If you’re a horror movie fan, you’ve seen “The Silence of the Lambs.” But did you know that there’s a filming location from the movie right in your backyard? For the first time ever, Buffalo Bill’s House in Perryopolis is open to the public as a boutique accommodation and cinematic destination. Your reservation in the 111-year-old Queen Anne Victorian house gives you exclusive access to the entire property, making it a private, immersive experience.

The new owner of the house, Chris Rowan, came across an article about the house being for sale and had what he describes as a lightbulb moment. As a horror fan and art director by trade, he knew that he had the passion, knowledge, and experience to turn the house into a filming location like no other.

Despite there only being 15 to 20 minutes of footage at the house featured in the movie, the cast and crew spent more than 7 weeks filming in Buffalo Bill’s House during the winter of 1990. The climax and some of the most iconic lines of the movie were filmed in this house, and Chris has made every effort to make sure that you can recreate all of those moments in Buffalo Bill’s House during your stay. On the coffee table, you’ll find a guidebook full of still shots from the movie and where that was filmed in the house, so you don’t miss a single photo op. For example, the school bus across the street that was never moved after filming or the drawer that Buffalo Bill rummaged through for business cards.

While decorating, Chris treated the house as a movie set in order to devise a concept. As a result, the house’s décor doubles as an art gallery, with pieces of art everywhere, many donated by Silence fans all over the world. The collection includes three mounted and framed Death’s-head hawkmoths, the most recognizable item from “The Silence of the Lambs.” Among the decorations are two actual props from filming: two scraps of wallpaper used on set, which the owners at the time of filming saved.

“It feels really good to know that something I’m doing means so much to so many people. And that’s so important because I get to share this experience and my artistic vision with the same community I’ve been a part of my entire life.”

Buffalo Bill’s Workshop of Horrors

After you get a good video of you nervously and sneakily walking down the stairs as Jodie Foster did, you’ll enter the basement aka the Workshop of Horrors. This is your opportunity to fully embody Buffalo Bill. Sit at an original Singer sewing machine in the nude, chat with the mannequins, put on some makeup, grab the silk robe (provided for guests’ use), and dance to “Goodbye Horses.”

While there isn’t a well in the basement (that scene was actually filmed in a warehouse in Monroeville), Chris has plans to fabricate one in the basement of Buffalo Bill’s House. The resin fiberglass structure will create a forced perspective that will simulate something similar to the well from the movie. Of course, there will be props including a bucket on a pulley with, you guessed it, lotion.

Buffalo Bill’s Playhouse

On the third floor, Buffalo Bill’s Playhouse is a vintage recreation and game room featuring six arcade games, a billiard/air hockey table, a TV, and an expansive movie collection. Along with an original “The Silence of the Lambs” theatre poster from 1991, you’ll find nods to other horror films peppered throughout the playhouse. Hanging on the walls are keepsakes from filming, including personal notes from both Jodie Foster and Jonathan Demme, a call sheet from Valentine’s Day 1990, and the production team’s blueprint of the Buffalo Bill’s House plan.

Living Quarters

Upstairs you’ll find four bedrooms, and each is named after a character in the movie: Buffalo Bill (king), Clarice (queen), Hannibal Lecter (queen), and Precious (two single). Just like the downstairs, the second floor is decorated with period-correct furniture and tasteful Silence accents. When you stay at Buffalo Bill’s House, you’ll receive a few complimentary items, including a travel-size bottle of Buffalo Bill’s House’s signature Skin Suit Soft lotion. Full-sized bottles of the lotion, along with branded shirts and face masks are available for purchase at checkout when reserving your stay!

The property offers so much more outside, including a gazebo, koi pond, pergola with a barbecue grill, a fire pit, an in-ground pool, and more! Chris has long-term plans for the garage and train conductor car on the property, but we won’t give that secret away just yet. In the future, Buffalo Bill’s House also hopes to offer limited guided tours, Hannibal-inspired dinner parties, celebrity engagements, and more. With many other horror film locations in the region, Buffalo Bill’s House is the perfect place for horror film buffs to spend the night after a day of touring. Check something off of your horror fan bucket list and book your getaway today!

Learn more about Buffalo Bill’s House on their website, Facebook and Instagram.

From Shakespeare performances to giant metal sculptures to delicate glass art, Staunton offers its residents and visitors a wealth of artistic experiences.  Make sure you help keep the arts and culture scene alive and thriving in Staunton. You’ll also enrich your life!

