Glenstone

   Glenstone is a private art museum, funded by billionaire businessman Mitchell Rales who created it as a philanthropic project after a near death experience. The museum is more than the works of art displayed in the buildings. It’s the buildings themselves, the setting of the buildings, the meadows and the wood and the paths the wind through them, and the art that is located along the paths. Photography is not permitted in the galleries.

 

  Admission is free but you can’t just show up and get in. Only a certain number of visitors are admitted each day and the entry slots fill fast.  My sister, whom we were visiting in Washington DC, checked several times a day for cancellations and grabbed a couple of slots as soon as they became available. Thanks Gail!

  Accessibility is a mixed bag. There are three parking lots, all surfaced with loose gravel. None have bus or RV spots. When we arrived a parking attendant directed us to the edge of one of the upper lots even after we asked for accessible parking. It was very difficult to push through the gravel however it is possible to be dropped off at the paved pathway to the museum. The pathway is 1/3 mile long and has a gentle uphill slope. A  cart may be requested for a ride up the hill. I don’t know if it is wheelchair accessible.

  The museum galleries are accessible except for Room 5 which features a sculpture by Michael Heizer. The sculpture is an arrangement of 15 steel beams positioned in a 16-foot-hole in the ground, surrounded by gravel. Museum docents guard against visitors falling in the hole. Only three people can go in the room at one time so a line forms. Nowhere is there an indication that wheelchairs are not permitted and we waited in line only to be turned away when we got to the head of the line. Fortunately we did not wait long.

  The path to the galleries is paved. The Woodland Trail is not paved but surfaced with hard packed gravel. It goes steeply down hill to a beautiful wooded area with a stream and a boardwalk. I thought it would start to gradually go back up the hill at the other end but instead there are steps which are not marked on the map in the museum brochure. Do not go on this trail unless you have a very energetic assistant. Museum   39.06262, -77.25352