Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc.

What Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc. does

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc. is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit children's discovery museum founded in 1996 and headquartered at 19 West Cork Street in Winchester, Virginia. The organization operates a 19,200-square-foot, four-level facility featuring 14 interactive hands-on exhibits, including Build, Discover the Valley, Moccasin Trail, Hands on Health, Playful Palette, Toddler Train, Musical Rooftop Garden, and Space Odyssey. Programming is grounded in the museum's proprietary "Play Matters" educational framework, which emphasizes physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development through self-directed and cooperative play, and is explicitly aligned to Virginia Standards of Learning. The museum draws 70,000+ visitors annually from families with young children, school groups, summer camp participants, and birthday party hosts across the Shenandoah Valley region.

The museum's revenue model is a hybrid of transactional and recurring streams: general admission at $10 per person for ages 2+ (free for under 2), annual memberships at the Explorer ($140/year, up to 4 people) and Premier ($185/year, up to 6 people) tiers that include reciprocal 50% discounts at 150+ Association of Children's Museums, multi-week STEAM-themed summer camps for PreK through Grade 5, birthday party packages, on-site museum store sales, and donations from individuals, corporations, and legacy gifts. A pre-recorded video outreach product is sold at $15 per family unit to extend learning beyond the physical site to homeschool groups and schools. Technology infrastructure is limited to Blackbaud-hosted ticketing and membership software; there is no proprietary technology stack, app, or API.

Go-to-market is event- and community-driven: visitors are acquired through the website (discoverymuseum.net), community events such as Free First Fridays sponsored by Bank of Clarke, seasonal events like the rooftop Sock Skating exhibit, summer camp registration campaigns, and direct outreach to schools and educator groups. Corporate sponsors including Bank of Clarke, Navy Federal Credit Union, F&M Bank VA, TREX, and The Winchester Group also serve on the Board of Directors, embedding financial partners in governance. Leadership includes Executive Director Dawn Devine, Director of Development and Marketing Tammy Stevenson, and Board Chair Dr. Colette Sabbagh.

Name

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc.

Legal name

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc.

Website

https://discoverymuseum.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum is a 501(c)(3) children's museum in Winchester, Virginia operating 14 interactive exhibits across 19,200 square feet, serving 70,000+ annual visitors through admissions, memberships, summer camps, school field trips, and birthday parties aligned to Virginia SOL.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Museum / Interactive Educational Attractions

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums (71211)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s Museums (THAJADAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational & Edutainment Parks (Science/Discovery/Children’s Parks) (THAJAEAG), Kids & Family Learning Workshops (Family Crafts, Junior Maker Classes) (THAJAKAO)

Keywords

• Children's museum
• Interactive exhibits
• Educational programs
• Summer camps
• Hands-on learning

Headquarters

HQ city

Winchester

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. General Admission: Visitors pay $10 per person for ages 2 and up. Children under 2 are admitted free. Tickets can be purchased in advance through the Blackbaud-hosted ticketing system.
2. Memberships: Annual memberships sold at two tiers: Premier ($185/year) for up to 6 people with reciprocal ACM discounts, and Explorer ($140/year) for up to 4 people. Additional household members can be added for $15. Membership provides admission for 12 months plus discounts on programs, camps, and parties.
3. Summer Camps: Multi-week summer camp programs for PreK-Kinder and Grades 1-5, running June through August. Camps include half-day and full-day options with add-on lunch hours. Special themed camps offered including 30th Birthday Bash All-Day Camp.
4. Birthday Parties: Birthday party packages available with member discounts on programs and facilities.
5. Donations: The museum accepts individual, corporate, and legacy gifts as a nonprofit organization. Sponsors support special events like the Sock Skating holiday exhibit.
6. Pre-Recorded Video Outreach: Virtual learning packages sold to families, homeschool groups, and schools at $15 per immediate family unit with special pricing available for schools. Includes instructional video and PDF activity materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Operates an interactive children's museum in Winchester, Virginia across four floors and 19,200 square feet featuring 14 permanent exhibitions plus rotating programs. Core offerings include general admission visits, two-tier annual memberships, STEAM-aligned summer camps for PreK through Grade 5, SOL-aligned school field trips and virtual outreach, birthday party packages, and seasonal special events such as the rooftop Sock Skating exhibit. Programming is delivered under the Play Matters educational framework focused on physical, emotional, social, and cognitive development through self-directed and cooperative play.