American Shakespeare Center

Staunton’s most famous contributor to the arts and culture scene is American Shakespeare Center’s Blackfriars Playhouse. Not only does the playhouse perform Shakespeare’s masterpieces (and more), it also lets you get a sense of how the plays were actually performed in the space. Visitors to the Blackfriars can attend performances that include scholarly lectures or talk sessions with the actors. They can take behind-the-scenes tours of the space and sign their kids up for camps. During the pandemic, the Blackfriars shifted gears and offered performances in alternative spaces, including outdoors on the lawn at the Blackburn Inn. The Blackfriars also filmed seven productions to air digitally on BLKFRSTV. Camps still educated young people, but they were virtual. The ASC SafeStart program will bring “safe, live theatre to audiences online, outdoors, and inside in our beloved Blackfriars Playhouse.”

Staunton Augusta Art Center

Located in the R.R. Smith Center for History and Art, the two galleries at the Staunton Augusta Art Center host regular shows of work by regional artists. With the beautiful, historic hotel building designed by T.J. Collins in 1893 as a background, the curated exhibits will inspire you. Original work is available for sale in the gift shop as well as the annual Art for Gifts sale each winter holiday season. The SAArtC also hosts the annual, juried Art in the Park Festival. Enjoy a day in Gypsy Hill Park exploring the vendor’s open-air displays while live music happens on the bandstand, and kids take advantage of a number of free activities. The art center runs workshops and summer camps for children. There’s a community arts calendar on their webpage that gives you a centralized schedule of all the upcoming arts happenings in the area.

CoArt Gallery & Beverley Street Studio School

After you contemplate paintings, photographs, and more by local artists at the CoArt Gallery, you should buy your favorites to take home and display on your own walls. Serious art students can sign up for a class with the Beverley Street Studio School. Lectures, workshops, and classes for teens and adults are held in a variety of forms including in-person, Zoom, and outdoors. Love nature? Sign up for plein air painting this June or a course devoted to drawing trees.

Staunton Music Festival

The Staunton Music Festival presents nearly 40 concerts each year, featuring more than 80 acclaimed professionals from around the world. The highlight of each season is the annual Summer Festival in August, a time when each day offers visitors multiple concerts of chamber, vocal, and symphonic music. During the Spring and Fall, SMF presents more intimate concerts often focusing on specific repertoire, from Baroque to Modern.

Heifetz International Music Institute

The Heifetz International Music Institute educates young musicians in their artistic growth and treats the community to a variety of world-class listening opportunities. After a year of online programming and virtual concerts during Covid, Heifetz will perform live music again as part of its Ensemble in Residence concert series.

Sunspots Studio & Glassblowing

You don’t have a Sunspots glass ornament hanging in your window or on your Christmas tree yet? Don’t worry. Not only can you purchase glass art, glassware, vases, and jewelry at Sunspots Studios & Glassblowing, you can make yourself comfortable in the onsite studio and watch the artists making the art. The live demonstrations happen every day, and the artists will explain what they’re doing in each step of the blowing, coloring, and shaping process. Once the glass cools, you can come back and take it home with you!

Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Artmobile travels around Virginia carrying selections from the VMFA collection to share with visitors. As visitors view the art, they’ll actually be connected with museum educators via Wi-Fi, so they can get a real-time lesson!  If you miss your chance to see the artmobile in Staunton, you can catch it at Waynesboro’s Fall Foliage Art Show.

Murals

Make time to walk down West Beverley to the corner of North Central Avenue to visit the “You Belong Here” mural. Painted in 2019, by Charlottesville artist Christy Baker, this colorful painting covers the entire side of a building with its welcoming message and Shenandoah Valley imagery of cardinals and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Nearby Waynesboro also boasts murals along its Street Arts Trail. More than a dozen interesting and beautiful works have been created during the annual Street Arts Festival.

Giant Metal Sculptures

You can’t miss the giant watering can as you turn under the railroad tracks and head into Staunton’s downtown, but did you know you can find more giant metal sculptures if you know where to look? Ferguson Metal Fabrication created carbon steel flower pots, nuts, books, eyeglasses, crutches, and shoes for the city and area businesses, and they bring a surprising touch of whimsy to the urban landscape.

