The only thing at The Westmoreland Museum of American Art that costs money this season is the ticket to its two photography shows. It's $10 for adults and $5 for kids ages 4 to 17. Starting Friday, Nov. 13, that ticket goes away every Friday from 5 to 8 p.m., and those are also the only hours all week when the museum is open after 5.
So until mid-January, the cheapest way to see the whole building at 221 North Main Street, and the visit with the most going on, is a Friday evening. The rest of downtown Greensburg's holiday calendar also starts at the museum's front door.
Friday Shifts Later Starting Nov. 13
The Westmoreland is closed Mondays and Tuesdays and open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. the other days of the week. Fridays change from Nov. 13, 2026 through Jan. 15, 2027. The museum opens at noon instead of 10 and stays open until 8 p.m.
The museum is giving up two morning hours to add three evening ones, and it fills those evening hours with a free program called Winter Nights. Here's how a Friday visit compares with a regular weekday one.
| Regular weekday visit | Winter Nights Friday, 5 to 8 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|
| General admission | Free | Free |
| Ansel Adams and Victoria Sambunaris shows | $10 adults, $5 ages 4 to 17 | Free |
| Winter Tales immersive gallery | Free | Free |
| Hot drink | None listed | Complimentary seasonal hot beverage |
| Extras | Free public tours 1 to 2 p.m. most Saturdays | Art-making activities, cash bar with specialty drinks |
General admission at The Westmoreland is free all winter, supported in part by members, donors and UPMC Health Plan. The only exceptions on the calendar fall outside this season, during Reflections in Glass in October and Art in Bloom in March. For a couple bringing two school-age kids, that photo-show ticket is the only cost in the building. At the posted prices, it comes to $30 on a regular day and nothing on a Friday evening.
What the $10 Ticket Covers
The ticket is for two shows that run together from Sept. 13, 2026 to May 2, 2027. One ticket covers both, you buy it at the museum, and you don't need to register in advance.
Ansel Adams: Majestic Lands has more than 40 of Adams's photographs. Some come from his Museum Set, a group of prints he chose late in life as his best work. The prints come from the collection of Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, California, and the museum's announcement says this presentation also includes works from a private collection.
Victoria Sambunaris: Altered Lands is the second show. Sambunaris photographs ground that people have reshaped with railroads, highways, mines and powerlines. The Westmoreland organized it with Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh. The museum shows the two side by side to follow the American outdoors from untouched wilderness to places people have changed.
It takes a while to see both shows properly, which is one reason the evenings help. On a regular Friday from September through May, the museum closes at 5. Winter Nights gives you three extra hours with both galleries free.
Some visitors get in free year-round. Museum members and EBT cardholders don't pay for the shows, and active-duty U.S. military pay $5. The free Friday evenings mostly make a difference for everyone else.
Winter Tales Is Free Any Day, So Friday Is for the Photo Shows
The holiday attraction most people know is Winter Tales: An Immersive Experience. It's back from Nov. 13, 2026 to Jan. 18, 2027 in the McKenna Gallery. It's free during regular museum hours, and you don't need a reservation.
OLO Creative Farm built the installation from winter paintings in the museum's own collection. It uses several projectors, surround sound and small animated effects like mist, falling snow and frost. The artists include William Coventry Wall, Charles W. "Bud" Gibbons, Henry Koerner and Ron Donoughe, and the scenes include winter views of Greensburg, Pittsburgh and the countryside. Some of the original paintings hang nearby.
It first ran last winter, opening Nov. 14, 2025. CBS Pittsburgh's report on that version counted 14 winter paintings from the collection.
Since Winter Tales costs nothing on a Wednesday afternoon either, it isn't the reason to come on a Friday. A Friday evening is the only time Winter Tales and both photo shows are free in the same visit, plus a hot drink and an art activity for the kids.
The Free Fridays, Date by Date
With the holidays, there are fewer free evenings than you'd expect. Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 both land on Fridays this season, and the museum is closed both days. Counting Winter Wonderland, there are eight Friday evenings when both photo shows are free:
- Friday, Nov. 13: Winter Wonderland, 5 to 8 p.m. It's free, and the museum asks you to register on the event page. Expect DJ Savvy Sounds, an outdoor fire and flow show by Flow N'at, balloon artists, marshmallow roasting, live ice carving, photo spots and a cash bar. Winter Tales opens the same night, and both photo shows are free.
- Friday, Nov. 20: First Winter Nights.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Winter Nights, the day after Thanksgiving. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving Day and closes at 3 p.m. the Wednesday before.
- Friday, Dec. 4: Winter Nights on the second day of the Holiday Mart.
- Friday, Dec. 11: Winter Nights.
- Friday, Dec. 18: Winter Nights, the last one before the holiday break.
- Friday, Jan. 8: Winter Nights resumes after closures on Dec. 25 and Jan. 1. The museum also closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
- Friday, Jan. 15: Last Winter Nights. Winter Tales stays open through Jan. 18.
The Parade Starts at the Museum
The museum's season also shapes downtown's. On Saturday, Nov. 21, the day after the first Winter Nights, the City of Greensburg's Annual Holiday Parade starts at 5 p.m. It goes down Main Street from The Westmoreland Museum of American Art to City Hall, and lineup begins at 3 p.m.
The city's participant sheet notes the parade goes on past dusk and suggests holiday lights on floats and vehicles. It also keeps a tradition: there's only one Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and they come at the very end.
On Saturdays the museum closes at 5 p.m., the same time the parade starts outside. If you want the galleries that day, go in the afternoon. The free public tour from 1 to 2 p.m. runs most Saturdays.
Twelve days later comes the Holiday Mart at the Museum Shop:
- Thursday, Dec. 3, 5 to 8 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 4, noon to 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Regional artisans sell handmade goods. There's live music, free hot chocolate and cookies, free gift wrapping and a raffle. Regular-price shop merchandise is 10% off, and members get another 10%. Entry is free, and the museum asks people to register for a date.
On Friday, Dec. 4, the Mart's noon-to-8 hours match the museum's Friday winter hours. If you come after 5, you can shop the Mart and visit Winter Nights in the same trip, with the photo shows free.
Parking for all of this is in the museum's own free lots: a large one in front and a few spaces in back.
Katrina has lived in this area for more than 20 years, and this kind of local calendar is what she pays attention to for the people she works with. If you're mapping out your holiday weekends, or you just want to talk about what's coming up along the Route 30 corridor this winter, Katrina Siffrinn is always glad to talk. Let's talk about your neighborhood. Schedule a free local market consult.
