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 end beginningNovember 1. Starting November 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 Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.
Park partner sites will also begin transitioning to winter operations in November. The Cedar Creek Battlefields Foundation Headquarters will be open from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 11:00am to 4:00pm on Sunday. It will be closed on Wednesdays. The Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park and Visitor Center will continue to operate through the winter months with their regularly scheduled hours, Daily, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Please see their website, www.ccbf.us for more information.
Belle Grove Plantation will host its Antique Appraisal and Traditional Crafts Fair on November 7 and 8 from10:00 am to 4:00 pm. In the Manor House there will be a special exhibit featuring quilts from the Belle Grove collection and the Virginia Quilt Museum (admission $12 adult, $11 senior, $6 students, Belle Grove and VQM members $6).
On the lower level of Belle Grove will be expert antique appraisals on Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday 10:00 am to 2:00 p.m. ($10 per item or $25 per 3 items). From November 2 – December 3, Belle Grove’s Museum Shop will be open weekdays from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, but the site will only offer guided tours on Saturdays from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm and on Sundays from 1:00 pm until 5:00 pm. Beginning Friday, December 4, Belle Grove will be seasonally decorated and open for its annual Christmas tours: Monday–Thursday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Fridays and Saturdays 10:00 am to 8:00 pm, with candlelight tours from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, and Sundays 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
The site will be closed on December 24 and 25 for Christmas. Belle Grove is closed for daily tours from January through March 18 and will open for the 2016 season on Saturday, March 19, 2016. 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 Acting Site Manager Karen Beck-Herzog. “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. 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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