Update:

Christmas opening hours: the American Museum & Gardens is open until 31 December, except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, when the site is closed. On Friday 27 December, the exhibition will be closed from 1pm. Enjoy your festive visit!

Groups

Group Visits

We welcome group visits to the American Museum & Gardens with discounted admission available for groups of 10 people or more.

Groups have the option of choosing between our full admission ticket or our Gardens, American Garden Deli and Gift Shop only admission ticket. The full admission ticket allows entry to the entire site including the Museum (located in the Manor House), Special exhibitions, Gardens, American Garden Deli and Gift Shop.

For ticket prices, please select the drop down for Admission prices below. The Group Organizer and/or Coach Driver are entitled to free entry.

A member of staff will meet the group on arrival and payment can be made easily by the Group Organizer on the day. We accept cash, credit/debit card or cheque. Alternatively, we are happy to process an invoice after the visit if provided with name and address details for invoicing.

Museum, Exhibition, Gardens, Café and Gift Shop Group rate
Adult £13.50
Child (5–17 years) £7.20
Gardens, Café and Gift Shop only Group rate
Adult £8.10
Child (5–17 years) £5.40

Current Offers on Admission

Please note the discounts we offer on our normal admission prices are not applicable to the group rate prices.

 

 

Activities for Groups

We offer a range of additional activities for groups, which are listed here. All activities, coaches, and group visits of 10 people or more must be booked in advance. Please use the form at the bottom of this page to book your visit. If you have any questions, contact us via email at [email protected] or by telephone on +44 (0)1225 460503.

 

Garden Tours

Our tours explore the garden’s main components;

• Our recently planted New American Garden.

• The Mount Vernon Garden, a reconstruction of part of George Washington’s garden in Virginia, created when the museum opened in the 1960s.

• The Arboretum, originally planted at Claverton in the 19th century.

• The original Italianate Garden designed by a Victorian owner of Claverton Manor, hidden below the Mount Vernon garden.

Garden tours tell the story of these stages in the evolution of our gardens. Tours last up to one hour with a maximum group size of 10 people. The tours are led by knowledgeable members of our volunteer teams. Tours are subject to availability and cost £5.50 per person, plus group admission, and must be booked in advance.

 

Museum Tours

We are able to offer guided Tours of the Museum collection outside of normal opening hours, subject to availability, and at a cost of £5.50 per person plus group admission. Tours last a little over 1 hour and are limited to a maximum of 10 people per tour, so larger groups will be divided into smaller tour groups with staggered start times. All tours must start before 10:45am or after 3pm and must be booked in advance.

 

Textile Tour

The American Museum houses a world-famous collection of textiles, embroideries, weavings, prints, including a collection of over 200 historic quilts and rugs. If your group has a particular interest in cloth, then this specialized tour will be just the thing. Conducted by a knowledgeable member of our volunteer team, you will learn about a wide variety of pieces in our period rooms, including fabrics, construction and social history. The tour lasts approximately 1 hour. Maximum group size is 10 people, but larger groups can be accommodated in back to back tours. All tours are subject to availability, at a cost of £5.50 per person plus group admission, and must be booked in advance.

 

Painting in America Tour

Before the Second World War American fine art followed European styles. We have good examples of such early American paintings in our period rooms. We also have an excellent collection of American folk art paintings made by decorative craftsmen turning their hands to portrait or landscape work. These artists were talented exponents of ‘limning’ taking likenesses quickly, making them cheap enough for ordinary people to afford. While this tradition originated in Europe, in the nineteenth century it was unique to America.

Tours last up to one hour with a maximum group size of 10 people, though we can accommodate larger groups in back to back tours. The tours are led by knowledgeable members of our volunteer teams. Tours are subject to availability and cost £5.50 per person plus group admission, and must be booked in advance.

 

Audio-Descriptive Tours

We also welcome groups who are blind or partially sighted. Specialised tours are arranged which last approximately 1½ hours. These include a dedicated guide and a selection of handling objects which enhance the descriptive tour. Wheelchairs can be accommodated. Maximum group size is 6 people, usually 3 blind or partially-sighted people and their helpers.

 

Collections up close: Curious about Quilts

We are also able to offer our Curious about Quilts sessions for those interested in an opportunity to view up close some of our quilts not on display and learn more about the history of quilt making in America. These sessions can be booked during normal opening hours, are subject to availability, and at a cost of £5.50 per person plus group admission. Sessions last approximately 1 hour and are limited to a maximum of 15 people per session, although larger groups can be accommodated with multiple sessions (allowing for approximately 1 between sessions for reset). All Curious about Quilts sessions must be booked in advance.

 

Unable to visit us?

We offer a limited number a year of off-site talks where we can come to you. Off-site talks are subject to availability between March and September and need to be within 15 miles of the American Museum & Gardens. For locations outside of 15 miles, we may be able to offer an online session if that is of interest. Please email [email protected] for more information.

Groups

  • e.g. Claverton Gardening Club
  • e.g. John Smith
  • We will check that we can accommodate the group on the day of your choosing and confirm as soon as possible.
  • Please remember to check our opening, closing and last entry times.
    We usually ask that everyone in the group purchases the same ticket option. If you are unsure, we recommend choosing the full museum ticket.
    These are optional extras which are subject to availability. Group sizes vary but we ask that at least 5 people sign up for each activity you choose. You do not need to choose any activities if they are not of interest.
  • This helps us plan any extra activities you may be interested in. Please remember to check our opening, closing and last entry times.