wilson house tour

Ways to visit Wilson House Museum

Tours fall into three categories: General house tours, Specialty house tours, and self-guided neighborhood walking tours.  Tours of the interior of the Woodrow Wilson House Museum can be visited only as part of a guided tour. We do not allow self-guided tours in the historic house, only in the exhibition space.

All guided house tours begin at the entrance of the museum where an orientation provides some background information on the house and the people who lived here. For a deeper understanding of the site, opt for a private guided tour and a walking tour of the Kalorama neighborhood. All self-guided neighborhood walking tours begin and end at the museum.

The Wilson House Museum also offers private group tours, school groups, and Girl Scout activities.

In addition to our tours, our exhibition gallery is available for current, temporary exhibits. A guide is not necessary to visit the exhibition space, which is open during regular business hours.

All tours inside the museum are GUIDED and you must reserve a tour in advance. Face coverings are optional while inside the museum.

Guided House Tour

Guided One-Hour Tour

The Woodrow Wilson House is a national historic landmark and house museum. Learn about the 28th president and his consequential presidency. Explore the house, a time-capsule from 1924 through a one-hour guided tour.

Highlights Tour - 30 Minute Express Tour

Only have 30 minutes but still want to see Washington DC’s Hidden Gem? Come see the highlights: the iconic Library, the President’s private quarters and a “state of the art” historic kitchen.

Guided Specialty Tours

Under One Roof: Living & Working in The Wilson House

75 Minutes: Explore the lives of the employees who lived and worked “Under One Roof” with Woodrow and Edith Wilson — from Wilson’s private secretary, chauffeur, and male nurse to the couple’s personal servants, Isaac and Mary Scott. Learn about the duties of cooks, butlers, and laundresses while touring the “backstairs” parts of the house that raise important issues of race, class, and wealth in 1920s America.

Architecture Tour, Behind the Scenes

75 Minutes: Learn about the Georgian Revival architecture and inner workings of this Embassy Row historic house and grounds.

The Struggle for Liberration: Three Generations of Wilson Women

75 Minutes: The three generations of women who influenced Woodrow Wilson have much to teach us about the lives of American women from the 1840s to the 1960s. Meet the Civil War generation of Wilson’s mother who lived by the precepts of the Old South, despite living many years after the war. Meet the Gilded Age and Progressive Era generation of Wilson’s wives and friends whose paths and choices led them in very different directions. And meet the generation of Wilson’s daughters, who had excellent educations and fully embraced the freedoms of the New Woman, but whose lives took unexpected turns. Finally, meet Mary Scott, a long-time servant whose life was shaped by racism, but who, despite being somewhat older than the daughters, outlived them all and finally saw the Voting Rights Act which was a direct response to the barriers that prevented African Americans from voting for nearly a century.

Presidential Porcelain: A History of Ceramics Through the Wilsons’ Collection

70 Minutes: The Wilsons are often recognized for their Official White House China selection and creation of the White House China Room, but what pieces did they have in their personal collection? From family heirlooms to wedding gifts, this in-depth guided tour through the dining room, butler’s pantry, and kitchen focuses on key selections from the Woodrow Wilson House ceramics collection of 19th-20th century American, European, and Asian works. Examples will include dinnerware, tea and coffee sets, and decorative items featuring various techniques and styles, and pieces that correspond to different parts of the Wilsons’ lives.

Prohibition Tour + Wine Cellar

75 Minutes: Do you have the moxie to learn about abstinence and teetotalers, juice joints and flappers? What a time in America’s History! Come see a Vintage Wine cellar and learn about the origins of the cocktail party, the speakeasy – and the definition of a blind pig!

Executive Director's Tour

75 Minutes: See the Museum through the eyes of the Executive Director. Every artifact sparks a narrative that reveals something about the changing world of the early 20th century – revolution and progress, missed opportunities and failures, inviting comparison to our own times. Hear stories about the Wilsons, their lives, and why this House is a place that matters.

Behind-the-Scenes Tour

75 Minutes: See the Museum through the eyes of those who maintain the site. Join us for an insider’s look at the historic house with this behind-the-scenes tour. Learn how the staff cleans and performs inventory with the site's 8,400 artifacts. You’ll hear important details about how the Collections Team cares for historic furniture, unique objects and artwork, and how we run this historic site. Tour is given by Wilson's House Senior Manage of Business and Operations.

Walking Tours

Looking for outdoor activities you can do on your own schedule? Try one of our Walking Tours. Download a map and explore a beautiful neighborhood in Northwest DC.