Product overview

Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum is a children's hands-on interactive museum offering a unified experience centered on sparking curiosity and inspiring learning through exploration and creative play. The museum operates across four floors with 19,000 square feet of interactive exhibits. Its core product portfolio includes General Admission museum access, Summer Camps (STEAM-focused programs for PreK through Grade 5), Educational Programs (field trips and outreach), Birthday Parties, Special Events (including seasonal Sock Skating), and a Membership program with Premier and Explorer tiers providing discounts and reciprocal ACM benefits. Supporting offerings include the Museum Store, Volunteer Programs, SVDM Teen Council for youth leadership development, and Counselors in Training (CIT) for teen volunteers. The museum generates revenue primarily through admission fees, membership subscriptions, camp registrations, and birthday party bookings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Museum General Admission Hands-on interactive museum experience across four floors and 14 exhibitions for children and families. Admission is $10 per person for ages 2 and up; children under 2 are free. Discounts available through Museums for All and military programs.
• Summer Camps STEAM-focused multi-week summer day camps for PreK-Kinder and Grades 1-5 with half-day and full-day options plus add-on lunch hours. Topics include inventing, nature, fiber arts, brick building, and space.
• Museum Membership (Premier and Explorer tiers) Annual subscription membership providing 12 months of admission plus discounts on programs, camps, and parties, and reciprocal admission benefits at over 150 Association of Children's Museums (Premier tier only).
• Birthday Parties Birthday party hosting packages held on-site at the museum, providing a venue that combines interactive museum experiences with private celebration space; member discounts apply.
• Educational Programs (Field Trips and Outreach) Curriculum-aligned field trips, virtual field trips, and pre-recorded video outreach packages for schools, homeschool groups, and families. Topics span engineering design, pollinators, geography, astronomy, and zoo animal studies and align with Virginia Standards of Learning.
• Special Events Seasonal and recurring special events including the rooftop Sock Skating winter experience, Free First Fridays sponsored by Bank of Clarke, Noon Year's Eve, and rotating family and adult programming.
• Sock Skating (Seasonal Rooftop Exhibit) Temporary winter exhibit on the museum rooftop offering simulated ice skating on a sock skating rink with balance practice, gross motor skill development, and a festive winter atmosphere of lights and decorations.
• Interactive Exhibits Four floors and approximately 19,000 square feet of hands-on interactive exhibits including Build, Discover the Valley, Moccasin Trail, Hands on Health, Playful Palette, Toddler Train, Musical Rooftop Garden, and Space Odyssey.
• Museum Store On-site retail store offering museum-related merchandise and gifts for visitors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70,000+ annual visitors across 14 exhibitions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Bank of ClarkecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBank of Clarke sponsors Free First Fridays, providing free family admission on the first Friday of every month from 5:00-7:00pm. This community partnership drives regular foot traffic and enhances the museum's accessibility mission.
• TREXminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTREX is a sponsor of the Sock Skating holiday experience on the museum's rooftop, supporting the seasonal winter exhibit.
• The Winchester GroupminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe Winchester Group sponsors the Sock Skating holiday experience on the museum's rooftop.
• Navy Federal Credit UnionminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNavy Federal Credit Union sponsors the Sock Skating holiday experience on the museum's rooftop. Navy Federal representatives also serve on the museum's Board of Directors.
• The Pawn Project / Shenandoah Valley Chess ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pawn Project, a K-12 initiative of the Shenandoah Valley Chess Club, partners with the museum to deliver chess camp programming. This 501(c)(3) organization teaches and promotes chess for free to young players.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Children's Museum of Indianapolis: Largest children's museum in the U.S. with extensive exhibits, membership tiers, summer camps, and ACM reciprocal access—a broader incumbent that anchors ACM reciprocal value for SVDM Premier members.
• National Children's Museum (Washington, D.C.): Larger children's museum in the Mid-Atlantic with STEAM programming, exhibits, and field-trip offerings—compares as a broader-scoped peer within the same ACM network.

Direct peers

• Please Touch Museum: Philadelphia-area children's museum with hands-on exhibits, memberships, camps, and birthday parties—directly comparable product offerings and ACM membership.
• Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose: 50,000+ sq ft children's museum with extensive exhibits, camps, memberships, and ACM reciprocal network—comparable mission and operating model at modestly larger scale.
• Marbles Kids Museum: Hands-on children's museum in Raleigh, NC combining exhibits, IMAX theatre, and summer programming—comparable mid-sized children's museum nonprofit with similar revenue mix.
• Children's Museum of Richmond: Mid-sized children's museum operating multiple locations in Virginia with hands-on exhibits, summer camps, birthday parties, and member programs—a directly comparable operating model, geography-adjacent peer.
• Port Discovery Children's Museum: Mid-Atlantic children's museum with three floors of interactive exhibits, summer camps, birthday parties, and SOL-aligned educational programming—a directly comparable scale and product mix.
• Mid-Hudson Children's Museum: Children's museum in Poughkeepsie, NY with interactive exhibits and educational programming—comparable scale and regional-museum nonprofit model.
• Children's Museum of Virginia (Hampton): Children's museum in Virginia with hands-on exhibits, educational programs, and field-trip offerings—same state, similar nonprofit children's-museum operating model.

Others

• Association of Children's Museums (ACM): Trade association representing children's museums and providing reciprocal admission network across 150+ institutions—relevant as an ecosystem partner whose membership underpins SVDM's Premier-tier value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shenandoah-valley-discovery-museum

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, Inc.