Area parents looking for a hands-on encounter with history and nature for their children this summer can still book a trip to The Accokeek Foundation’s National Colonial Farm at Piscataway Park. At this living history museum, children meet a character from the past (a costumed interpreter) and experience what life was like for an ordinary tobacco planting family in 1775. On any given day, children might help plant seeds, grind corn, card wool or gather wood. And they will get to meet heritage breed animals, including Ossabaw hogs, Hog Island sheep, and Red Devon cattle.
Through these unique tours, children begin to make important connections between the past and the present, and people’s relationship to the land and its resources. A suggested donation of $3.50 per child is requested. Tours are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays through July.
Summer Fun
Summer is a wonderful time for young people to enjoy the natural wonders of the Accokeek Foundation at Piscataway Park and the National Colonial Farm. Through our colonial living history museum, organic farm, heritage breed animals, and gardens, we provide a wealth of opportunities for a unique outdoor experience.
Barnyard Bonanza
Meet our heritage breed animals: Red Devon cows, Hog Island sheep, Dominique chickens, Black Spanish turkeys, and Ossabaw hogs. See a team of oxen and greet our horse and miniature donkey. Learn how domesticated animals have lived here with humans and have contributed to shaping this land as we see it today.
Colonial Farmhand
Step back in time to 1775 and experience what life was like for the family of a middling tobacco planter. Learn about the importance of tobacco in colonial Maryland. See the family home and meet Mrs. Bolton (a costumed interpreter). Help with the daily chores, from pounding corn to carding wool to helping in the fields, during this “hands-on” experience.
Wilderness Explorer
What was here when the colonists arrived and what was brought here from other places? Children will learn that not only people immigrated to the New World, but plants and animals as well. In the Museum Garden, children will learn how plants from the continents of Europe, Africa, and the Americas came to the Tidewater Potomac. Walking through the forest, children will learn about native and non-native plants and predict how natural resources could be used. In the barnyard, children will meet cows, sheep, hogs, chickens, turkeys, and oxen and learn how they came to Maryland, how they were used by colonists, and their importance today.
Combination Tour
We can craft a special tour for your group that includes pieces from some or all of the above tours. Tour length can be tailored to the needs of your group.
For more information, see our web site at www.accokeek.org. To book a tour, contact MaryAlice Bonomo at
(301) 283- 2113 ext. 28, or by email at education@accokeek.org.
