Darnall’s Chance House Museum will not be conducting historic house tours or rental appointments between November 23, 2025 – January 7 , 2026. The Museum will begin offering these services again starting January 8, 2026.
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
Join the tradition and visit the Gingerbread House Contest and Show held at Darnall’s Chance House Museum. See a dazzling display of gingerbread creations that reflect the rich history and vibrant culture of Prince George’s County, Maryland. This year’s entries will celebrate…
Ticket Price: $2/person; ages 4 and under are free
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.
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
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.
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.
Click HERE to see the complete list of rules for this year’s show.
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.
Click HERE and print the mail-in form. Mail it along with the $5 registration fee for each entry by Friday, November 7, 2025.
Renee Lakner
Diana Hugue
Patty Russell
Shaunah Cherry
Hailey Guit
Jamie Wiesner
Elizabeth Muldowney
Michelle Howell
Ruari Hosman
Abigail Hugue
Maeve Hosman
Riley Vogelsang
Violet Stallings
The Johnson Family
The Black Family
The Hugue Family
The Barrow Family
Simler & Schaerfeld Family
Nick’s Legacy
Team Overton, Fitzmaurice, Monroe & Cable
The Caudill Family
The Baden Family
The Lising Family
The Hill Family
Team Rogers-Banks-Ellerbe
Darnall’s Chance House Museum offers a variety of educational opportunities for both adult and child audiences. Click the drop downs below to read about our offerings. To
Visit Darnall’s Chance Historic Site & Museum, one of the oldest homes in Prince George’s County completed in 1742 for a tobacco merchant. Explore colonial life and examine the lives of the Enslaved who fought for their freedom. Meet the Bentley women and hear the story of their resistance to enslavement by filing FREEDOM SUITS in the local courts. Their multi-generational fight for freedom is a testament to their resilience.
Students will:
Darnall’s Chance Historic Site & Museum offers both onsite and in-classroom learning opportunities.
School programs are available Tuesdays – Thursdays, from 10am – 2pm.
Group minimum:10 students.
FEE: $2 per student, Chaperones FREE
Please fill out the online reservation form to schedule a field trip.
Contact us at darnallschance@pgparks.com for a FREE lesson plan that reviews the concepts and materials offered during our in-person house tour and program. The lesson plan is suitable for grades 4–8. Let us help you bring local history to life in your classroom.
For more information or to schedule a program, please fill out the Field Trip Application form. You can also call 301-952-8010 or email darnallschance@pgparks.com to speak with an education specialist.
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.
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.
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.
Stay in touch for the latest news on events, programs, and activities!
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.
