my mansion tour

Mansion Tour

Tour “Kentucky’s Best Historic Site” when you visit My Old Kentucky Home! All ages enjoy exploring the 200 year old mansion, hearing amazing stories including stories of deadly duels, horse racing, fortune, fame, demise, all alongside original fine antiques, & beautiful architectural spaces. Our talented tour guides perform the song for which the house is named, “My Old Kentucky Home,” on every tour. All ticket sales are final. Depending on the time of year, the following exhibit tours are INCLUDED with the regular admission price! The Race Is On, (May 1-31); A House Divided, (Sep. 1-30); Weep No More, (Oct. 1-31); Merry & Bright, (Nov. 17 – Dec. 30)

Tickets for TODAY’s tours must be purchased in person at the Visitors Center in My Old Kentucky Home State Park.

Adults (18-61): 16.00

Seniors (62+): 14.00

Youth (13-17): 12.00

Child (6-12): 10.00

Toddler (5 & Under): FREE

Active Military (ID required): 5.00

Retired Military (ID required): 12.00

Times are in America/New York

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• Description

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Explore the 200 year old mansion and plantation of the Rowan family. Stories of deadly duels, horse racing, fortune, fame, demise, all alongside original fine antiques, & beautiful architectural spaces. Our talented tour guides perform the song for which the house is named, “My Old Kentucky Home,” on every tour.

Depending on the time of year, the following exhibit tours are INCLUDED with the regular admission price! The Race Is On, (After Easter – May 31) Kentucky Derby History A House Divided, (Sep. 1-30) Experience the Civil War at My Old Kentucky Home Weep No More, (Oct. 1-31) Victorian Mourning and Funeral Customs Merry & Bright, (Nov. 15 – Jan. 6) Victorian Christmas Traditions

Bourbon Events

Mint Julep Masterclass

1792 Guided Bourbon Tasting

Popular Tours

An Old Kentucky Christmas Carol

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501 E. Stephen Foster Avenue Bardstown, KY 40004

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME

Refunds are not available for tickets purchased for mansion tours and special events.

Kentucky Division of Parks

Kentucky Department of Parks Mayo-Underwood Building 500 Mero Street Frankfort, KY 40601

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The Grandest Historic Mansions to Visit Across the United States

Roxanna is a freelance writer for MarthaStewart.com.

All open to the public, you can tour the interior of these luxury establishments to admire their size and number of rooms. From state to state, these are as beautiful as they are significant in U.S. history.

Time travel may not be possible, but we can experience the next best thing by visiting historic mansions. These living museums preserve history by keeping the way of life from the era in which the former residents lived on display.

Simple curiosity is the main reason for the popularity of historic house tours. It's human nature to be curious, even nosy, about the people who live beyond those wrought iron gates, those tall white pillars, that mass of fragrant wisteria. House tours provide a healthy—and legal—outlet for our inquisitiveness while benefiting the organizations that work to keep history alive. Kitty Robinson of the Historic Charleston Foundation explains, "I think people love to see what other families have done with these historic homes to make them livable. Toddlers really do live in eighteenth century living rooms." Tours also offer rare opportunities for amateur and professional collectors , gardeners, designers, and history buffs to see what might not be found in books, magazines, or museums. "People go for inspiration," says Sandra Soule, the editor of America's Wonderful Little Hotels and Inns guidebook series.

Many of these properties had to temporarily close their doors to the public at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that some of the restrictions have eased and states are reopening to tourists, historic mansions have also begun allowing the public to visit their sites again. And these house tours can be found all over the country this summer, from Providence, Rhode Island, to Pasadena, California. Cicero once asked, "What is more agreeable than one's home?" For a vacation, maybe someone else's.

Oheka Castle in Huntington, New York

This historic mansion is also a luxury hotel, which means you enjoy a royal European experience right in New York. Oheka Castle was built in 1919 as a summer home for Otto Hermann Kahn.

Mark Twain House in Hartford, Connecticut

See where Mark Twain lived. The house is open for tours on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays but tickets should be purchased in advance. If you're not ready to travel just yet, know that it's also possible to go on a virtual tour.

George Washington's Mount Vernon in Mount Vernon, Virginia

George Washington lived in this home that was 10 times the size of most other homes in West Virginia. Currently, only the first floor is open again for tours and tickets need to be purchased ahead of time.

Fairlawn Mansion in Superior, Wisconsin

Tours are limited to 12 people per tour, but if you're able to get inside, the Fairlawn Mansion is worth a visit. A gorgeous Victorian house that was first occupied by private residents from 1890 to 1920, the property went on to become a Children's Home for 42 years. Today, it's the perfect place to learn about this region's history.

The Ringling Mansion in Sarasota, Florida

Behold the home of the famous circus leader: the mansion called Ca' d'Zan . Once the winter home of circus impresario John Ringling (the name means "John's House" in Venetian dialect), this 1920s Venetian-Gothic-style villa was the romantically crumbling backdrop for the 1998 film Great Expectations . Today, fully restored, it's a museum and a scene-stealing home, where you can stand on the bay-front terrace.

Highlands Ranch Mansion in Highlands Ranch, Colorado

See a working ranch with history in action at the Highlands Ranch Mansion . Featuring historic barns, ranch houses and more on the property, it's like walking into a Weatern fairy tale.

Fallingwater by Frank Lloyd Wright in Mill Run, Pennsylvania

Built in 1935 by Frank Lloyd Wright, Fallingwater served as a weekend home for the couple that owned Kaufmann's Department Store. The architecture is beautiful and a sight to behold.

