Old Sturbridge Village
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April 19, 2008 -
October 24, 2008
Daily, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
Encampments open until 8pm - August 2, 2008
October 25, 2008 -
April 3, 2009
Tuesday - Sunday, 9:30 am - 4:00 pm
Closed Mondays
Open Thanksgiving Day - November 27, 2008
Closed Christmas Day - December 25, 2008
Open New Year's Day - January 1, 2009
Open Martin Luther King Jr. Day - January 19, 2009
Open Presidents' Day - February 16, 2009
April 4, 2009 -
October 23, 2009
Daily, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm
6 Reviews for Old Sturbridge Village
33
30 families found this helpful
"Nice place to visit"
We live in MA and have joined the membership to visit Sturbridge multiple times in the year. It is nice to visit during the different seasons...as activities in the village change. My children really enjoyed it. If you don't live nearby and just want to visit once, it is a bit pricey, but if you are interested in the history it is worth it. You really feel as if you've gone back in time, as the employees take their parts very seriously. They are very willing to answer any questions and quite pleasant to talk with.
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2 families found this helpful
"learning about history and having fun"
Our youngest daughter is a history buff. She loves anything "old". Going to OSV was like being on Little House on the Prairie for her orin an American Girl book. Although there is a big dose of learning and history here everything is so hands on it is never boring. Some of our favorites include fishing, pottery, the saw mill, gardening on a farm and cooking in a farm kitchen. We also watched yarn being died and heard stories from a local. All the employees are dressed in period garb and take on their role very seriously. We also enjoyed the Blacksmith shop, the basket weaving and the various museums on site. We visited on a sports day and also got to meet Wally the mascot for the Boston Red Sox and see 2 Major League championship trophies in PERSON. A bonus for my 8 year old son. During this visit there was also an opportunity for the kids to play tug of war with some locals and play a game of baseball. We had a great time but could not see it all in one day. They have a deal where you can pay for one day and get a second day free within a certain timeframe. Check the website for detailsas it is definitely worth it. We also had brunch at the on site restaurant. It was hearty and delicious and reasonable priced. We will be back next summer, if we do not go again for the Christmas celebrations.
0 families found this helpful
"Good place for kids to run around"
We visited OSV in late October, and we had a great time. They decorated the village for Halloween, and my kids really enjoyed looking at all of the pumpkins. There's lots of room for the kids to run around. My kids liked to look at the animals too. The food is overpriced and mediocre, but overall we had a nice trip.
1 family found this helpful
"Old Sturbridge Village"
You will want to go here over and over again! There is always something more to see! It will take more than one full day to see everything. Food prices are reasonable, so you don't have to leave the museum to feed the family. But if you want there is a McDonalds and Burger King right across the street. There is an indoor museum for the kids to play dress up and learn about what life was like in the 1800's, and the kids will spend hours in there alone. Then there is the living museum, the people who work in the museum are excellent with children and seem to be interested in the kids learning something new and exploring! We have gone many times and look forward to going again!
0 families found this helpful
"Fun with the Family"
Worth at least one full day’s visit for any family, the village recreates the daily life of a rural early-nineteenth-century community, with its farms, fields, shops, houses, and outlying mill areas. More than forty buildings from all over New England were carefully dismantled and transported here in the mid-1940s, then painstakingly reassembled and furnished in period style.
The period portrayed by the village is particularly significant because it was a time when New Englanders’ lives were transformed by the rise of commerce and manufacturing, improvements in agriculture and transportation, emigration and growing urbanization, and the political and social changes of a prospering young country.
Younger children will enjoy seeing the costumed interpreters who set the scene, as well as the animals, the unpaved streets, and the interesting simple tools and machines that the interpreters use.
Kidstory, opened in 2004 in the Visitor Center, caters to kids age 3 to 10. This interactive area allows the children to try on the settlers’ garb and Native American dress of the early 1800s, pretend to cook over a hearth stove, and reenact the life of a student or a schoolmarm in a period school room.
Other activities include a farm, an onslaught of games and puzzles, and an extensive collection of story books. Older kids will enjoy the interaction with the interpreters, who welcome questions and participation in many activities such as sheep shearing, spinning, weaving, gardening, fireplace cooking, tinsmithing, watercolor painting, and candle making.
Special events occur all year; call for a schedule since daily events are always changing. A jam-packed typical day’s offering could include a lineup of an old-fashioned baseball game with the villagers, a tug-of-war, a hoops race, milking a cow, and trying your hand at fishing. This is all above and beyond the ongoing demonstrations and the interpreted talks in the historical village buildings!
NOTE: Advance registration is required for fee-based activities. Wear comfortable shoes; the property is large. Bring a stroller for younger children, although you’ll have to leave it outside many of the buildings. The village is accessible for visitors with disabilities (more than half of the buildings are wheelchair accessible), and sign-language interpreters are available by prior arrangement.
3 families found this helpful
"Such a wonderful place!"
The activities are great for a variety of ages, from toddlers to school-age kids. The living history there is amazing and completely worth the price of admission!
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