Museums Open Seasonally
Daniel Harrison House (Known as Ft. Harrison)
PO Box 366 Bowman Road ~ Dayton, VA 22821 | 540-879-2280
Open every weekend May-October ~ Call for hours of operation~ Groups by appointment
A preservation and restoration project of Fort Harrison, Inc., the Daniel Harrison House is a restored 1749 home of the Daniel Harrison, brother to Thomas who founded the city of Harrisonburg. The house/museum brings the 18th century to life with artifacts, furniture and tales of the families who lived there.
Eastern Mennonite University Hostetter Museum of Natural History
1200 Park Rd. ~ Harrisonburg, VA 22802~ Suter Science Center | 540-432-4400
Open Sundays from 2-5 pm (Academic year, mid-September to late April)
By-appointment showings for church, school and civic groups
Science and history come alive in this museum where you can discover some of nature's most unusual and fascinating specimens, including the two-headed calf, the Nile crocodile, a 3,000-year-old mummy hand, and fluorescent rock room. The "Discovery Room" is not open for afternoon public programs from June-August.
James Madison University Mineral Museum
Room 6139, Memorial Hall (Grace St. entrance), James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807 | 540-568-6421
Open Monday-Friday 8 am-4:30 pm
The Mineral Museum is located in Memorial Hall, near entrance E. (Grace St. side of building). The museum features over 550 crystal and gemstone specimens from around the world. Free admission.
John C. Wells Planetarium at James Madison University
Miller Hall, across East Grace Street.
Visitors may park in the M-lot next to Miller Hall
The Wells Planetarium will offer free shows for the public on Saturdays through the fall and spring semester, not available in the summer. The shows will be held at 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Shows are free. The planetarium door 10 minutes before show time. Each show is followed by a 25-minute "star talk" that provides visitors with updates about the night sky, including constellations, planets and any comets that might be visible.
Also on site The James Madison University Meteorite Collection. Featuring fragments of meteoroids that survived passage through the atmosphere to fall to the earth's surface as masses of metal or stone; includes specimens from Diablo Canyon, Ariz., the Sahara Desert, and the Central European Strewn Field. Free admission.
Miller Kite House
Stonewall Jackson Headquarters ~ 310 E. Rockingham St. ~ Elkton, VA 22827
540-298-1717 or 540-298-8531
Open May 29- September 4 ~ Sundays 1-5 pm
Located in the house that served as the headquarters of General Stonewall Jackson during the beginning of the Shenandoah Valley Campaign, this exhibit features many items from the Civil War era and some articles belonging to Jackson.
Plains District Memorial Museum
176 N. Main St., Timberville, VA 22853 | 540-896-7900 ~ Please call ahead
Open Thursday-Sunday 1-4 pm
Closed Monday-Wednesday
Comprised of memorabilia and artifacts of the early life in Shenandoah Valley. The museum contains a lively collection that portrays the life of early American homes, farms, and businesses. Free admission.
Port Republic Museum
The Society of Port Republic Preservationists ~ 8691 Water St. ~ Port Republic, VA 24471
Open April-October
Sundays from 1:30 pm – 4 pm
The museum brings the history of the once-bustling town to life. It also explores Stonewall Jackson's famous 1862 Valley Campaign and the life and death of local hero, Turner Ashby. $1 admission requested.
Reuel B. Pritchett Museum at Bridgewater College
Lower Level, Cole Hall, Bridgewater College ~ Bridgewater, VA 22812 | 540-828-5462
Call for hours of operation
The Museum contains artifacts from the American Civil War, Native Americans and pioneer life. Highlights of the collection include coinage, currency, weaponry, more than 175 rare books and Bibles, more than 1,000 bottles and glassware, a saber-toothed tiger skull and mastodon teeth, a cuneiform brick from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar (600 B.C.) and a land deed signed by Thomas Jefferson.