Specialties
Please check our website for our seasonal hours which will vary between Columbus Day and Mother’s Day! We are more than just a living history museum that specializes in inspiring excitement and curiosity about the past and an appreciation for its relevance today. We also offer an array of special events throughout the year, as well as specialized learning activities for young and old, and customized celebrations such as weddings and private dinner parties. Our beautiful campus and facilities are a unique resource for the community and beyond.
History
Established in 1966.
Founded in 1966 by John L. Wehle, Genesee Country Village & Museum was created to help preserve the vanishing rural architecture of the Genesee Country, an area encompassing the Genesee River and stretching from the Finger Lakes to the Niagara Frontier and Lake Erie. Today, this living history museum includes a 19th-century village, a gallery, a nature center, and 600 acres of gardens and wildlife.
- Website: https://www.gcv.org
- Address: 1410 Flint Hill Rd Mumford, NY 14511
- Phone: (585) 538-6822
Highest Review
Loved getting into the holiday spirit today by attending the Breakfast with St. Nick! I saw that this event sold out so I was happy to have gotten tickets a few weeks ago. Our breakfast time was 11am-12pm so when we arrived we checked in and waited a couple minutes for doors to open. Once we were able to select our seats, we went up to St. Nick right away to have my son talk to him and get a picture. Afterwards, we were able to get food buffet style. I will say that the menu was on point. Lots of choices for adults and kids. The menu consisted of plain or chocolate chip pancakes, blueberry stuffed French toast, scrambled eggs, scrambled eggs with peppers, ham and onions, sausage, home fries, coffee, juice and pastries. All was delicious and we certainly got our fill of breakfast and holiday fun. I definitely want to go back to the museum to do a walk around since it’s been so long since I’ve been here! All in all it was a great morning. Definitely recommend attending this event next year!
Lowest Review
I’ve been to Colonial Williamsburg, so I’m trying to resist comparing the two. But it’s hard not to compare.
CW has costumed history interpreters who are ALWAYS in character. They don’t gab with their co-workers and say, “See you next week; I’m off til Wednesday!” when they’re supposed to be portraying a family living in the olden days. Some of the interpreters at GCV&M don’t engage with visitors at all, such as, answering when children ask questions. Even when only three well-behaved kids are visiting their part of the village and trying to ask intelligent questions. Some are terrific; others seem irritated people dare ask questions, and, no, it’s not acting “in character.” They just don’t seem to understand that their attitude is part of the experience at GVC&M, such as the guy at the blacksmith shop. The guy at the tinsmith shop, and the women at the octagon house, mansion, and cottage, all “get it” and were very welcoming. All their employees should maintain that level of engagement with visitors.
It is also next to impossible to find this place! GPS won’t work, even when you use the directions for entering a GPS address from their website. If you call, no one can give you ANY driving directions there. And forget about Mapquest. The directions get you within 4 miles then get buggy and hard to follow. As aware as GCV&M is of how hard it is to find their place, you’d think a sign on I-90 directing people to the right exit would be logical, but there’s nothing. No directional signs whatsoever until you’re at the entry of the place.
Once you find the place, it is full of interesting artifacts and a few hands-on activities. It would be nice if more of the buildings were open and staffed. Numerous houses in the village stood empty.
They let you bring in food and provide picnic tables, which is a huge help to families and helps you swallow the $18/10 admission rate per person. It’s too bad the day’s beginning was soured by driving all over the country trying to find the place. We wasted two hours in fruitless driving, time we could have used exploring GCV&M. Please, could you put up a few signs, GCV&M?
Of course, CW depicts a different era, is much larger, and the staff there is comprised of professional history interpreters. But GCV&M is worth going to. If you can find it.
