At the beginning of November, National Park Service facilities and programs at Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park will transition to a winter schedule. Ranger conducted programs will be reduced beginning November 1, and will only be offered on most Saturdays throughout the remainder of the month. StartingNovember 2 the Visitor Contact Station will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Winter hours for the Contact Station will be from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, Wednesday through Sunday, starting November 4. The Visitor Contact Station will also be closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Park partner sites will also begin transitioning to winter operations in November. The Cedar Creek Battlefield Foundation Headquarters will be open from 10:00am until 4:00pm, Tuesday through Saturday, and 11:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday. It will be closed on Mondays. The Hupps Hill Civil War Park and Visitor Center will continue to operate through the winter months with their regularly scheduled hours, Daily, 9:00am – 5:00pm. Please see their website,www.ccbf.us for more information.
Belle Grove Plantation will host its Antique Appraisal and Traditional Crafts Fair on November 1, from 10:00am to 4:00pm. From November 3 – December 11, Belle Grove’s Museum Shop will be open weekdays from 10:00am to 4:00pm, but the site will only offer guided tours on Saturdays from 10:00am until 4:00pm and on Sundays from 1:00pm until 5:00pm, Beginning Friday December 12, Belle Grove will be seasonally decorated and open for its annual Christmas tours: Monday-Thursday, 10:00am – 4:00pm, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00am – 8:00pm, with candlelight tours from 6:00pm to 8:00pm, and Sundays 1:00pm-6:00pm. The site will be closed on December 24 and 25 for Christmas. Belle Grove is closed for daily tours from January through March 20 and will open for the 2015 season on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Group tours are available by reservation in advance throughout the year. Please see www.bellegrove.org for more information on tours and special events.
The park’s rich landscape in the Shenandoah Valley offers many unique opportunities for visitors to experience during the winter months. “As the leaves change and the Valley transitions into winter, this is a perfect time to enjoy the picturesque scenery of the park while learning about the area’s past,” explains Site Manager Amy Bracewell. “Experiencing the park through a scenic driving tour or seeing Belle Grove decked out in the season’s finest trimmings make for wonderful excursions this winter.”
It is anticipated that daily hours of the Visitor Contact Station will change back to the summer schedule next April. Ranger programs and other events and activities will resume around that time as well. The National Park Service, along with all of its Key Partners, have already begun planning for a series of special events, programs and activities through 2015 to commemorate the end of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and its impact on the Shenandoah Valley. Information on these events, along with other information on the park, can be found on the park website(www.nps.gov/cebe) or by calling: (540) 869-3051.
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