Kids will look at the history of foraging in the 18th and 19th century and
Darnall's Chance House Museum
14800 Governor Oden Bowie Drive
Upper Marlboro, MD
Tel: 301-952-8010
Email: darnallschance@pgparks.com
Hours:
Office : Mon-Fri, 10 am-4 pm
Tours : Fri & Sun, 12 noon & 2 pm
Tue-Thu by appointment : 10 am-3 pm
<strong>Events & Programs</strong>
Upcoming Programs
Sweet Resistance: Hot Chocolate in Colonial Maryland
Join Darnall’s Chance to dive into the history of chocolate in Colonial Mar
<strong>Visit</strong>
Come to Darnall’s Chance House Museum and travel back in time to the 18th century. Step inside and take a tour of Lettice Lee’s home to learn about what life was like for the colonial women who lived here. Discover how Darnall’s Chance keeps history alive through innovative, interactive, and engaging programs and special events. Darnall’s Chance House Museum is open year-round and offers visitors a variety of things to do.
Admission & Tour Times
Admission:
- Adults: $5/person
- Seniors & Groups: $4/person
- Ages five to 18: $2/person
- Ages four & under: Free
- Groups of ten or more must call ahead to make an appointment. Group discounts may apply.
Guided Tours:
- Tuesday-Thursday (by appointment only): 10 am-3 pm (last tour 2:15 PM)
- Saturday: Special events
- Friday & Sunday: 12 noon and 2 pm
Guidelines:
- Photography is allowed in the museum.
- Food and drink are not permitted inside the museum.
- All children must have adult supervision while at the museum.
- Pets are not permitted inside the museum. Service animals are welcome with proper identification.
Accessibility
- Mobility-challenged visitors can visit the period rooms in Darnall’s Chance House Museum on the first floor only.
- Photos of all the other interpreted spaces are available upon request.
- An ADA ramp located on the side of the museum is available for visitors who cannot enter the museum from the front steps. Please call the museum when you arrive so a staff member can open this door.
- The first floor of the historic house is completely wheelchair accessible.
Features
- 18th-century Georgian architecture
- 18th-century underground brick burial vault
- Kitchen Garden
- Site is on the War of 1812 Star-Spangled Banner National Historic Trail
- Site is on the National Underground Network to Freedom Trail
Gift Shop Hours
- Friday & Sunday: 12 noon-4 pm
- Call ahead of time during office hours for additional times 301-952-8010
Stay in Touch
Stay in touch for the latest news on events, programs, and activities!
<strong>Educational Programs</strong>
Darnall’s Chance House Museum offers a variety of educational opportunities for both adult and child audiences.
Home School Programs
For more information or to schedule a program, please call 301-952-8010 or email darnallschance@pgparks.com.
School Programs and Resources
For more information or to schedule a program, please call 301-952-8010 or email darnallschance@pgparks.com.
Girl Scout Programs
Making Games Badge
Step back in time and experience life as a child in the 18th century. Learn how kids used their imaginations to create games and have fun. Participate in a scavenger hunt to find mystery items from the past. Make and take home a period toy that will entertain for hours. Fulfills requirements for the Brownie Journey Making Games Badge.
- Fees: $7 per scout
- Eight scouts minimum
- One FREE chaperone, additional chaperones are charged $2/person.
Playing Past the Badge
Explore 18th-century Upper Marlborough as a thriving port town with ships navigating the Patuxent River and delivering goods to shops on Water Street. If you lived in this time, would you have been a butcher, a baker, or candlestick maker? Pick a trade, dress the part, and see if others can guess the role you play in this colonial town. Scouts will make and take home a tin punch ornament. A short tour of the Museum included. Fulfills requirements for Junior Journey Playing in the Past Badge.
- Fees: $7 per scout
- Eight scout minimum
- One FREE chaperone, additional chaperones are charged $2/person.
<strong>Gingerbread Contest & Show</strong>
Gingerbread House Contest & Show
Darnall’s Chance House Museum’s annual Gingerbread House Contest & Show celebrates the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. Entries must creatively reflect local landmarks, architecture, stories, and traditions that showcase the unique heritage of Prince George’s County. Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from the county’s historic sites, cultural icons, historical events, and community narratives to bring their gingerbread creations to life.
