Education Program & Tours

Tours: General Hours

  • Tuesday through Saturday: 9 a.m.- 4 p.m.
  • Please note that the house is accessible only by guided tour. We strongly encourage visitors to call ahead to ensure tour availability or visit during our Open House hours.

Open House Hours

  • Saturdays, April-October: 10 a.m.- 12 p.m.
  • Tours of both the house and barn are available during our open house hours.

Private Events and Private Tours

Cherry Hill is closed to the public during private events. Please check our calendar or contact us before arriving. Private and Group Tours can be scheduled for other times by calling the number above. Please call Holly Irwin at 703-248-5171 (TTY 711) or email hirwin @fallschurchva.gov. 

Education Programs

Cherry Hill offers a variety of exciting educational programs for children, including school groups, home schooled children and scouts. Children can experience 19th century life as they tour the fully furnished 1845 farmhouse and get a hands-on experience in the barn as they examine 19th century machines and farming implements. Advance reservations are required. Please call 703-248-5171 (TTY 711) for more information.

School Programs

Advance reservations are required for all school groups. Our tours highlight family life on a farm in mid-19th century Virginia. We have two interdisciplinary school programs that support Virginia's Standard of Learning (SOLs). 

  • Now vs. Then Program for Kindergartners
    Students love this trip back in time. A tour of both the farmhouse and barn allow students to identify differences between life in 1860 and today. Hands on activities include identifying old kitchen tools and the chance to grind an ear of corn in our historic barn. SOLs: History K.1, K.2

    Fee: $2.00 per student

  • Simple Machines Program for Third Graders
    This tour offers many hands-on opportunities for self-discovery. Children will tour the farmhouse and barn to learn how both simple and compound machines made life easier for the 19th century farmer. They will have a hands-on experience as they tour the farmhouse and examine and identify simple machines a housewife would have used in her kitchen. Students will then tour the barn and identify simple and compound machines the farmer would have used in his barn. They will have an opportunity to operate a simple pulley and shell and grind corn using old machines.
    SOLs: Science:3.1, 3.2;History 3.7;English 3.1

    Fee: $2.00 per student

Home School Tours

The Cherry Hill Farmhouse does special programs for educational groups including home-schooled students. Advance reservations are required. Please call 703-248-5171 (TTY 711) for more information.

The tours focus on family life in mid-19th century rural Virginia and can be tailored to meet specific educational interests. For example, we can highlight the Civil War years at Cherry Hill or we can discuss simple machines used by farmers.

The cost is $5.00 Resident/$10 Non-Resident per child. 

Scout Programs

The Cherry Hill Farmhouse does special programs for Boy Scout and Girl Scout Troops on request. Advance reservations are required, price varies. Please call 703-248-5171 (TTY 711) for more information. 

  • Girl Scout Tea and Manners (All Levels) 
    Scouts will learn about childrens lives in mid-19th century Virginia, including proper tea etiquette. They will then enjoy our sweet tea consisting of sweets, fruit and tea or lemonade and in our lovely dining room. A tour of the farmhouse is included.

    Fee: $25 per scout (12 person minimum)

  • Respect Myself and Others: Daisy
    Manners and chores were as important in the Victorian Era as they are today. Scouts will learn proper table manners and compare how today's chores for children differ from the past. Daisy troops can also fulfill this petal’s requirements through our sweet tea.

    Fee: $10.00 per scout (actual petal not included)

  • Social Butterfly: Junior
    Scouts will learn about a girl’s life in mid-19th century Virginia, including proper table manners, conversation tips being a gracious guest and how to prepare for a special occasion. This two-hour program fulfills all badge requirements.

    Fee: $15.00 per scout (actual badge not included)

  • Making Games: Brownies
    Scouts will tour the Farmhouse, complete a scavenger hunt, and learn from a variety of parlor games. Girls will create their own parlor games and invent a sport using Victorian era toys. This two-hour program fufills all badge requirements.

    Fee: $15.00 per scout (actual badge not included)

  • Playing the Past: Juniors
    Scouts will learn about children's lives in the mid-1800s as they tour the Farmhouse and listen to the oral histories of past occupants. Scouts will have the chance to get into character by writing with quill pens, making butter, and playing parlor games. This two-hour program fulfills all badge requirements.

    Fee: $15.00 per scout (actual badge not included)

Summer History Camps

Blast Into the Past Camp

During the summer months Cherry Hill Farm offers four weeklong camps where children can step back in time and experience firsthand what a girl’s life was like in 19th century Virginia. Children will craft, play old-fashioned games, become amateur archaeologists, and learn about life during the Civil War. The camp runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 

Visit the registration website or call 703-248-5027 (TTY 711) for more information.