Bingham-Hanna Mansion and the Hay-McKinney Mansion in Cleveland, Ohio

These two mansions are part of the Cleveland History Center and are works of art. Artifacts from the early 1900s, when the homes were built, give visitors a glimpse into the past.

Prospect Place in Trinway, Ohio

This historic mansion was a stop along the Underground Railroad. George Adams lived there with his wife, and abolitionists would meet in his parlor.

Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

In addition to a gorgeous mansion, the Biltmore Estate features 8,000 acres of gardens and grounds. George Vanderbilt's former home, the property has a whopping 250 rooms and was completed in 1895.

The Breakers in Newport, Rhode Island

The Italian Renaissance–style villa was the summer home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II and his family and the grandest of the Gilded Age summer homes in Newport. Designed by architect Richard Morris Hunt to replace an existing wood structure, the 70-room, four-story home was decorated by Ogden Codman, Jr. and completed in 1895. Today, the Breakers is owned by the Preservation Society of Newport County, which offers access to a number of historic homes in the area, including another Hunt design, Marble House, which was built for Vanderbilt's brother.

The Mount in Lenox, Massachusetts

Author Edith Wharton took inspiration from Belton House in England, as well as French and Italian influences, when designing the house and grounds at the Mount , which was built with architects Ogden Codman, Jr., her coauthor of the book The Decoration of Houses, and Francis L.V. Hoppin. Wharton lived and worked there for 10 years before she and her husband, Teddy, sold the property in 1911. The Mount was declared a National Historic landmark in 1971 and is now a cultural center dedicated to Wharton's life and work.

Bayou Bend Collection and Garden in Houston, Texas

Philanthropist Ima Hogg and her brothers built the mansion in the River Oaks area of Houston between 1927 and 1928. Texas architect John F. Staub designed the house, taking inspiration from 18th-century Georgian and Spanish Creole architecture. The home's 14 acres of gardens mix formal landscape design with natural woodlands. Hogg donated the property to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and it is now a house museum showcasing American paintings and decorative arts.

Graceland in Memphis, Tennessee

They didn't call him "The King" for nothing. More than 40 years after his death, both fans and those curious about this pop culture phenom are still flocking to Elvis Presley's Graceland home. Yes, the Jungle Room always draws a crowd, but there's more to what is now deemed Elvis Presley's Memphis at Graceland than his former living quarters. After touring the Graceland mansion, guests can also visit several adjacent museums, including those housing celebrity memorabilia from his career, favorite automobiles he owned and even his private jets named the "Lisa Marie" and "Hound Dog II." Guest quarters are also a part of the complex for those wanting an overnight experience.

Vizcaya in Miami, Florida

Built between 1914 and 1922, Vizcaya was the winter residence of industrial executive James Deering. The Miami home boasts a design meant to look like a time-worn Italianate villa complete with grottos and bridges. The surrounding gardens are based on Italian and French examples incorporating flora suited for a subtropical setting. Unlike many other historic mansions converted to museums, Vizcaya still has most of its original decor. Visitors enjoy perusing 34 decorated rooms showcasing more than 2,500 art objects collected by Deering, and furnishings that have been in the home for more than 100 years.

April 13, 2024

• Year overview

Open Properties

Operating schedule is subject to change

The Breakers

The Breakers is the grandest of Newport's summer "cottages" and a symbol of the Vanderbilt family's social and financial pre-eminence in the Gilded Age.

Marble House

William Vanderbilt built Marble House as a 39th birthday present for his wife, Alva. It was a social and architectural landmark that set the pace for Newport's subsequent transformation from a quiet summer colony of wooden houses to the legendary resort of opulent Gilded Age mansions.

The Elms was modeled after an 18th-century French chateau but featured the latest technology of the Gilded Age. It houses an outstanding collection of paintings, statuary and tapestries, and its landscape features formal gardens, terraces, pavilions and fountains.

Rosecliff was built for Nevada silver heiress Theresa Fair Oelrichs, who used it to host many fabulous Gilded Age entertainments. Architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles.

Chateau-sur-Mer

Chateau-sur-Mer epitomizes High Victorian architecture, furniture, wallpapers, ceramics and stenciling. It was the most palatial residence in Newport until the appearance of the Gilded Age Vanderbilt houses in the 1890s.

Kingscote is a landmark of the Gothic Revival style in American architecture. Its appearance in Newport marked the beginning of the “cottage boom” that would distinguish the town as a veritable laboratory for the design of picturesque houses throughout the 19th century.

Isaac Bell House

Isaac Bell House is one of the best surviving examples of shingle-style architecture in the country. Its architects and designers drew from a mix of international and American influences to create a unique Gilded Age style.

Green Animals Topiary Garden

Home to more than 80 topiary animals and other figures for more than a century, Green Animals also blazes with colorful flowers from May until October. The 7-acre property overlooks Narragansett Bay.

Hunter House

Hunter House (c. 1748) is one of the finest examples of Colonial architecture in Newport. The house was owned by wealthy merchants who furnished it with decorative arts produced by expert craftsmen. Such a luxurious lifestyle depended on the labor of enslaved people of African descent. Recent research by the Preservation Society has identified at least 13 enslaved individuals who lived and worked at Hunter House. Today's Hunter House honors their perseverance and incalculable contributions to Newport’s past. Guide-led tours only, advance reservations required

Chepstow is highly evocative of the taste and collections of a descendant of one of America's founding families, placed in the context of a contemporary Newport summer home. Guide-led tours only, advance reservations required

The Breakers Stable & Carriage House

Tours, events and exhibitions, beneath the breakers tour, daily 10:30 am.

