekend (October 19-20), and “Inalienable Rights: Free and Enslaved Blacks Crafting a Life in the Shenandoah Valley” living history day (November 9), and more. The entire list of 2019 special events may be found at www.bellegrove.org/calendar.

On April 13, Belle Grove will open the Beverley B. Shoemaker Welcome Center as the new visitor entrance to the property. Housed in 1918 Bank Barn, the Welcome Center preserves a historic structure that was instrumental to Belle Grove’s agricultural history and creates new spaces for the Museum Shop, exhibits, special events, and visitor amenities. An announcement about the public grand opening will be forthcoming.

As Belle Grove prepares for the opening the Beverley B. Shoemaker Welcome Center, it will participate in the American Battlefield Trust’s annual hands-on volunteer event, “Park Day” on Saturday, April 6, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Staff and volunteers will do a variety of tasks such as painting, pruning, weeding, raking, and other light landscaping projects. Volunteers should meet up at 9 a.m. at Belle Grove at the visitor parking lot at 336 Belle Grove Road, Middletown. Water and snacks will be provided, and volunteers are welcome to bring a picnic lunch. Volunteers should wear work clothes and bring gloves. This project is not suitable for very young children (under age 8) and all minors must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult. The first 20 volunteers will receive a complimentary Park Day 2019 t-shirt. Volunteers should register here so that Belle Grove may contact them with any updates.