The Veliky Ustyug State Historical, Architectural, and Art Museum-Reserve is a multifaceted museum complex. It manages 27 federal monuments, 15 of which are open to visitors. Notable objects include the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary from the 17th-18th centuries, the Cathedral of Righteous Procopius from the 17th-19th centuries, the Mikhailo-Arkhangelsky Cathedral from the 17th century, the Trinity Cathedral of the Trinity-Gleden Monastery from the 17th-18th centuries, the Church of the Ascension from the 17th century, the Church of Simeon Stylites from the 18th century, and the Church of Dmitry of Thessalonica from the 18th century. The interiors of these churches feature intricately carved, gilded multi-tiered baroque iconostases from the 18th century.

In 2007, a modern depository for storing museum collections was completed. It includes storage facilities, open-access exhibitions, restoration workshops, and a lecture-exhibition hall. The collections hold over 114,000 items, many of which are unique. The museum-reserve possesses rare collections of icon painting, cult sculpture, ethnography, numismatics, silver filigree, wood carving and painting on birch bark, as well as rare books and documents.

The structure of the museum-reserve includes five museums: the Museum of History and Culture of Veliky Ustyug, the Museum of Ethnography, the Museum of Ancient Russian Art, the Museum of Nature, and the Museum of New Year and Christmas Toys, along with the depository. Each of these, as well as the depository, offers not only traditional tours but also interactive activities and workshops that are consistently popular.

Every year, more than 10 new exhibitions open in the museum's halls, and the exhibitions are constantly updated. The museum also showcases architectural monuments from the 17th-18th centuries with preserved iconostases and monumental paintings.

The main areas of the museum's activities include the restoration of architectural monuments, the storage and scientific processing of collection funds, research, exhibition work, and educational outreach.

The depository of the Veliky Ustyug Museum-Reserve is the only one in the Vologda region that meets all the requirements for storing museum collections. For the project "Restoration of the architectural monument of the 19th and early 20th centuries 'Chebaevskaya Estate' and the creation of the Depository," the museum's creative team was awarded the State Prize of the Vologda Region in the field of culture and art in 2008.