Explore the underground systems that made this great house a marvel of technology for its time.

Servant Life Tour

Daily starting april 1, 10:30 am and 2:30 pm*.

See and hear how the other half lived. This tour will highlight the stories of some of the men and women who worked to service the social whirl of Newport during the Gilded Age. * May 11-May 31, tour will be offered daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm. June 1-Aug. 31, 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm. Sept. 1-Oct. 14, 10:30 & 3:30. Oct. 15-Jan. 1, 2025, 10:30 & 2:30.

Gilded Age Newport in Color

March 15 – june 30, 2024 10:00am – 3:00pm.

This exhibition explores a largely unknown but important chapter in American history: the experience of a thriving African heritage community in Newport.

Open Properties and Events

Updated April 2, 2024. Schedule is subject to change.

April 1 – May 10, 2024

Please note: Advance reservations are required for all guide-led tours

Open daily 10 am – 4 pm for self-guided tours

House & grounds close one hour after last tour admission

Beneath The Breakers Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am

The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 2:30 pm

Open daily 10 am – 3 pm for self-guided tours

May 11 – may 31, 2024, open daily 10 am – 5 pm for self-guided tours.

The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am & 3:30 pm

Grounds close one hour after last tour admission

June 1 – August 31, 2024

The Breakers Children’s Cottage will be open to tour daily July 1 – August 17, 10 am – 4 pm

The Elms Servant Life Tour – Guide-led tours daily at 10:30 am, 2 pm & 3:30 pm

Open daily 10 am – 3 pm for self-guided tours*

*Rosecliff will be closed to tours June 19 – June 24; open to Newport Flower Show ticket holders only

*Rosecliff will be closed July 1 – August 29

Open Sundays through Thursdays, 10 am – 5 pm for self-guided tours

Open fridays & saturdays, 10 am – 5 pm for guide-led tours, open fridays & saturdays, july 1-31, 10 am – 4 pm.

Closes one hour after last tour admission

September 1 – September 30, 2024

*Rosecliff will be closed to tours September 19 – 23; open to Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival ticket holders only

Open weekends & holidays 10 am – 5 pm for self-guided tours

October 1 – october 14, 2024, october 15 – october 31, 2024, november 1 – november 22, 2024, open daily 10 am – 4 pm for self-guided tours*.

*The Breakers will close at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 22

*Rosecliff will be closed November 22 – December 8 for “The Newport Nutcracker”

November 23, 2024 – January 1, 2025

Holidays at the newport mansions.

All houses closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day

All houses close at 2 p.m. on December 24

Get the Newport Mansions app

Download our tour app before your visit and bring your earbuds.

Do you want to visit multiple houses?

With the Duo and Trio tickets, you can tour multiple mansions and gardens at a discounted price. These tickets can be used on different days and they do not expire.

Plan your visit

See tour options, frequently asked questions, information on our policies and everything else you need to know.

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Map & parking info.

Parking is free onsite at all properties except for Hunter House and The Breakers Stable & Carriage House, where street parking is available.

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Mansions & Gardens

Explore the 11 properties under the stewardship of the Preservation Society and open as historic house museums.

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Sitting in the eastern corner of the Lower Park, right on the shoreline of the Gulf of Finland, Monplaisir vaguely resembles a Dutch Colonial mansion, with its high gabled roof over the central corpus and narrow rectangular windows to keep out the wintry north wind. The facade on the opposite side of the palace is quite different, with long single-storey galleries topped by a balustraded terrace and supported by slender columns. Here, large French windows allow natural light to pour into the rooms, giving the whole building a summery, almost tropical feel.

Monplaisir was completed by 1723, and became Peter's preferred retreat, where he entertained only his closest friends and advisors. The rooms inside are almost entirely paneled in oak, and contain an interesting collection of 17 th century art, much of which comes from Peter's own collection. Among the highlights inside is the delightful Lacquered Gallery, the creation of which required Russian icon-painters to spend months studying Chinese lacquering. The result is an extraordinary mixture of black, gold and red panels with a distinctly Russian accent. The Assembly Hall, which was the main reception room, used for riotous banquets in Peter's time, is decorated with latticed panels representing Africa, America, and Asia, and intricate rocaille coving.

Typically for Peter, Monplaisir displays an intriguing mixture of grandeur and homely comfort, with its pretty Dutch-tiled pantry, where Peter's wife Catherine would herself cook for guests, and the cozy Maritime Study, with tiles representing 13 different types of ship. From the windows, the view across the Gulf to Kronshtadt on one side and St. Petersburg on the other is particularly fine.

Added later to Monplaisir are the Bathhouse Wing and Kitchen Block, ordered by Catherine after Peter's death, and the Catherine Wing, which was originally built for Empress Elizabeth, but adapted by Quarenghi for Catherine the Great, who lived at Monplaisir during the last years of her marriage to Peter III. It was here that she heard the news of the coup against her husband that would eventually make her Empress of All the Russias. Inside the Catherine Wing, there are more relics of Alexander I than of Catherine, including his study and bedroom, with an extraordinary boat-shaped bed.

Monplaisir Pavilon:

Catherine Wing:

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Open 365 days a year, Mount Vernon is located just 15 miles south of Washington DC.

From the mansion to lush gardens and grounds, intriguing museum galleries, immersive programs, and the distillery and gristmill. Spend the day with us!

Discover what made Washington "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen".

