The museum is established in the carriage house of the Zypliai Manor. The mid-19th century Zypliai Manor Ensemble (in the village of Tubeliai, Lukšiai Municipality, Šakiai County) consists of 11 preserved buildings surrounded by one of the largest parks in the country, lined with balsam poplar and hornbeam avenues. 

The museum was founded in 1928 in the Šakiai Žiburys Gymnasium. In 1944, the gymnasium building, together with the museum established there, was destroyed in a fire. The museum was restored in 1986 on the initiative of local ethnographers in Girėnai (Šakiai region), and the collection of exhibits was resumed.

The museum's first floor is dedicated to the history, notable people, and the most significant events of the Zanavykai region. The second floor houses an Ethnographic Exhibition that depicts daily life in the area of Zanavykai from the late 18th to the early 20th century. Here, visitors can see old everyday objects, household items, carpentry and other craftsmen's tools.

Visitors will also learn that the people of Zanavykai are northern Suduvites (suvalkiečiai in Lithuanian) living near the Nova River (close to Kudirkos Naumiestis, Griškabūdis and Šakiai). Compared to others, the dialect of these areas is most comparable to standard Lithuanian. The capital of the Zanavykai area is considered to be the town of Šakiai.