The Glen Burnie house was originally built by James Wood, the founder of Winchester, Virginia, in 1794.
Julian Wood Glass Jr., a descendant of the founder, spent decades restoring the house and designing the surrounding gardens before bequeathing the property as a museum.
The MSV gardens are part of the American Horticultural Society’s Reciprocal Admissions Program.
The museum's gallery building, designed by architect Michael Graves, opened to the public in 2005.
The site contains a permanent collection of over 10,000 objects reflecting Shenandoah Valley material culture.
The grounds feature an outdoor sculpture collection integrated into the landscape design.
The Glen Burnie house serves as a surviving example of Virginia's 18th-century architectural evolution.
The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley (MSV) is a multidisciplinary cultural center featuring the historic 18th-century Glen Burnie house and seven acres of diverse gardens. The campus houses a permanent collection dedicated to the decorative arts, history, and culture of the Shenandoah Valley region. Visitors can explore the 1794 house, which was the ancestral home of the founder, Julian Wood Glass Jr. The grounds include themed gardens ranging from a formal rose garden to a conceptual vegetable garden. Galleries within the museum host rotating exhibitions that frequently feature regional artists and historical artifacts. The site functions as a center for regional research, offering access to archival collections documenting valley life. Architecture on the grounds blends 18th-century colonial structures with modern, purpose-built gallery spaces.
The elevated view of the Sunken Garden from the terrace of the Glen Burnie house.
Wear comfortable walking shoes to traverse the seven acres of extensive garden paths.
Check the museum's website for rotating exhibition schedules, as the gallery displays change periodically.
Allocate extra time for the gardens, as they are as significant to the experience as the indoor galleries.
Do not attempt to walk the entire garden trail in restrictive footwear; the terrain includes varying elevations and gravel paths.
Closed on Mondays throughout the year.
Photography is generally permitted in the galleries without flash, but interior photography inside the historic Glen Burnie house may be restricted.