The Mount Vernon Ladies Association has been maintaining the Mount Vernon Estate since they acquired it from the Washington family in 1858.

Need primary and secondary sources, videos, or interactives? Explore our Education Pages!

The Washington Library is open to all researchers and scholars, by appointment only.

The Mansion at George Washington's Mount Vernon is one of the most iconic 18th-century homes in America.

George Washington's Mansion is ten times the size of the average home in colonial Virginia. 

Inside the Mansion, guests can see:

• the New Room, the grandest space in the house
• the Key to the Bastille , given to George Washington by the Marquis de Lafayette in 1790
• family portraits and the Washington coat of arms
• Washington's private study

Tour the Mansion

Entry to the Mansion is by guided tour only and requires a Mansion tour ticket (a grounds pass allows access to the estate).

To receive your desired tour time, we recommend that you purchase your tour tickets in advance online.  Same-day tickets at the gate are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Buy Tickets

Mount Vernon Virtual Tour

The mansion, preservation work.

We have embarked upon our landmark Mansion Revitalization project! During your visit, you may see our Preservation teams restoring the framing, masonry, and environmental controls of the Mansion, ensuring our first president’s home will be ready to receive millions of guests for generations to come.

Individual rooms will be taken off display as work progresses through the house.

Beginning January 2024, the New Room will not be on view.

Mansion Rooms

Explore the recently restored rooms inside the Washingtons' home.

Little Parlor

Lafayette Room

Yellow Room

Front Parlor

Chintz Room

The History of the Mansion

The building began as a one and one-half story house built in 1734 by George Washington's father, Augustine Washington, and received its well-known name from his half-brother Lawrence Washington .

George Washington began running Mount Vernon in 1754, and over the next 45 years slowly enlarged the dwelling to create the 21-room residence we see today.

Washington oversaw each renovation,  advising on design, construction, and decoration, despite being away much of the time. Conscious that the world was watching, Washington selected architectural features that expressed his growing status as a Virginia gentleman and ultimately as the leader of a new nation.

Personal Tour of Mount Vernon by George Washington

Join George Washington on a personal tour of his beloved Mansion at Mount Vernon as he shares his daily routine and the history behind some of its many rooms.

10 Facts about the Mansion

Did you know, despite George Washington's efforts, the Mansion is not symmetrical?

Labor in the Mansion

A staff of enslaved butlers, housemaids, waiters, and cooks made the Washingtons’ lifestyle possible.

Building Mount Vernon

Previous 1734 next, little hunting creek plantation.

George Washington's father, Augustine Washington, moves his family to the Little Hunting Creek plantation for three years. George Washington was about two years old at the time. Dendrochronology, or the use of tree ring analysis to determine relative dating, shows the trees used to frame this section of the house were cut in 1734. The original house likely consisted of four rooms and a central passage on the first floor and a garret. The family lived at Little Hunting Creek for a few years before moving to Ferry Farm, located across the Rappahannock River from Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Augustine Washington Dies

Augustine Washington dies leaving the Little Hunting Creek plantation to George Washington’s older half-brother Lawrence Washington. Not long after inheriting the estate, Lawrence renamed it Mount Vernon, in honor of Admiral Edward Vernon, his commander while serving in the Virginia Foot Regiments.

Lawrence Washington Dies

Lawrence Washington died of tuberculosis in July of 1752 and left Mount Vernon to Sarah, his only living child. His will also stated that if Sarah died without offspring the property would go to Lawrence’s wife, Anne Fairfax Washington. Sarah died only two years later without any children, so Anne inherited Mount Vernon. By this time, Anne had remarried and no longer lived at Mount Vernon. So, after taking ownership of the estate, she began leasing it to George Washington in late-1754. A further provision in Lawrence’s will stated that upon Anne’s death Mount Vernon would pass to George Washington. Thus, when Anne died in 1761, George Washington became the owner of Mount Vernon.

George Washington Expands Mount Vernon

George Washington began expanding Mount Vernon while leasing the property. His first major expansion of the original one-story house with a garret began in the late 1750s. The roof was raised to create a full second story and a third-floor garret. While Washington likely left the footprint of the first floor largely intact, he reconfigured the staircase and the second-floor rooms. In addition, ‘Closets,’ or one-story extensions, were added on the north and south ends of the house. Additionally, an entry in Washington's diary reported the house had four principal dependencies attached to the main house by "Pallisades" on low brick walls.

Washington Marries Martha Dandridge Custis

On January 6, 1759, George Washington married Martha Dandridge Custis. In April, she, her children, and many enslaved people moved to Mount Vernon. Just days before their arrival, Washington writes to his plantation manager: “You must have the House very well cleand... the Stair case ought also to be polishd in order to make it look well.”

George Washington Inherits Mount Vernon

Upon the death of Lawrence Washington’s widow, Anne, George Washington becomes the owner of Mount Vernon.

Second Expansion Begins

The second expansion began in 1774. First, a two-story addition was added to the south end of the house. It contained a study for Washington on the first floor, small service spaces on either side of the study, and a bedroom and dressing rooms for himself and Mrs. Washington on the second floor. This addition was completed in 1775. 

The north end was also expanded to include a large two-story entertaining space called the New Room. With its two-story-high ceiling, detailed architectural ornamentation, and stylish furnishings, the New Room intended to convey unpretentious beauty and fine craftsmanship, qualities Washington believed communicated the new nation’s values. The General summed up his ambitious goals for the room in a letter written while he was away fighting in the Revolutionary War: “I would have the whole executed in a masterly manner.” While the north wing was started in 1776, its interior was not completed until circa 1787. 

