by The Hermitage Museum and Gardens are located in Norfolk, Virgina, on 12 acres nestled along the Lafayette River. The site includes formal gardens, natural woodlands, an impressive art collection, and an absolutely amazing Arts and Crafts style house built in the Tudor style.
William and Florence Sloane came to the area to operate their textile mills, and the original construction at the site was a five-room summer home. It quickly became their primary residence, with more rooms added on over the years, until there were 42 rooms by 1936! The rooms are in the Tudor and Gothic styles, giving the house a centuries-old feel.
The wealthy Sloanes were very interested in art – so much so that they were instrumental in the founding of what is now the Chrysler Museum of Art (which we also visited).
Primarily thanks to Mrs. Sloane, they also amassed an incredible personal collection of more than 5,000 objects that spans 5,000 years of history from more than 30 countries.
The Sloanes created a non-profit in 1937, and donated the house and its contents to it. It opened as a public museum in 1942, though family members continued to live in the house until the 1970s. Today, visitors can explore the interesting architectural elements of the house, along with all of the artworks on display inside, and then take in the lakeside gardens and grounds, all the while feeling transported to a different place and time.
