Ticket sales and services for performances in the park are the responsibility of the park's non-profit partner, Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts. The Filene Center Box Office is traditionally open March through September.
When you listen to the music, walk the trails, and enjoy the atmosphere of Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, take a moment to appreciate Mrs. Catherine Filene Shouse, for her generous philanthropic gift that helped create the park.<br />Inscriptions<br />CATHERINE FILENE SHOUSE <br />FOUNDER<br />WOLF TRAP FARM PARK <br />Presented by her friends<br />1974<br />Sculptor Elaine Pear Cohen
A composers cottage was built south-east of the Filene Center. The cottage was envisioned by Mrs. Shouse to be a place where artists could create music and other performing arts as they spent time being immersed and inspired by their surroundings. However, the cottage was lost to a fire in 1979 and was never rebuilt.
This small plot gets us back to our roots when Mrs. Shouse had a small kitchen garden and shows how anyone with a little bit of land, watering and care can have their own locally grown food. Wolf Trap supports environmentally sound and local gardening practices.
The Encore Circle Lounge adjacent to the Filene Center is a facility operated by the park's non-profit partner where its members and special guests can relax and enjoy refreshments before and after Filene Center performances.
The Farmhouse bell is rung before the show and at the end of intermissions to alert visitors that the show is about to start. This farm bell was hand forged in 1860 and was a gift to the park in 1971 by Mr. and Mrs. Francis Greene of Warrenton, VA.
The Filene Center is the primary performance venue at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. This iconic, open-air amphitheater theater includes the covered seating area which can accommodate up to 3,868 persons. The original Filene Center opened in 1971, but was destroyed by a fire in 1982. This structure re-opened for the 1984 performance season.
In 2012, park staff converted the maintained grass turf (approximately one acre) at the "dimple" near the Filene Center's main gate into a garden meadow of native plants. The main goal of the project was to "demonstrate that Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is serious about natural resource management and was willing to take bold steps to show that it was prepared to be a leader in the community as well as the National Park Service." This meadow of native plant
This is the main entrance to the Filene Center and is for authorized personnel only. It is also the starting point for backstage tours, which are offered in the off-season.
While Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is primarily known for its live performances during the summer, the park is open to the public year-round. Backstage tours and other interpretive programs are offered throughout the off-season. The park is an excellent location for picnicking and quiet reflection, as well as hiking on over 2 miles of scenic hiking trails.
The Ovations Restaurant offers picnics and dinner reservations starting 2.5 hours prior to Filene Center performances. Ovations Restaurant is only open on Filene Center performance nights.
Before it became the only National Park for the Performing Arts, this area was once known as Wolf Trap Farm. The farm and land were purchased by Catherine Filene Shouse in 1930. Catherine and her husband Jouet made this into their family's country home, retreat, and a working farm and it now serves as the administrative headquarters for park staff.
Picnic tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis and are available throughout the park, and most tables are located in partly-shaded areas.
Tucked in the woods at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts is Theatre-in-the-Woods, which has been a summer tradition for generations of children and families. Performances run from late June to early August and range from music and dance to storytelling and puppetry.
The Meadow Kiosk serves as the Theatre-in-the-Woods Box Office and information area during shows late June to early August. It is also the starting point for summer Junior Ranger Days and is next to the trailhead for the Track Trail.
Fairfax Connector provides service to most Filene Center shows from the Metro. Bus service is not available for performances at The Barns at Wolf Trap, Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods, Summer Blast Off, or the Holiday Sing-A-Long at the Filene Center.
In 1739 "Wolf Trap" appeared on an official survey as a branch of Difficult <br /> Run. Wolves were trapped in this area of Virginia during the early colonial period<br /> in an effort to eradicate the animals that were threatening livestock. Wolves are<br /> no longer found in northern Virginia. When Mrs. Shouse bought the farm, she<br /> adopted the creek's name for her entire property.
This woodland shade garden is a Demonstration of a garden landscape using a variety of plants native to the area. Like the dimple native meadow garden, this garden also supports a diversity of insects, birds and other animals. Park staff are supported in the maintenance of the garden by many volunteers Master Gardeners.