Waddy Butler Wood Walking Tour

As you explore the beautiful Kalorama neighborhood, learn about the history and residents of thirteen houses designed by the famous architect of the Woodrow Wilson House, Waddy Butler Wood.

Dupont Circle

A tour focusing on the arts and culture of the neighborhood with stops at the Gandi Memorial and the Cosmos Club.

Kalorama Neighborhood

A tour focusing on the religion and education in the neighborhood, stopping at the Friends Meeting House and the Holton Arms School.

Observatory Circle

A tour of the prestigious parts of the neighborhood with stops of the British Embassy and the United states Naval observatory, home of the Vice President.

Sheridan Circle

A tour leading to the Civil war statue of General Sheridan, with information focusing on Woodrow Wilson's connection to the Civil War.

Getting Here

Woodrow Wilson House is located at 2340 S Street in a quiet residential neighborhood of Northwest DC, close to Metro and Metrobus.  The Kalorama Neighborhood is also home to The Phillips Collection, Anderson House, and numerous embassies and Ambassadorial residences.  Scroll down to find maps and directions.

METRO:  Dupont Circle (Red Line) is the nearest Metro Stop.

BUSES:   The N2, N4, and N6 Metro buses stop at 24th Street and Massachusetts Avenue, N.W., one block from Woodrow Wilson House.

PARKING:  Parking is available on the street, subject to parking restrictions (generally, “two-hour parking” applies).

TRANSPORTATION PARTNER:   GOGO Charters provides private charter bus, minibus and shuttle rentals to the Wilson House Museum. Book a DC bus rental for corporate events, school groups and private gatherings at the museum. Plan your trip as soon as today.

Discover President Woodrow Wilson's legacy with group tours at the Wilson House Museum. Book your tour and write us for any inquiries at [email protected] .

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Historic Sites

The President Woodrow Wilson House

• Constructed: 1915
• Architect: Waddy Butler Wood
• Address: 2340 S St NW Washington, DC 20008
• Hours Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Saturday Noon–3:00 p.m.

Visit The President Woodrow Wilson House

The President Woodrow Wilson House is the home to which President and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson lived after leaving the White House in 1921. Open to the public since 1963, the Woodrow Wilson House is decorated much as it was when President Wilson lived here, replete with his art, photographs, furniture, gifts of state, and presidential memorabilia. The home contains more than 8,000 artifacts, including the dip pen with which President Wilson signed the Declaration of War for World War I, a mosaic presented by Pope Benedict XV, a gold timepiece presented by the first President of Czechoslovakia, and a “graph-o-scope” presented by Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks.

It is situated just off of “Embassy Row” in the historic Sheridan Kalorama neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C. and is a National Historic Landmark. This National Trust Historic Site was designed by Waddy B. Wood, a fashionable Washington architect in 1915. The home today is authentically furnished and gives a special glimpse into the private life of Woodrow Wilson while examining the impact of his consequential presidency on present and future generations.

Today, the Woodrow Wilson House is a historic site devoted to teaching about the early twentieth century and President Wilson’s legacy of ideas that remain relevant today. President Wilson changed the President’s role in the government, the government’s role in American society, and America’s role in the world. He imagined the world at peace and proposed the League of Nations to achieve that vision. He led the United States during World War I. However, the site also examines President Wilson’s shortcomings, especially relating to race and civil liberties. An honest appraisal of history helps us understand ourselves as a nation and a people.

“The affairs of the world can be set straight only by the firmest and most determined exhibition of the will to lead and make the right prevail.” President Woodrow Wilson, 1923

The Woodrow Wilson House is regularly open to the public for guided tours, serves school and other group tours, is available for public meetings, corporate events, and weddings, mounts exhibitions in its gallery, and offers educational programming, including academic symposia, book talks, and musical performances.

The Woodrow Wilson House is owned and operated by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

photo by: Scott Suchman

The rear of the home with gardens and back lawn.

President Wilson's townhouse, located in the capital’s Embassy Row neighborhood, was a quiet haven for the Wilsons upon leaving the White House.

The solarium on the second floor of the Wilson House, which faces the back lawn.

Guide Bonnie Calhoun gives a tour of the kitchen to two guests.

A bust and books on shelves in "the dugout," Wilson's private secretary's office on the first floor.

The second floor landing looks into the dining room.