Contest Categories 2025
Adult Division: Individual adult, age 17 years & up
Child Division: Individual child, age 8-16 years
Family Division: Group of 3-7 individuals of any age
Prizes Awarded for Each Category 2025
1st Place – $100 Gift Card
2nd Place – $ 75 Gift Card
3rd Place – $ 50 Gift Card
In addition to gift cards, ribbons will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners in each category.
Viewer’s Choice Awards 2025
All entries are eligible for the Viewers’ Choice Awards, where public votes determine one winner in each of the three categories. Each winning entry will receive $300.
Rules for 2025
Click HERE to see the complete list of rules for this year’s show.
Registration
To register online:
Click HERE to register online or go online to pgparksdirect.com and search keyword GINGERBREAD or with Ticket #DCHM-SPEC-GA-2025. Registration fee is $5/entry. Deadline to register is Friday, November 7, 2025.
To register via mail-in form:
Click HERE and print the mail-in form. Mail it along with the $5 registration fee for each entry by Friday, November 7, 2025.
2024 Gingerbread House Contest & Show Winners
2024 Viewer’s Choice Award Winners
Adult Winner
Christmas Lights the Way
Family Winner
Tiny Dancers’ Academy
Child Winner
Tangled Christmas
2024 Gingerbread House Committee Selected Winners
Adult Category Winners
1st Place
Meowy Christmas
2nd Place
Christmas Lights the Way
3rd Place
The Polar Express
Family Category Winners
1st Place
Tiny Dancers’ Academy
2nd Place
A Ghostbuster’s Christmas
3rd Place
A Snoopy Christmas
Child Category Winners
1st Place
Tangled Christmas
2nd Place
Little House in the Big Woods
3rd Place
Clark’s Fun Old Fashioned Family Fun
2024 Adult Entries
Entry #1
Christmas Lights the Way
Renee Lakner
Entry #2
Visions of Gingerbread
Diana Hugue
Entry #3
Gearing up for the Anniversary
Patty Russell
Entry #4
Chesapeake in a Crab Tree
Shaunah Cherry
Entry #5
The Polar Express
Hailey Guit
Entry #6
Meowy Christmas
Jamie Wiesner
Entry #7
Santa’s Visit to Drum Point Lighthouse
Elizabeth Muldowney
Entry #8
Santa’s Homestead Christmas
Michelle Howell
2024 Child Entries (Ages 8-16)
Entry #1
Mountain Waterfall
Ruari Hosman
Entry #2
Clark’s Fun Old-Fashioned Family Christmas
Abigail Hugue
Entry #3
Little House in the Big Woods
Maeve Hosman
Entry #4
Christmas House
Riley Vogelsang
Entry #5
Tangled Christmas
Violet Stallings
2024 Family Entries
Entry #1
Blizzardland
The Johnson Family
Entry #2
Wicked
The Black Family
Entry #3
Life is Sweeter
The Hugue Family
Entry #4
Barbie’s Earthquake
The Barrow Family
Entry #5
Rapunzel and the Bean Stalk
Simler & Schaerfeld Family
Entry #6
Tiny Dancers Academy
Nick’s Legacy
Entry #7
Darnall’s Chance
Team Overton, Fitzmaurice, Monroe & Cable
Entry #8
Redwall Abbey
The Caudill Family
Entry #9
Winter in the Forest
The Baden Family
Entry #10
Bunny Family’s Carrot House
The Lising Family
Entry #11
A Snoopy Christmas
The Hill Family
Entry #12
A Ghostbuster Christmas
Team Rogers-Banks-Ellerbe
<strong>Rentals</strong>
Darnall’s Chance House Museum offers a lighted patio tent that provides a beautiful setting for elegant parties, corporate functions, and other special events. The 30’ x 60’ tent seats 125 people comfortably and is large enough to accommodate a dance floor, buffet tables, bar, and a band. The tent also comes equipped with sidewalls in the case of inclement weather.
View a sample layout of the Lighted Patio Rental Tent.
