About the Museum & the Festival
The Alva Museum is an all-volunteer project of the Alva Library Association, housed in the town's original 1909 library building. Autumn in Alva is our way of filling the grounds around it once a year.
A Small Museum with a Long Memory
Alva's first library opened in 1909, and the building still stands on Pearl Street. Today it holds the town's collection: historic dress, photographs, household objects, and the records of the families who settled along the Caloosahatchee.
There is no paid staff. The museum is open Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM because volunteers unlock the door, and it stays open because the community keeps showing up for it.
How Autumn in Alva Grew
What started as a bonfire and a hayride has turned into the museum's biggest evening of the year.
- Year One
A bonfire and an idea
The first Autumn in Alva was a small thing — a fire, a hayride, hot dogs and s’mores, and a hope that people would come. They did.
- Year Two
Word got around
The second year brought food trucks, the fire truck, a bake sale, scarecrow building, and a noticeably bigger crowd on the grounds.
- Year Three
October 24, 2026
This year adds the costumed pet parade, an animal rescue and adoption event, pet and kids portraits, more food vendors than ever, and the Museum History Hunt inside.
Free, and Meant to Stay That Way
Free for every family
No admission, no wristbands, no gate. Sponsors and donors cover the costs so that cost is never the reason a family stays home.
Built by volunteers
Every table, every hay bale, and every craft station is set up by neighbors. That is not a limitation — it is the point.
Anchored in local history
The History Hunt runs inside the museum all evening, because a festival at a museum ought to send you home knowing something new about your own town.