Copy of 2010 logoThe Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum is a major open-air museum in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania which is dedicated to interpreting the history of the Pennsylvania Germans over three centuries.

Landis Valley is a Pennsylvania state historic site which consists of over 50 structures on 100 acres of land, preserving and exhibiting over 100,000 historic objects.

The museum is a true living history museum which also features daily craft and trades demonstrations, an active historic farm program, the award-winning Heirloom Seed Project, year-round special events, and a popular school program using immersive teaching techniques. The museum is a destination for group tours and also includes the Landis Valley Museum Store which offers many hand-made items from local artisans, as well as heirloom seeds propagated on site.

Landis Valley mounts special exhibits on a rotating basis which have won state-wide and national awards. The museum’s historic buildings and shops are furnished to the period, interpreting everyday life from the 18th to the 20th centuries. The Landis Collections Gallery exhibits and stores one of the largest collections of Pennsylvania German decorative arts in the nation and the Farm Machinery and Tool exhibit showcases thousands of tools and agricultural machinery highlighting the Pennsylvania German contributions to agriculture.

The museum has an active research program and promotes the publication of scholarly and popular works on the history of the Pennsylvania Germans and Pennsylvania history and period horticulture.

The museum sponsors numerous classes year-round including Summer Institute for Rural Life in June, and classes on historic trades, gardening, animal husbandry, Pennsylvania German material culture, and field trips to discover the surrounding areas.

The Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum also offers rental opportunities for private meetings, conferences, weddings and wedding receptions, and other activities.

The museum is administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, but is actively supported by the Landis Valley Associates (LVA) which is a non-profit community support organization. There are over 3,000 members in the LVA and membership benefits include complimentary admission to the museum, discounts for the Landis Valley Museum Store and various programs, newsletters and more.

The museum offers sponsorship opportunities for special events and museum programs and the museum is supported by over 300 volunteers and offers volunteer opportunities in all areas of the museum operations.