Exterior Improvements

Additionally, the house received several impressive features: a large pediment with an oval, ox-eye window, a cupola, and a two-story piazza along the east façade. While a classically-inspired pediment was not an unusual feature on large houses of the time, cupolas were not commonly found in domestic architecture, being more associated with public buildings. And, while small porches could be found adorning houses throughout the colonies, the Mansion’s full-width, two-story form was unique.

Dove of Peace Weathervane

In 1787, Washington designed and ordered a weathervane from Philadelphia artisan Joseph Rakestraw. Washington explained that he "should like to have a bird...with an olive branch in its Mouth. The bird need not be large (for I do not expect that it will traverse with the wind and therefore may receive the real shape of a bird, with spread wings).” Supporting this dove of peace weathervane, and the wooden finial and copper ball that were installed with it, is a large wrought-iron lighting rod that has protected the Mansion for over two centuries. The whole assembly completed the cupola, which had been “left so long unfinished.”

Expansion of Mount Vernon's Mansion

In 1754, George Washington began residing at Mount Vernon, a 3,000 acre estate and a house that likely approximated 3,500 square feet. By his death, Washington’s Mount Vernon consisted of about 7,600 acres and an almost 11,000 square foot mansion.

Restoration Projects

In recent years many rooms inside Mount Vernon's Mansion have undergone extensive restoration work.

Mansion Siding

When you think about the house and its evolution, the siding may not be the first thing that crosses your mind. Do not be fooled, though, - the siding has revealing stories to tell.

Explore Washington's Mansion

The washingtons' bedchamber.

George Washington frequently referred to this room as "Mrs. Washington's Bed Chamber," and it was her most private space.

Garret Bedchamber

Unwilling to remain in the bedchamber where her husband died, Martha Washington retreated to a third-floor garret bedchamber.

Downstairs Bedroom

The Downstairs Bedroom served as a bedchamber as early as 1759 and was used as one throughout George Washington's life.

George Washington's Study

Once built, this room served as the center of Washington's personal and professional operations.

Mount Vernon's Staircases

The staircases of Mount Vernon—how they changed, how they were used, and by whom—tell important stories about daily life on the estate that don’t necessarily persist in the documentary record.

According to an inventory, the kitchen contained a wide variety of cooking equipment, including pots and pans, skillets, a griddle, a toaster, a boiler, spits, chafing dishes, tin and pewter "Ice Cream Pots," coffeepots, and strainers.

George and Martha Washington knew the Little Parlor as a bedchamber for most of their residency. Towards the end of their life, the room transformed into a parlor. 

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• The Stroganov Palace You can see it at our Petersburg Free Tour . Image by flickr / Alexxx1979,used under Creative Commons license
• Church of the Saviour on Blood You can see it at our Petersburg Free Tour . Image by flickr / BBM Explorer,used under Creative Commons license
• Church of the Saviour on Blood You can see it at our Petersburg Free Tour . Image by flickr / Marc_Smith,used under Creative Commons license

See our other great daily tours

2 PM Hermitage Daily Tour Price : 2950 RUB

Be inspired by one of the most famous art museums in the world!

You’ll see one of the best known museums in the world which found its place in the former winter residence of Empress Catherine the Great. Its collection contains over 2.7 million exhibits including some of the world’s greatest works of art. Take a guided tour with us to see the best of Hermitage within 3 hours.

What will we see during the tour?

• Winter Palace and Hermitage Image by flickr / melalouise,used under Creative Commons license
• Hermitage Collage Images used under Creative Commons License.Copyrights: see bellow.
• Rembrandt. Danae Image by wikipedia / Yorck Project,used under Creative Commons license
• Leonardo da Vinci. Madonna Litta Image by wikipedia / Yorck Project,used under Creative Commons license

4:30 PM Hermitage collection of XX cent. Price : 2450 RUB

The Hermitage is one of the most famous museums in the world. Spread over several buildings lining the Neva River in St. Petersburg, this museum is way too large to see in just a few hours

• Alexander Column Meeting Point of our Hermitage collection of XX century and Petersburg Free Tour . Image by flickr / Alexxx1979,used under Creative Commons license
• Matisse. La Dance Image by wikipedia / Yorck Project,used under Creative Commons license
• Monet. Femme au jardin Image by wikipedia / Yorck Project,used under Creative Commons license
• Van Gogh. Thatched houses Image by wikipedia / Yorck Project,used under Creative Commons license

2 PM Petersburg Metro Tour Price: 1699 RUB

See one of the most beautiful metros in the world!

You will see these masterpieces of underground architecture Uprising Square, Avtovo, Kirov Plant, Admiralty and other astonishing stations.

• Ploshchad Vosstaniya Ploshchad Vosstaniya(Uprising Square) Station with bas-reliefs on the revolutionary events Image by Wikimedia Commons / A.Savin,used under Creative Commons license
• Avtovo Avtovo The true underground palace! Image by Wikimedia Commons / Florstein,used under Creative Commons license
• Mosaic on Avtovo station Image by Wikimedia Commons / Florstein,used under Creative Commons license
• Kirovskiy Zavod Kirovskiy Zavod(Kirov Plant) Station with bas-reliefs of the Soviet heavy industry Image by Wikimedia Commons / Florstein,used under Creative Commons license
• Admiralteyskaya (Admiralty) Admiralteyskaya (Admiralty) One of the deepest subway stations in the world! Image by Wikimedia Commons,used under Creative Commons license
• Admiralty, one of the deepest subway stations in the world Admiralteyskaya (Admiralty) One of the deepest subway stations in the world! Image by Wikimedia Commons,used under Creative Commons license

5 PM Communist Leningrad Price: 1699 RUB

Get to know the hidden pages of Soviet Leningrad history!