Oak Grove Theatre and ShenanArts

Staunton is home to two community theaters that, in normal years, offer robust schedules and a chance to enjoy lots of local talent. Oak Grove continues to offer virtual programming and hopes to resume some of its outdoor productions this summer for its 68th season. Each year ShenanArts produces an ambitious schedule of plays and musicals by and for participants of all ages, always striving for material that appeals to the broad tastes of the community, to promote a culture of excellence and inclusion.

Shops Offering Handmade and Fair Trade Crafts

The Potter’s Daughter Studio is home to both a pottery and painting studio and Concepts Creative constructs custom furniture out of reclaimed wood and other materials.

If you’re looking for handmade and fair trade crafts, clothing, art, and jewelry by both domestic and foreign artists, make sure to visit Harmony Moon, Latitudes, Blair Made, and Made; By the People, For the People. The Sparrow’s Nest and Medieval Fantasies both carry cool, handmade products.

We’ve rounded up Staunton-area bucket list ideas to brighten up your year. Read on to live your best life.

Walk Under a Mountain

The 2.25-mile Claudius Crozet Blue Ridge Tunnel trail has just opened for foot and bike traffic. At just under a mile, the tunnel was the longest railroad tunnel in North America when it was completed in 1858. Part spooky, part history lesson, part invigorating and just plain dark, the tunnel stays a temperate 50 degrees, so it’s a good way to get outside even on the hottest and coldest days. Make sure you bring your strongest flashlight and look for subterranean creatures like crawfish and salamanders.

Complete Your Beerwerks Passport

Need some motivation to get more beer in your life? Grab a Shenandoah Valley Beerwerks passport and taste your way through the best craft beer the Shenandoah Valley has to offer. Many breweries are located in Rockingham, Augusta, and Lexington/Rockbridge Counties, making Staunton an enviable jumping off point. You’ll enjoy taproom vibes that range from homey, to cool industrial, to alfresco with bucolic views. Get your passport stamped at 8 breweries and earn yourself a free t-shirt!

Enjoy a Spa Day

Feeling stressed and ready for some major relaxation? This is the time to book a spa day at the new spa at the Blackburn Inn. Choose from massage, skincare treatments, nail treatments, or go crazy and indulge in all of the above! Want to pamper yourself even more? Buy yourself a cute new outfit at Design@9 or the Fashion Gallery, where you can browse 25,000 square feet of high quality clothes, shoes, and accessories.

Better Yourself by Learning Something New

Beverley Street Studio School offers “year-round, non-degree, college-level art classes to the serious art student.” The public can register for classes, lectures, and workshops that are being delivered via Zoom as well as in person. Spring offerings include watercolor, art as exploration, and more. If you’re not ready to take a class just yet, get inspired by their gallery, which shares space with Co-Art Gallery at 22 W. Beverley Street. If you’d rather learn a skill that keeps you outside and active. Sign up for some private golf lessons or instructional clinics with the golf pro at Gypsy Hill Golf Club.

Kayak Through a Whitewater Gorge

Does racing whitewater make your heart thrill? Rack your kayak and head to Goshen Pass for six miles of powerful class II, class III, and class IV rapids. The gorge was created as the Maury River cut through Little North Mountain and the water that courses through is considered some of the best whitewater for intermediate paddlers in Virginia.

Take that Hot Air Balloon Ride You’ve Always Promised Her

Picture gliding smoothly through the air, gazing down as the Valley spreads out like a map below you. Enjoy the sunrise or sunset with up to three of your favorite people. Bridgewater’s Star Ballooning takes photos, provides champagne toasts, and can even arrange a special proposal flight, should the mood strike you.

Spend the Night in Lodgings with a History

Much of Staunton’s downtown dates from the Victorian Era, and there are several places to rest your head that date back 100 years or more. Travelers can choose between Hotel 24 South, which was where society ladies went to drink their tea in the early 1900s, or historic homes that have been re-envisioned as B&Bs. Travelers will also enjoy the luxurious Blackburn Inn, which has an institutional past, but is now an updated inn and spa, or Gibson’s Warehouse, which started its life as a warehouse that stored goods as they came off the train, but is now modern suites.

