Community Calendar

Join VMHC Educators on Tuesdays this summer to play a variety of games from history and around the world! As a special nod to the exhibition, We The People: The World in Our Commonwealth, this summer will feature games like yut nori, al rein, stick horse races, kanche, and more! This event is fun for all ages, but recommended for elementary – middle school. FAQs: Do I need to come right at 10:00? - No! This is a walk up, drop in program from 10:00-12:00. Do I need to buy a ticket? - No! This is a free event outside the museum. What about weather cancellations? - We will make the call whether to cancel for weather each morning. Follow our social channels @virginiahistory and @vmhceducation for updates.

Step into Sacred Queerness: Nature, Spirituality, and the Queer Experience in the main gallery — a powerful exhibition benefiting Virginia Pride through sales from this show. Also on view: solo exhibitions by T. Parker, Justin White, Heather McCoy, and Mandy Powell, the Community Bridge Project featuring Zahra Chowdhury, and a brand-new All Media Show highlighting local talent. Also see 80+ working artist studios.

Visit us Tuesdays through Sundays 11am- 5pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Convenient and free parking is available. Exhibits will remain on view through August 22nd, 2026 (unless otherwise noted). The Bridge Project Exhibit will continue through August 31st. Sacred Queerness: Nature, Spirituality, and the Queer Experience continues through September 19th, 2026.

A little slice of community Celebrating Charlottesville's tomato Harvest!

Home Gardener's competition - 6pm
Are you a proud grower of tomatoes in your yard, community garden, in a pot outside of your office? Think you've got something truly special? Enter the tomato tomato fest prized tomato competition judged by local farmer.
Bring your prized tomato to the judge's table by 6pm. Tomatoes will be judged in three Categories: Prettiest, biggest, and most delicious!

Tomato Art competition
We're partnering with NEW City Arts to have a pop-up tomato art show at bar baleno during the festival. Are you a local artist who loves tomatoes? consider submitting your art!
The show will be available to view inside bar baleno the entire festival and winners will be announced at 7pm. make sure to vote for the people's choice before then!

Tomato Justice
For decades, the Legal Aid Justice Center has organized alongside and advocated on behalf of migrant workers, from tomato pickers on the Eastern Shore to Christmas tree workers in far southwest Virginia.​​​​​​​ Come learn about their work and how you can support it!

This local mystery has haunted family and friends for decades. James will be talking with Andi about his research into the disappearance of Amy Bradley at the store. About the Book: In March 1998, the Bradley family—Ron, Iva, and their children, Amy and Brad—boarded the Rhapsody of the Seas for a week-long Caribbean cruise. The trip was a chance to celebrate Ron’s success at work and Amy’s college graduation. In the early hours of March 24, Amy Bradley—a pretty, athletic 23-year-old—returned to the family’s stateroom with Brad after dancing at the ship’s nightclub. Amy grabbed a blanket and went out to sleep on the balcony. A few hours later, her father awoke to find her gone. What happened to her remains a mystery. Now, acclaimed investigative journalist James Renner provides the first definitive account of Amy’s disappearance, enriched with his own personal narrative that explores themes of identity, loss, and the deeply human need to find meaning in tragedy. With empathy and a keen eye, Renner interviews witnesses who speak on record for the first time, offering fascinating new theories, and explores a little-known side of Amy’s life that may explain everything about her fate. About the Author: James Renner is an investigative journalist, podcaster, and critically acclaimed author of both nonfiction and fiction books, including True Crime Addict and The Man from Primrose Lane. Previously the host of Lake Erie’s Coldest Cases on ID Discovery, he currently hosts the podcasts “The Philosophy of Crime” and “True Crime This Week.” He is the Founder and Director of The Porchlight Project, a nonprofit that provides genetic genealogy for cold cases in Ohio. He lives in Akron with his wife and children and can be found online at open_in_newJamesrenner.com. About the Moderator: Andi escaped the corporate world and found her dream job of managing an indie bookstore in 2018. She's born and raised in RVA and reads just about anything, with particular favorites being Twisteries, YA, horror, and most any contemporary fiction. When she's not reading she can be found playing pinball and relaxing with her husband, her cats, and a nice cold local beer in her speakeasy home. Withfriends believes in building financial resilience for indie bookstores through community support.

Come learn the sport of rugby while getting fit and making great friends. All are welcome. No experience necessary.

Step into Sacred Queerness: Nature, Spirituality, and the Queer Experience in the main gallery — a powerful exhibition benefiting Virginia Pride through sales from this show. Also on view: solo exhibitions by T. Parker, Justin White, Heather McCoy, and Mandy Powell, the Community Bridge Project featuring Zahra Chowdhury, and a brand-new All Media Show highlighting local talent. Also see 80+ working artist studios.

Visit us Tuesdays through Sundays 11am- 5pm. Admission is free and open to the public. Convenient and free parking is available. Exhibits will remain on view through August 22nd, 2026 (unless otherwise noted). The Bridge Project Exhibit will continue through August 31st. Sacred Queerness: Nature, Spirituality, and the Queer Experience continues through September 19th, 2026.

Join the Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. for our next History After Dark on Wednesday, July 29 beginning at 6:00pm as Professor Anna Bennett of Hollins University explores the fascinating connection between extreme weather and the European witch craze of the 16th and 17th centuries.

In "Supernatural Storms: Extreme Weather and the European Witch Craze," Professor Bennett will examine how devastating storms, crop failures, and changing climate conditions fueled fear, superstition, and accusations of witchcraft across Germany and northern Europe. Discover how communities sought to explain natural disasters in an age before modern science and how those beliefs shaped one of history's most infamous periods of persecution.

**PLEASE NOTE: This History After Dark will take place on the 5th Wednesday instead of the usual 4th Wednesday due to a scheduling conflict with a pre-planned event at 1772**

Please call 1772 to make reservations - space is not guaranteed otherwise!

Bingo Beer Co hosts bingo on Wednesdays from 7pm-9pm and Sundays from 3pm-5pm. It's family friendly and free to play! Let us know you're coming and make a reservation today.

This is a Weekly Recurring Event
Runs from Feb 25, 2026 to Dec 30, 2026 and happens every:
Wednesdays: 7:00pm - 9:00pm Timezone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)
Sundays: 3:00pm - 5:00pm Timezone: Eastern Time (US & Canada)

Highland will host the VA250 Mobile Museum from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1. A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience titled “Out of Many, One” is housed in a quad-expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. The mobile museum brings key stories of Virginia’s rich history to schools, museums, local events, fairs, and more, highlighting every region of the state.

There is no fee to access the VA250 Mobile Experience. The mobile museum will be positioned in the main Highland parking lot and will be free and accessible to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1.

The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience at Highland is made possible by the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. A special thanks to The Residence Inn by Marriott Charlottesville Downtown for providing overnight accommodations for the VA250 Mobile Museum team.

Highland will host the VA250 Mobile Museum from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1. A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience titled “Out of Many, One” is housed in a quad-expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. The mobile museum brings key stories of Virginia’s rich history to schools, museums, local events, fairs, and more, highlighting every region of the state.

There is no fee to access the VA250 Mobile Experience. The mobile museum will be positioned in the main Highland parking lot and will be free and accessible to the public from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Thursday, July 30, through Saturday, August 1.

The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience at Highland is made possible by the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. A special thanks to The Residence Inn by Marriott Charlottesville Downtown for providing overnight accommodations for the VA250 Mobile Museum team.