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Share your stories from Route 66! Whether a quirky roadside attraction, a treasured business, or a piece of family history, we are looking for your stories from this iconic highway.

Wilson House Tour – Registration is full

$ 15.00

Wilson House Tour: Stories of Louis J. Wilson, Maud Mellish and Grace McCormack – Registration is full

September 2, 1:30pm – 2:30pm (Central Time)

Location: Wilson House

$15 preregistered/prepaid.

Preregistration is required at least 1 day in advance.

Visit the home of the Wilson’s, on Walnut Hill on the property of Assisi Heights. The house was designed by Harold Crawford, built in 1924. Grace McCormack Wilson, Louis’ third wife, lived there until her death in 1964. Learn its story today!

Participants are required to be fully up-to-date on Covid-19 vaccinations. Participants are also asked to wear a mask and refrain from attending class, if they are experiencing any symptoms or have been exposed to persons infected with covid-19. Please park in the lot by Canticle park and we will walk to the Wilson house from there.

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The year after the death of his first wife in 1914, Wilson married widow, Edith Bolling Galt. Some historians call her "the first female president of the United States" for the role she played in hiding the effects of her husband’s disabling illness from the public during his last year and a half in office.  She began searching for a permanent residence in Washington in 1920.  Delighted with a handsome five-year old Georgian mansion she found at 2340 S Street NW, she informed her husband that it would make an ideal retirement home.  On December 14, Wilson surprised his wife by presenting her with the deed.  Before moving in, the Wilsons made a number of changes to accommodate Wilson’s condition.  They installed an elevator to make it easier for him to move around and created a terrace off the second-floor dining room, so that Wilson could walk outside without having to negotiate steps.  They also added a billiard room and enlarged the library to accommodate his 8,000 books. Wilson spent his three remaining years in partial seclusion, cared for by his wife and servants. Except for a daily automobile ride and a weekly visit to the movies, he rarely left home or received guests.  On Armistice Day in 1923, he spoke to more than 20,000 well-wishers who came to the house to honor him, still affirming the principles in which he believed. It was his last public appearance.  He died three months later in his upstairs bedroom. Wilson’s widow donated the S Street house and many of its furnishings to the National Trust for Historic Preservation but continued to live in the house until her death in 1961.  The Trust opened it to the public in 1963.  Today, visitors can see the three-story, red brick neo-Georgian house, as it was when Wilson lived there. The front door opens to a marble-floored entrance hall and stairway, flanked by the kitchen, servants' dining room, and billiard room.  The main public spaces, a drawing room facing S Street, library, dining room, and solarium overlooking the garden, are on the second floor. The third floor contains five bedrooms.  Original furnishings include portraits, books, autographed photographs of world leaders, commemorative china, and Bolling family furniture.  The library holds the leather chair Wilson used at Cabinet meetings and numerous personal effects. The Bible on which he took the oath of office as governor and as president is on display in the drawing room.  Radios, silent movies, dresses, and personal items reflect the Wilsons’ day-to-day lives.

Click here for information about 2024 Preservation Achievement Awards nominations!

About Our Tours & Outings

In-town outings.

Our popular Intown Outings series offers a behind-the-scenes look at historic buildings and places throughout Dallas. These programs are open to the public, and Preservation Dallas members attend for free.

• The Wilson House

Visit this elegant Queen Anne Victorian mansion that now houses the Preservation Dallas office. Informal tours last between 10 and 30 minutes, depending upon the size of the group. Visitors learn about the architectural details of the Wilson House and its adaptation from residential to institutional use.

Tours are free. Please call 214-821-3290 for an appointment. Large groups are encouraged to make reservations in advance. 

Learn more about the history of the Wilson House .

• The Wilson Block Historic District

Explore blocks of charming Victorian homes on historic Swiss Avenue. Download our self-guided walking tour and experience turn-of-the-century Dallas in the Wilson Block Historic District, or learn more about the history of the Wilson Block Historic District .

• Cocktails for Preservation

Cocktails for Preservation is a special opportunity for supporters of Preservation Dallas to tour exclusive and rarely opened-to-the-public homes. Guests are treated to hors d-oeurves and drinks along with a tour and history of the estate. Because of the exclusivity of the home, tickets are limited in number.

View past tours here.

• Intown Outings

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• *A formal nomination form will be sent as a followup to this form.

• (802) 362-5524
• [email protected]
• The Wilson House
• Mission & Values
• Staff & Board
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A Living Memorial to Bill Wilson

Support the Wilson House

We need your help now more than ever before please donate today, own a piece of history.