On our Communist Leningrad Tour you will see the KGB headquarters (called Big House by city dwellers), infamous Crosses Prisons and Peter & Paul Fortress, the Aurora Cruiser, which gave the signal for the start of the revolution, and many other most important sights of the Soviet era.

• Lenin Monument
• Big House (KGB Headquarters)
• Crosses Prison, infamous Soviet prison
• Aurora Cruiser, which gave the signal to start the revolution
• Peter & Paul Fortress, the main political prison of the city Image by flickr / Alexxx1979, used under Creative Commons license
• Solovetsky Stone, a monument to victims of repression
• Museum of Political History of Russia

8 PM Petersburg Off the Beaten Track Price: 1699 RUB

Discover the city off the beaten track!

You will learn curious facts, funny stories, myths and legends of one of the most beautiful cities in the world! See St. Petersburg as city dwellers see it.

• Fountain on the Malaya Sadovaya street, which originally is not the fountain.
• Typical city well-yard, one of unofficial symbols of St. Pete.
• The St. Michael Castle, the only castle belonging to Romanov’s family and inhabited by a ghost.
• Small monuments famous for making wishes come true.

00:20 AM Drawbridges Boat Tour Price: 2950 RUB

Take a romantic night trip along the canals with watching drawbridges!

You’ll be inspired with one of the most beautiful cities in the world at night and will see the famous St. Petersburg bridges rising their wings.

• The night river sites of the Neva Image by flickr / Salvatore.Freni, flickr / dobrych,used under Creative Commons license Image by flickr / James Orlov,used under Creative Commons license
• The ensemble of Vasilyevsky Island Image by flickr / ntsuleva,used under Creative Commons license
• Rising wings of Palace and Trinity Bridges Dvortsovy Most (Palace Bridge) Image by flickr / dgaripov,used under Creative Commons license
• The Peter & Paul Fortress beautifully illuminated at night Image by flickr / dobrych,used under Creative Commons license

Petersburg City Pass Price : 5950 RUB/4950 RUB

Fresh deal!

Petersburg City Pass for 4 of our daily tours just for 110 EUR 90 EUR.

What tours can I visit with Petersburg City Pass?

• Communist Leningrad Tour
• Hermitage Daily tour

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The rooms and halls of the Grand Peterhof Palace

#Attractions #Museums #Peterhof #Peter I #Sightseeing

The Grand Palace along with the large fountain cascade in front of it is the main attraction of Peterhof and architectural dominant of the whole Palace and Park complex. In XVII – XIX centuries the Grand Peterhof Palace was the main ceremonial residence of Russian tsars, which hosted important events and celebrations, receptions, balls and masquerades. This monumentally looking building has about 30 rooms inside.

The Grand Staircase

The Guest Entrance was arranged in the Western part of the building and involved the Grand staircase created by Bartolomeo Rastrelli in 1751.  The decoration of the Grand staircase included gilded statues and carved bouquets, caryatids and rocaille (that is made in the Rococo style) cartouches. The staircase leads guests to the enfilade which is a series of state rooms for official purposes. 

• The Chesma hall is a waiting room located in front of the Throne room were officials were waiting for the start of the reception. Paintings by the German painter Jacob Hackert serve as the main decoration of the hall. They depict the most dramatic episodes of the Chesma battle in which Russian fleet headed by count Alexei Orlov defeated Turkish fleet.

• The Throne room is the most spacious one, designed for receptions, balls and concerts, with an overall area of 330 sq.m. Originally this hall shone in its splendor, but in 1777 it was decorated in a classic and more modest style under the project of Yury Felten

• The Audience room was intended for small receptions of the Empress Elizabeth. The design was done by Rastrelli and became one of the best works of the architect.

“According to a legend, Elizabeth ordered Rastrelli to use as much gold in the room design as possible, because the apartment was used for the reception of noble merchants representatives, who, in the opinion of the Empress, admired gold”

• In the eighteenth century The Dance hall was known as The Merchants hall and its spacious area of 270 sq.m. occupied most of the Western half of the Grand Peterhof Palace. The windows are arranged in two tiers here and numerous mirrors and paintings are used as decorations. Parquet is made of dark and light oak, maple and walnut. According to a legend, Elizabeth ordered Rastrelli to use as much gold in the room design as possible, because the apartment was used for the reception of noble merchants representatives, who, in the opinion of the Empress, admired gold.

• White dining room was meant for festive meals and was originally designed by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. In 1774 – 1775, Yuri Felten significantly changed the hall – the new style was the complete opposite of the previous one. Instead of the gloss of gold the interior was decorated in strict classical canons. In the center of the room there is a huge table, covered with a white tablecloth and a 30 persons porcelain set, created by the famous English master Josiah Wedgwood.

• The Painting hall is the oldest one: it was designed during the life of Peter I. It is decorated with tapestries by French masters and 16 paintings by Italian artists. Originally Nicolo Michetti and Jean-Baptiste Leblond took part in creation of the room design, but later, in the middle of the XVIII century, the hall was changed by the project of Rastrelli.

The Throne Room

Ceremonial halls are followed by the rooms of the private half, which was accessible only to a circle of confidants. It housed bedrooms, private offices and salons, designed again by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The abundance of gilding, mirrors and paintings, suspended symmetrical arches with plafond paintings and parquet floors made of precious wood – all these details create a festive atmosphere.