Go on a Wildlife Safari

You don’t have to travel to Africa to take your kids on safari. Virginia’s only drive-thru safari, Virginia Safari Park, is just a short drive down the highway in Natural Bridge. The 180-acre property includes three miles of gravel road through animal habitat. You can drive with your windows down and the animals will stick their heads into your car for feed. There’s also a walk-through section where you can see giraffes, tigers, penguins, birds, and farm animals. If you’re looking for an even rarer experience, sign up to spend a Saturday with a pair of cheetahs, penguins, or sloths and their handlers. You’ll learn how the animal-care specialists feed and interact with them.

Eat an Entire Cake…or Quiche…or Pie all by Yourself

You know you’ve always wanted to do it. Take that first delicious bite and keep on eating until it’s gone. Well, maybe you are capable of restraint, but you won’t want to after you taste a cake from Giancarlo Fine European Pastry. This tiny shop is tucked away, but once you discover it, you’ll return again and again for cakes, chocolates and tarts. Check Facebook for a taste of what’s available. Réunion Bakery & Espresso serves pastries, breads, and if you’re lucky, quiche. You can check out what they’re baking on Facebook and order at the window. And if pie is your weakness, Firkin Pie Company has something in the oven right now that will make you swoon.

Pretend to Be in a Movie

Parts of several major motion pictures were shot in Staunton! Step one is to watch the movie and try to spot Staunton. Watch the Civil War come to life in Gods and Generals or Wicked Spring. Get spooked on Sears Hill after watching Hearts in Atlantis or giggle along with Evan Almighty. Step two is to head to the location and snap your selfie there.  Explore the area while you’re there!

The trees are turning colors and the leaves are slowly falling. Fall is here! That means it is now perfectly acceptable to wear sweaters and eat and drink everything pumpkin flavored, right? We know that fall brings a ton of festivals, events, activities, and views, and we don’t want you to miss a thing. Start your fall checklist today!

Complete the Limited Time Laurel Highlands Pour Tour Passport: Boos & Brews!

If you’re a fan of fall-themed beverages, the Laurel Highlands Pour Tour launched an exclusive fall tour right up your alley: Boos & Brews! The tour runs until Nov. 30, so get sippin’! Download the free Laurel Highlands Pour Tour app and check-in at 18 of our 40+ locations, and we’ll mail you an exclusive Boos & Brews t-shirt!

Visit Frightening Haunted Attractions

The Laurel Highlands is a prime spot for hair-raising Halloween horror. At Haunted Hollow, take a haunted hayride to the Toxic Wasteland, make your way through the Milford Asylum and try to find your way out of the escape room. Try and survive a trip to Crawford School of Terror, where the only lesson on the curriculum is FEAR. Cap off your haunted experience with a spooky night’s stay at the Grand Midway Hotel, whose roof is one giant Ouija Board.

Or Celebrate a Family-Friendly Halloween

Do not fret, there are family-friendly alternatives to the scary Halloween activities! Plan a day at Maple Bottom Farm and navigate through the corn maze, go on a hayride, and watch a movie on the barn. Put on your Halloween costume and spend a Night at the Zoo at Living Treasures Wild Animal Park, where you’ll see more than 50 active nocturnal animals along torchlit paths. And don’t forget to stop at Idlewild‘s Hallowboo! for trick-or-treating through Storybook Forest!

Visit Frank Lloyd Wright‘s Masterpieces

Four of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs stand in the Laurel Highlands, and the fall is the perfect season to see them thanks to the beautiful foliage! Check something off of your bucket list and reserve a tour of Fallingwater. Less than ten miles away, you can visit the mountain home, Kentuck Knob, which features an art collection and sculpture garden. Planning on staying in the Laurel Highlands? There are two Frank Lloyd Wright houses open for overnight stays in the region: Duncan House and Mäntylä, both onsite at Polymath Park.

Discover the Wonders of the Laurel Highlands

If you’re about that outdoors life, the Laurel Highlands is the place for you. There are more than 700 miles of hiking and biking trails in the Laurel Highlands. From the Great Allegheny Passage to the Meadow Run Trail in Ohiopyle State Park, you’re guaranteed to find a trail that is your pace.

Stay at Buffalo Bill’s House from The Silence of the Lambs

If you’re a horror movie fan, you’ve seen “The Silence of the Lambs.” But did you know that there’s a filming location from the movie right in your backyard? For the first time ever, Buffalo Bill’s House in Perryopolis is open to the public as a boutique accommodation and cinematic destination. Perfect for spooky season!

Be sure to use #LaurelHighlands when you post photos from your fall adventures to be featured on social media, on our website, and more!