Inspiration from past and present
Arts & culture in Drenthe
Drenthe has more stories than you might think, and quite a few begin right next to Orvelter Hof. In Orvelte, within cycling distance, you walk through the period rooms of a Saxon farmhouse and see the work of Jan Kruis, the cartoonist behind 'Jan, Jans en de kinderen'.
Within half an hour's drive you can stand before the Pesse canoe in the Drents Museum in Assen, or beside the largest dolmen in the Netherlands in Borger. In Veenhuizen you discover what life was like in a prison village. Perfect for a rainy day, or just because.
Jan Kruis Museum
Orvelte · 2 km · within cycling distance
In the heart of Orvelte, this museum about the cartoonist of 'Jan, Jans en de kinderen' opened in 2019. You'll see his comics, but also early applied art, portraits and illustrations for Woutertje Pieterse. At the drawing table, children and adults can get creative themselves.
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Ottenshoes
Orvelte · 2 km · within cycling distance
In this listed Saxon farmhouse of the Ottens family, a guide takes you through 19th-century period rooms, with box beds, furniture and clothing of the time. The guides tell of traditions and superstition, and the film 'Het Orvelte Dagboek' completes the story. Groups of ten or more get a group rate.
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Hunebedcentrum
Borger · 20 km · 23 min by car
Discover Drenthe's prehistory in the museum and outside in the Prehistoric Park, with a large collection of glacial boulders. Right next to the centre is the largest dolmen in the Netherlands, and the exhibition about the Hondsrug Geopark shows how the landscape was formed.
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Drents Museum
Assen · 29 km · 28 min by car
Archaeology, art and history in a historic building with a modern extension. Highlights include the Pesse canoe, according to the museum the oldest boat in the world, and the Yde Girl. You'll also find art from around 1900 and contemporary realism.
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Prison Museum Veenhuizen
Veenhuizen · 46 km · 43 min by car
Veenhuizen was long a closed prison village. The National Prison Museum tells that story in exhibitions, on a guided tour of the former De Rode Pannen prison and from the prison bus that drives through the village. There are programmes for groups and for children.
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A rainy day in Orvelte
Cycle to Orvelte and start with a guided tour of the period rooms in the Ottenshoes, finishing with the film 'Het Orvelte Dagboek'. Have lunch at De Schenkerij around the corner, then sit down at the drawing table in the Jan Kruis Museum. Still curious? The Hunebedcentrum in Borger is just over twenty minutes' drive away.
Combine with your stay
After a day out, back home
Combine a museum day with an away day in your own meeting room, or round it off with a buffet from our own kitchen.