Currently, the Grand Peterhof Palace is a unique Museum of history and art, whose contains about three and a half thousand exhibits, including paintings and porcelain, fabrics, unique furniture and personal belongings of the Russian rulers.

Animal rescue icon Lee Asher, of Asher House, returns to Florida. See locations of his tour

The appearances are of lee asher's "unlock your super power" tour. his talks will take place right after the memorial day weekend..

Animal rescue icon Lee Asher will return to Florida in May for three speaking engagements.

Asher, who was born in New York but raised in South Florida, will speak in Jacksonville, Orlando and Clearwater. The appearances are of Asher's "Unlock your super power" tour. Asher's talks will take place right after the Memorial Day weekend.

"Through compelling stories of overcoming adversity, heartfelt anecdotes about embracing the growth that comes out of tragedy, and a wealth of knowledge about the world of animal rescue , Lee captivates audiences and encourages them to join the movement to be their best self," read a description of the tour on the Asher House Facebook page.

Asher spoke in Boca Raton at Lynn University in November.

Profile story on Lee Asher: How animal rescue star lives his best pack life, and why he eyes Florida sanctuary

Where will Lee Asher be speaking in Florida in May?

The three events are:

• Wednesday, May 29, at 8 p.m.: Florida Theater at 128 E. Forsyth St., Jacksonville. Ticket prices range from $36 to $101.
• Thursday, May 30 at 8 p.m.: Hard Rock Live Orlando at 650 Universal Blvd. at CityWalk. Tickets range from $42 to $186.
• Friday, May 31 at 8 p.m.: Ruth Eckerd Hall at 1111 N. McMullen Booth Road, Clearwater. Tickets are $49 and $69.

Want to adopt a shelter do? Animal rescue icon Lee Asher offers advice, tips for prospective owners

Who is Lee Asher of 'My Pack Life' and what is The Asher House?

Asher, 35, starred in a 2022 reality TV series called "My Pack Life."

Today, Asher cares for an estimated 200 dogs, cats, horses, llamas and other animals at three privately run Asher House sanctuaries in Oregon.

He shares the stories of the animals he rescues in emotion-packed videos accessed by 6.3 million people on Facebook and 1.6 million followers each on Instagram and TikTok plus 593,000 subscribers on YouTube.

A Florida sanctuary? Animal rescue icon Lee Asher plans to expand his sanctuary concept across the U.S.

How did Lee Asher get into the animal rescue business?

Asher struggled with severe attention deficit disorder as a youth growing up in South Florida.

During a recent appearance at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Asher spoke of desperation "to fit in" and feeling "very different" from his peers whom he watched succeed and thrive. The struggles worsened, and after a serious bullying incident, Asher was forced to change schools.

At about the age of 12, he said, he began visiting a Broward County animal shelter where he found consolation, and kinship, with the dogs and cats in the kennels.

"When I was able to be with the dogs, and they would go from being scared in a corner to tail-wagging and me petting them through the kennel and I could see them happy; seeing them happy just completely took all my pain away," Asher recalled.

Antonio Fins is a politics and business editor at  The Palm Beach Post , part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at  [email protected] .  Help support our journalism. Subscribe today .

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‘We Bought a Flipped House—Now It’s Falling Apart’: The Telltale Signs We Wish We Hadn’t Missed

When my husband and I first walked through the door of our current home, I thought This will do.

We had spent six months looking at homes, and I was tired. Our second child had recently been born—in fact, we canceled the first meeting with our real estate agent because I was in the hospital giving birth—so we were eager, maybe even desperate, to find a place to settle down with our growing family of four.

This house in Allentown, PA, which we bought for $175,000, was move-in ready. A recent renovation included a remodeled kitchen, updated appliances, new exterior siding, and a refinished roof.

On the face of it, all the hard work had already been done for us. What we didn’t know was that the house had been flipped—and it didn’t take long to discover that many corners had been cut.

Early signs of a cheap flip

We had barely moved in, with cardboard boxes everywhere, when we started noticing small things. A light in the living room didn’t work. Dead electrical outlets didn’t connect to any of the switches.

Then, more annoying issues started to crop up.

The bathroom lights started flickering whenever the hall light was turned on. A drain pipe in our laundry room overflowed, flooding our basement.

Then, the big problems started to arise.

We settled on our house in the fall, so we didn’t use the air conditioner until the following summer. On the first hot day of the year, we learned that our HVAC system did nothing to cool the second floor of our house.

An electrician said the lights flickering was a byproduct of incorrectly installed fuses. A plumber said the reason our washer kept backing up was because it had been added to the same line as the kitchen, which was enough to cause frequent clogs.

(Lauren Wellbank)

And the trouble with the HVAC? According to an HVAC tech , the person who installed our system had used a wrong-sized unit for our home and had installed attic ductwork in the basement. This combination of errors meant that the unit was unable to push cold air up to the second floor.

The most basic fix would cost something in the five-digit range.

The financial toll of buying a poorly flipped house

We’re nearly seven years into owning our home, and not a year goes by where we don’t have to address something that was mismanaged during the flip.

We’ve replaced an incorrectly installed water heater, which had become corroded due to a leak; our entire gutter system, which had been hung at the wrong angle, causing it to bend and warp under the weight of snow and rain; various components of our HVAC system (including the compressor twice); and so much more.

We’re more than $10,000 into these fixes with another $10,000 ahead of us.

