Part of the original 1730 Carter family land grant, Morven was known to Thomas Jefferson as “Indian Camp,” which he purchased for his “adoptive son” Col. William Short in 1795. The 19th century ambience of its three-story manor house remains even after 20th and 21st century additions and interior renovations. The last private owner, the late John Kluge, gave the property to the University of Virginia Foundation in 2001. Extraordinary grounds feature the formal and cutting gardens renovated by Annette Hoyt Flanders in the 1930s. Boxwood, tulips, phlox, lilacs and deutzia, among other shrubs and perennials, fill a series of distinct garden rooms. Notable trees include centuries old Osage orange, a state champion Chinese chestnut, and several mature magnolia, oak, and ash. A Kluge addition in the mid-1990s, an authentic Japanese garden, provides a serene and unique experience, and is open, weather permitting. Morven was a charter property open for the first Historic Garden Week in Virginia in 1929 and is listed on Register of Historic Places and on the Virginia Landmarks Register.

$20 pp day of sales only at Morven entrance, cash or check only.

Heavy rain cancels Morven’s tour.

The Japenese Gardens will be open, weather permitting. Any rain will close the Japanese Gardens, but Morven will remain open if it is just a light rain. Japanese Garden entry is available on a limited basis, guided tours beginning at 10:30 am and run for 30 minutes. They are capped at 15 people per tour. First come, first serve. The lasttour begins at 4:00 pm.

To verify conditions on April 20 only, call (703) 303-5445 after 7 a.m.

Morven.virginia.edu