Upcoming Retreats & Seminars

Emotional sobriety workshop with dr. allan berger when: april 12-14, 2024.

SORRY – THIS WORKSHOP IS SOLD OUT Dr.

Our Female Founders When: Friday 5pm - Sunday noon

Who were the women pioneers of Alcoholics Anonymous? How did their contributions shape our program of recovery? Join us for a special, intimate weeke

5th Annual Wilson House Cup When: 7:30am-2:30pm

At the Dorset Field Club, 132 Church Street, Dorset, VT Please join us Wednesday, May 22nd, 2024 for a special day of golf to benefit The Wilson House

Healthy Boundaries in Recovery When: Friday 5pm - Sunday noon

Learn how to set boundaries that serve to both protect AND connect.

Walking the 12 Steps When: Friday 5pm - Sunday noon

All are welcome for a weekend of sharing their experience, strength, and hope focused on AA’s 12 steps.

Prayer & Meditation Retreat When: No date set

Join your fellows at The Wilson House for a weekend retreat with Jim K.

Yoga & Recovery When: Friday 5pm - Sunday noon

Yoga and 12 Step recoveries are interconnected to each other in many beautiful ways.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Contact details.

• Phone: (802) 362-5524
• Email: [email protected]
• Address: East Dorset, VT 05253

Connect With Us

• The Griffith Library

P.O. Box 46 378 Village Street East Dorset, VT 05253

© Copyright 2020 The Wilson House | Website by Riley Moore Studio The Wilson House is not affiliated with Alcoholics Anonymous or any other sect, denomination, political organization or institution.

Grab your sneakers: See what makes the Wilmington area great on these walking tours

Spring is here and it's time to get outside and explore. A good way to enjoy this nice weather and learn about what the Wilmington area has to offer is with some fun, exciting, educational and historic walking tours. And it's another way of getting some fresh air and exercise.

Here are some tours that offer just that.

Did we miss yours? Let us know by emailing [email protected]. 

New Hanover

Bellamy Mansion Museum Walking Tours

Bellamy Mansion Museum will be conducting walking tours throughout the year on three different topics, "Wilmington: Lost But not Forgotten," "Wilmington and the American Civil War" and "Wilmington’s African American Heritage.” The 90-minute waking tours will be led by Gareth Evans, executive director and Leslie Randle-Morton, associate director.

Dates for the tours are April 13, May 11, June 8, Aug. 9, Sept. 13 and Oct. 11.

The tours will begin and end at the Bellamy Mansion Museum, 503 Market St., Wilmington. The cost is $20 per person, plus tax. Space is limited, so registration is required at Bellamy Mansion Museum Store . This is a rain or shine event.

Cape Fear Legends & Lore Walking Tours

Burgwin-Wright House & Gardens presents the Cape Fear Legends & Lore Walking Tours. The 90-minute walking tours will feature Cape Fear's history every second Friday of the month.

Tour dates: April 12, July 12 and Oct. 11.

From Colonial myths to 20th century tales, explore legends that define the first 300 years of Wilmington. Tours star at 9 a.m. Tickets are $20 per person plus tax. To reserve tickets, please call 910-762-0570.

Historic Wilmington Foundation

The Historic Wilmington Foundation regularly offers free walking tours (donations greatly accepted) for small groups, focused on the region’s multi-faceted and diverse storylines through the irreplaceable built history. The tour is typically a mile in length and begins at Historic Wilmington Foundation, located at 211 Orange St., Wilmington, starting at 2 p.m. and ending at 3:30 p.m. Travis Gilbert, executive director, leads many of the walking tours, but the Foundation collaborate with other local organizations and historians to be guest guides. For more information, call 910-762-2511 or visit historicwilmington.org .

Wilmington Walking Tours

Amanda Leese, owner and operator of Wilmington Walking Tours is a University of North Carolina Wilmington alumna with a degree in history and is a local preservation volunteer. Leese shares her passion for the town and its unique history and stories of the families who lived in the beautiful homes. The History and Architecture Tour of Wilmington is offered daily and features a one-mile stroll through historic downtown. The one hour and 45-minute tour is $25 per person. Another tour offer is The Historic Happy Hour tour. This tour is a weekly tour that features stop for drinks at some of Wilmington historic places. The 2 1/2 tour is $30; drinks are not included. Group and private tours are also accepted. For more information, visit  Wilmington Walking Tours  or 910-264-5970.

