Every visit is a new experience!
The third largest living history museum in the country!
GCV&M’s Historic Village is a full sensory experience that includes interpreted buildings, 10 heirloom breeds of animals, 14 historic trades, multiple 19th-century kitchens, and hundreds of plant species. Costumed interpreters welcome you into their spaces, vintage base ball is played most Sundays from June – October, and there are opportunities galore to dive deeper into history with tours, workshops, and dining experiences.
Members get free general admission May – October.
Historic Gardens & Fields
The gardens and fields add richness, beauty, and magic to your visit.
Heritage Animals & Breeding
The farm and gardens add richness, beauty, and magic to your visit.
What is Interpretation?
Interpretation is “an educational activity which aims to reveal meanings and relationships through the use of original objects, by firsthand experience, and by illustrative media, rather than simply to communicate factual information.” (Freeman Tilden, 1957)
In the Historic Village, costumed interpreters interact with visitors and perform daily tasks, crafts, and trades. Interpreters present in 3rd person, meaning they are modern-day people in historic dress. GCV&M’s interpreters are students and retired teachers, professional historians and hobbyists, and all deeply invested in sharing their love of the village and the 19th-century!
What will be Open?
On any given day in the Historic Village, between 10 and 25 buildings will be open and staffed with an historic interpreter. Open buildings are based on:
- Activities and historic attendance – more buildings are open weekends and on festival days, and fewer on weekdays.
- Popularity – for example, Hyde and Hamilton Houses and our historic kitchens are always open!
- Interpreter availability – we do our best to fill one-day vacancies and maintain enthusiastic, trained staff.
Several smaller buildings are unstaffed and open for viewing every day.
If a building is closed during your visit that you’re curious to see, just ask! It’s possible an interpreter or Interpretation Manager can show you into that space.
The Costume Shop
Dressing the Historic Village!
A critical piece of the Musem experience, the Costume Shop, located just off the Village Square at Genesee Country Village & Museum, is responsible for costuming our team of historical interpreters who bring our 19th-century village to life!
Our historic costumers create unique attire for interpreters referencing 19th century patterns, photos, illustrations, and descriptions. From undergarments like corsets to Victorian-era gowns, the Costume Shop produces a wide variety of pieces, both for regular daily happenings around the Village and exciting special events.
(The Costume Shop is not usually a building open to visitors.)