Special Christmas tours are held every day except Monday from December 6 to 21. You couldn't properly call this a museum because this center is so interactive. Here in this branch of the Smithsonian Institution visitors interested in natural history can delve into their own investigations. Visitors become amateur scientists, with access to the center's large collection of plants, rocks, fossils, insects and animals, aided by scientific equipment, books and references. A smaller exhibit with some hands-on activities has been set up to entertain younger children while older family members tour the main exhibit.
Admission is free.
The 261-acre estate is renowned for its historic formal gardens in which something always seems to be blooming. Those younger than 12 get in free. To coincide with the 250th anniversary of Culpeper County, the Museum of Culpeper History is moving to a larger location in mid-1999. The exhibits tracing the history of Culpeper County from the age of the dinosaurs to the 20th century will occupy a minimum of 2,500 square feet of the single level building. The collection includes dinosaur track fossils cut from the quarry 5 miles east of the city, Native American artifacts and Civil War relics.