Wilmington True History Tours

Brandon Carter, owner of the Wilmington True History Tours, is a historian and former National Park Service Ranger (Richmond National Battlefield Park). Along with Carter, well-known local historian Chris Fonvielle givers tours. Fonvielle specializes in two-hour tours of Wilmington History, Civil War History, Oakdale Cemetery, and various other specialty tours throughout the year.  Also local educator Alex Busch provides Dark History Tours, a fact-based alternative to Wilmington's ghost tours. Private turs is also offered. Details: https://wilmingtontruehistory.com/ .

Self-guided tours through Southport

The city of Southport partnered with the Southport Historical Society to offer self-guided tours by using a free mobile app called PocketSights. These tours are "free roam tours" where you can either walk and/or drive from location to location in any order you choose.

• Historic Southport (24 locations)
• Historic Monuments and Markers (38 locations)
• Safe Haven Movie Tour (11 locations)
• African American Heritage Tour (17 locations)

More: As spring bird migration begins, here's what to look for in the Wilmington area

Historic Downtown Burgaw

The Burgaw Historic District was entered in the National Register of Historic Places in August of 1999. It is located in Pender County. In 1879, Burgaw was designated the county seat. There are many historic homes and buildings within the downtown district. The oldest building in the district is the train depot which was built prior to the Civil War. There is also the historic Pender County Courthouse located in the center of town known as "Court House Square." The courthouse is the focal point which defines the charm and character of the downtown area. Brochures can be pickup for a self-guided walking tour at the Municipal Building, 109 N. Walker St., Burgaw.

The Black Crowes kick off tour in Nashville with high-energy show featuring Lainey Wilson

T he Black Crowes' brothers Chris and Rich Robinson kicked off their 35-date "Happiness Bastards" tour Tuesday night at the Opry House in Nashville and introduced the crowd to arguably some of their best new music in decades backed up with a few classic favorites and choice cover tunes.

On a minimal set decorated only with strings of white lights, uniquely mismatched Marshall stacks, a life-size dressing room mirror, and a cardboard cutout of Chuck Berry peeking from behind the curtain, the Crowes gave the crowd exactly what they'd been hoping for: Chris' pipes of steel, Rich's excellent guitar chops and a surprise appearance by Lainey Wilson.

"If you're going to play the Grand Ole Opry, you have to bring out a bona fide country superstar," Chris told the crowd as he welcomed Wilson to the stage. She sang a duet from the new album called "Wilted Rose" and then stayed to back the brothers on a powerful version of "She Talks to Angels."

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Chris danced and strutted across the stage in typical Black Crowes fashion, while his brother Rich focused on his guitar playing.

Kicking off the night at the packed-out Opry House despite looming severe weather Tuesday night were "Bedside Manners" and "Rats and Clowns" from the new album, "Happiness Bastards," which is the group's first original release in 15 years.

Lauren Daigle, Tyler Childers, Mitski: 10 can't-miss concerts in Nashville this April

"It's been a little while since we've had some new songs to play for you all," Chris Robinson teased the crowd.

Next came an old favorite, "Twice as Hard" from the band's 1990 smash "Shake Your Money Maker." The band would layer in hits from that first album including "Remedy," "Jealous Again," and their biggest hit they didn't write, "Hard to Handle."

"A few years ago, we were lucky enough to have the idea to record this song," he said of "Hard to Handle." "Written by the greatest soul singer of all time from Macon, Georgia. His name was Otis Redding and we've been riding on this song for a long time."

The band seemed to enjoy performing the show as much as the crowd enjoyed watching it and dancing to it. The Crowes played for a solid 90 minutes before leaving the stage briefly to return for a one-song encore with Lou Reed's "White Light/White Heat."

It was a great way to kick off this new tour, which Chris Robinson said was not the first one they've started in Nashville.

"This marks two tours we've started in Nashville," he said. "Maybe this could become a thing."

The Setlist:

• "Bedside Manners"
• "Rats and Clowns"
• "Twice as Hard"
• "Morning Song"
• "Cross Your Fingers"
• "Waiting and Wanting"
• "Hard to Handle"
• "Kickin' My Heart Around"
• "Wilted Rose"
• "She Talks to Angels"
• "Flesh Wound"
• "I Ain't Hiding"
• "Thorn in My Pride"
• "Jealous Again"
• "White Light/White Heat"

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: The Black Crowes kick off tour in Nashville with high-energy show featuring Lainey Wilson