Fall Tours

Pumpkin Picking at the Decker Farm

Through the month of October, students can experience a taste of farm life and bring some of it home. This program introduces aspects of farm life in the 1800s, including the chance for students to dig in the dirt. Participants also get a hayride and a pumpkin of their very own.

Fall Open Village

In November and December, Historic Richmond Town is open and active for "Teacher's Choice" village tours. Trained costumed interpreters bring the buildings to life with a changing round of demonstrations and hands-on activities designed to help students experience life in earlier times. Interpretation in the buildings is designed to hit the highlights of the Social Studies curriculum from the colonial period to the late nineteenth century. Exhibits in the museum take the story into the modern era. Teachers who book an "open village" experience, receive a Curricular Guide to the Historic Buildings that outlines the connection between each building and the specific learning standards addressed in that building. They can then plan which particular buildings they wish to visit. Classes are generally divided into groups of between 10 and 15, so teachers are encouraged to bring a sufficient number of chaperones.