Hindsight is 20/20, and looking back, there were some obvious signs that things weren’t exactly done the right way. For instance, our “new Bilco door” to the basement was no more than a sheet of unsealed plywood with a handle.

In fact, we should have been wary the moment we looked at the listing.

Homes might not advertise that they are a flip, but a red flag is when the purchase history shows the home was put back on the market a few months after it was last purchased.

While not all flipped properties are poor quality, a bad flip might often sit on the market longer than what seems normal for the area.

“The first red flag of a bad flip, before I even see the house in person, is the days on market part of the MLS listing,” explains Jameson Tyler Drew , developer and president of Anubis Properties in Whittier, CA. “If the house doesn’t look like a total wreck, is decently priced, but has been on the market for 90-plus days, that’s a red flag that something in or around the house is wrong.”

Another dead giveaway was that while the house looked pristine—with new flooring, a fresh coat of paint, and a recently renovated kitchen—other areas that often go ignored by buyers had a more patched-up appearance.

“Interior cracks can be hidden with some clever use of drywall and paint,” Drew says. “Exterior cracks not so much. Foundation issues are sometimes extremely apparent from the outside, like disintegrating concrete, sagging and peeling stucco, or diagonal cracks in the exterior walls.”

These issues are often expensive and time-consuming to fix, which is why many flippers leave them unaddressed, Drew says.

Another place to check in a flip is the bathroom, he adds. “When visiting the inside of a flipped home, I usually go straight to the bathroom and look at the floor. If the tile work is starting to crack or there are gaps between the floor and walls, I usually prepare my clients for the worst.”

How to check a flipped house for issues before you buy

It’s clear that our home inspector missed a lot when he was inspecting our home, but the real issue might be that we didn’t bring in the right professional for the job.

“There are qualified home inspectors who offer what is called a ‘Construction Defect Inspection,'” explains Bradley Wilson , a licensed real estate salesperson and educator at Finger Lakes Sotheby’s in Skaneateles, NY. “This is a much more in-depth inspection, which costs two to three times that of a typical inspection, but is well worth the money.”

This inspection will address the “nuts and bolts” of the construction, according to Wilson. It will also offer insight into whether you should hire another specialized professional like an engineer, plumber, or electrician. This type of inspection would have been hugely helpful in our situation, since the inspector would have referred us to an HVAC pro for our air conditioner.

If you don’t want to (or can’t afford to) hire another pro to give your prospective home a once-over before you sign on the dotted line, you can always do some of the legwork yourself, or ask your real estate agent for help.

If you have the name of any of the companies that worked on the house you’re looking at, whether it be the construction company or the corporation that purchased the property, you can look them up online and check their reviews on the Better Business Bureau website.

Another smart option involves reaching out to the local municipality to ask for the building permits for the property address.

“If the square footage or property description for the city doesn’t match what’s in the MLS listing, you might want to move on,” Drew says.

Would I ever buy another flipped property?

While I’ve grown to love our home despite its many problems, I’m not sure I’d risk buying a flipped house again.

Sure, brand-new cherry cabinets and granite countertops are nice, but for all the money we’ve spent taking care of the mistakes we’ve found along the way, we could have installed these items ourselves.

It’s a good lesson to always look beyond a home’s appearance to what might be hiding underneath.

Lauren Wellbank is a former mortgage professional with more than a decade of lending experience. Since leaving the industry, she has turned her talents to freelance writing, where she covers a variety of topics including real estate. You can find some of her work in Apartment Therapy, Martha Stewart Living, and The Washington Post.

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Solar eclipse 2024: Follow the path of totality

Solar eclipse, worried about eclipse damage to your eyes don't panic.

Geoff Brumfiel

Nell Greenfieldboyce

Junior Espejo looks through eclipse glasses being handed out by NASA in Houlton, Maine. Used correctly, eclipse glasses prevent eye damage. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

Junior Espejo looks through eclipse glasses being handed out by NASA in Houlton, Maine. Used correctly, eclipse glasses prevent eye damage.

Tens of millions of Americans will have spent the day staring at a total solar eclipse, and at least a few of them may become worried that they inadvertently damaged their eyes.

But experts say there's no need to panic — the vast majority of eclipse viewers are probably fine. And even if somebody did strain their eyes, the effects could be temporary.

During the 2017 total solar eclipse it's estimated that 150 million Americans viewed the event. There were around 100 documented cases of eye damage across all of America and Canada, according to Ralph Chou, an expert on eclipse eye safety with the University of Waterloo in Canada.

Far more people turned up in emergency rooms worried that they'd damaged their eyes. Many complained of watery eyes or blurred vision, but in most cases they were fine, according to Avnish Deobhakta, an ophthalmologist at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai, one of the largest eye hospitals in the nation.

The reason it's hard to do real damage is simple — the human eye has evolved to avoid staring directly at the sun.

"It's so bright that we're not actually capable of looking at it without either tearing or sort of not really feeling comfortable staring at this ball of light," Deobhakta says.

Shots - Health News

Here's what it looks like when you fry your eye in an eclipse.

In the rare case that someone does damage their eyes, that damage usually shows up as a blurry spot in the field of vision , hours or up to a day after watching the eclipse. In about half of cases, the problem fixes itself, but permanent damage can sometimes occur.

Anticipating the post-eclipse ocular anxiety, at least one eye clinic in Buffalo, N.Y., is offering free eye checks immediately after the eclipse on April 8.

It's always a good idea to get your eyes checked, whether or not there's an eclipse. So if you're worried at all, go ahead and use the opportunity to schedule your annual exam.

• eclipse eye damage
• 2024 eclipse