Highland

Veterans Day Special Pricing
2025-11-11 09:30 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
In commemoration of Veterans Day, Highland general admission tickets for museum visits on November 11 are only $10 per person (kids six and under are free). Follow the link below to purchase tickets:
Purchase General Admission Tickets

Veterans Day at Highland
2025-11-11 09:30 - 16:30 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
On Veterans Day, Tuesday, November 11, 2025, we invite visitors to Highland for a day of learning in honor of military veterans. Throughout the day, guests can:

Explore the commemorative VA250 traveling exhibition, Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation, in the upper level of Highland’s event barn
Meet Highland’s original veteran, James Monroe!
Decode messages at the code breaking and cryptography station
Learn about military medicine and its influence on civilian medicine with living history interpreter Bob Talbott (and friends), who will share a rich collection of historic arms, armaments, and medical tools (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

A moment of silence and a military volley will be observed at 11:00 a.m. Admission is free for active U.S. military members and veterans. All other visitors may purchase $10 discounted General Admission tickets using the link below. Children six and under and Farm Friends members receive free admission.
Purchase Tickets

Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation is the signature exhibition of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. It was organized in partnership by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Feeding the People: What does Food have to do with Heritage? (Virtual Presentation)
2025-11-13 19:00 - 20:00 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
Are you ready to think about food and culture? Join us at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, November 13, for the virtual presentation Feeding the People: What does Food have to do with Heritage. Collaborations with Highland’s Council of Descendant Advisors have explored many aspects of food traditions, including gardening with grandparents, the connection between food, health and wellness, and the role of innovation in Black food traditions. Highland’s public historian, Dr. Lisa Armstrong, herself a member of Highland’s descendant community, together with a team of William & Mary students, leads a discussion of food and heritage in this free virtual presentation. Follow the link below to sign up:

Registration

Highland Rustic Trails Dog Day
2025-11-16 09:30 - 16:30 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
On Sunday, November 16, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., we invite you and your four legged friends out on the Highland Rustic Trails for a day of doggone good fun!
The Highland Rustic Trails are free and open to the public. All dogs must be leashed. Dog owners are responsible for cleaning up after their animals. Please keep our trails clean so everyone can enjoy their experience on the Highland Rustic Trails.
*Please note that while dogs will be allowed on the Highland Rustic Trails on Dog Days, only service animals, as defined by the ADA, are permitted in the ticketed museum area.
Highland Rustic Trails

Musical guest Timothy Seaman to perform at Highland
2025-11-29 14:00 - 16:00 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
Join us from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 29, for a special performance in the Highland Museum Shop by featured musical guest Timothy Seaman. Enjoy the soothing sound of the hammered dulcimer while browsing our selection of locally made crafts in the Highland Artisan Room. Timothy will be signing CDs at this free, public event.
Check out Timothy’s musical magic in the video below:

Winter Open House
2025-12-06 10:00 - 12:00 | VA
You are invited to a FREE Winter Open House at Highland on Saturday, December 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Guests can explore Highland’s core exhibition Window to a New America amid festive holiday touches and hear an introductory history talk at 10:30. Special musical guests the Cville Cinco Woodwind Quintet will present historic selections and holiday classics in a seated performance at 11:00, and local bagpiper Cooper Wamsley will perform outdoors to complete the celebration of a Highland holiday. Enjoy a warm beverage and a holiday discount in the museum shop, and celebrate the season with us!
This is the last weekend to see the traveling exhibition, Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation in the upper level of Highland’s event barn, so don’t miss this commemorative VA 250 experience.
Access to this special open house is FREE for all participants. Please use the link below and select the 10:00 a.m. reservation time on December 6th and plan to attend any or all of the events:
Register Today!

Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation is the signature exhibition of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. It was organized in partnership by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Green Gathering Book Club: Entangled Life
2025-12-07 10:00 - 12:00 | VA
Calling all tree huggers, forest friends, and book worms! If you are interested in connecting with fellow nature-lovers over a good book, join us for Highland’s Green Gathering Book Club.

Who would have guessed that tiny organisms beneath the surface of the soil are crucial to the survival of life on this planet? This month we’ll take inspiration from Merlin Sheldrake’s Entangled Life and talk all about fungi, the strange and amazing life forms that continue to fascinate and inspire researchers.

This event is free and open to the public. Designed for participants aged 12 and up. Participants will meet at the Highland Museum Shop and walk as a group to our comfy conference room for the book club meeting.

Registration
Promptly after the book discussion, participants who are interested are invited to join Carla for a group hike on the Highland Rustic Trails. This 4 mile hike will take you on the Mountain Trail (red loop) and will include some of the newest sections of trail. Expect a little bit of elevation gain as we hike the gentle slopes of Highland’s “backyard.” This hike is for moderately experienced hikers. Participants are asked to wear appropriate hiking attire, including sturdy footwear, and bring a water bottle, bug spray, and sunscreen.

Entangled Life can be purchased through your local bookstore or via Amazon. Want to be extra green? Check out the book from your local library branch!

Holly Days at Highland
2025-12-13 10:00 - 12:00 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
It’s back! Highland and the Virginia Cooperative Extension invite you to Holly Days at Highland, a morning of children’s crafts and holiday cheer on December 13, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Participants will enjoy warm beverages and a festive, family-oriented atmosphere. At this holiday-themed event, participants are invited to learn about native Virginia plants while creating a holiday craft with the Piedmont Master Gardeners, enjoy holiday reading and coloring activities, and more!
Admission for adults and children is $6 per person. All children must be accompanied by an adult. Please register using the link below:

Register Today!

People and Places: Conservation Projects at Highland
2026-02-21 10:00 - 11:00 | James Monroe’s Highland, 2050 James Monroe's Highland, Charlottesville, VA, 22902
Today’s landscape is formed in part by human activities past and present. Highland and the on-campus Institute for Integrative Conservation have collaborated on a series of high-impact projects that have built new perspectives on Highland’s landscape and the forces that have shaped it. Leaders and students from Highland and the IIC share perspectives and results of collaborative projects involving the people and places of the Highland landscape.
The talk will take place from 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. in the lower level of the Highland Event Barn. Light refreshments provided. In the event of inclement weather, this program will move to a virtual setting via Zoom.
Registration
