House & Garden
There are many stately and historic homes throughout the Washington, DC, area. Some require reservations and others charge admission. You may also wish to visit the Presidential Homes section on this website, which features the homes of U.S. Presidents within a two-hour drive of Washington, DC. Most are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Abingdon Plantation
Located at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport between Garage A and Garage B/C
Hours and Admission
No admission charged
The site can be reached by walking from either garage. Visitors to Abingdon using Metro should take the exit for Terminal B, use the bridge to Garage B/C and walk through the garage on level 2 to the site. Passengers may also reach the Abingdon site by taking the pedestrian bridges from Terminal B/C to Garage B.
As the historical site is located in the immediate proximity of the airport, it is best be viewed during daylight hours.
You can start sightseeing before leaving the airport in DC. The remains of Abingdon Plantation lay between two parking garages near Terminal B at Washington Reagan National Airport and can be accessed via walkway between the two garages. The brick plantation home was originally part of a land tract granted in 1669. In 1778, John Parke Custis, adopted stepson of George Washington, purchased the land and moved his family here to be near his parents. Unfortunately, Custis died in 1781, and Washington adopted Custis’ youngest two children who then moved to Mount Vernon to live with their grandparents. Abingdon eventually burned down in 1930, but the ruins of the plantation house remain preserved on the hill as a testament to the history of the land.
Christian Heurich House Mansion (The Brewmaster's Castle)
(202) 429-1894
1307 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20036
Hours and Admission
Tours conducted by reservation Thursday-Saturday at 11:30am, 1pm, and 2:30pm
Admission charged, children under 10 not permitted.
This Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places is considered one of the most intact late-Victorian homes. It was built in the 1880s by German immigrant and local brewer Christian Heurich (HI-rick), who ran his brewery until his death at 102-1/2.
Decatur House Museum (202) 842-0920 Tours begin at 1610 H Street, NW. Washington, DC 20006
Hours and Admission: Tours offered Monday's at 11am, 12:30pm, and 2pm No admission charged
One of the oldest surviving homes in Washington, DC, Decatur House was completed in 1818 for naval hero Stephen Decatur. It features a Federalist style and counts Henry Clay, Martin Van Buren and Edward Livingston among its past residents.
Dumbarton Oaks
(202) 339-6401
1703 32nd St. NW, Washington, DC 20007
Hours and Admission
Museum Hours
Tuesday-Sunday, 11:30am-5:30pm
Closed Mondays, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 25, and January 1.
Admission to the museum is free
Garden Hours
Tuesday-Sunday, 2pm-6pm March 15-October 31. Admission is charged
Tuesday-Sunday, 2pm-5pm November 1-March 14 No admission charged
Closed Monday and Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, December 25 and January 1
The gardens at Dumbarton Oaks incorporate elements of French, English and Italian gardens. The formal gardens cover ten acres of beautiful landscape and small formal gardens along with a Roman-style amphitheater.
Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House
9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA (703) 780-4000
Hours and Admission
Open April-December
Friday-Monday 11am-3pm
Admission charged
The Pope-Leighey House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was designed as a prototype of a well-designed middle-income family home in the 1930s. It is designed, like many other works by Wright, to bring nature into the home. Originally set in Alexandria, it was moved in the mid-1960s to the Woodlawn Plantation site. The 1,200 square foot wood, brick and concrete structure contains the furniture that Wright designed for it.
Federal Reserve Garden
20th and C Streets, NW, Washington, DC
No admission charged
Located at 20th and C Streets, NW in Washington, DC, these gardens feature a fountain and native grasses.
Franciscan Monastery & Gardens
(202) 526-6800
1400 Quincy Street, NW, Washington, DC 20017
Hours and Admission
Monastery Tours
Guided tours are offered by reservation only.
Monday – Saturday 10am, 11am, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm Sunday 1pm, 2pm, 3pm
No admission charged; donations accepted.
Garden tours
Guided Garden Tours are every Saturday during the summer at 11am and noon.
Large groups wishing to visit the gardens are asked to make a reservation. Smaller groups may visit without a reservation.
Gardens are open daily to the public. 9 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.
The Franciscan Monastery, located near the Brookland Metro stop (Red Line), is open daily for those wishing to visit the site, tour the catacombs or simply sit or walk in its gardens.
Hillwood Museum and Gardens
(202) 686-5807
4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Hours and Admission
Tuesday-Sunday: 10am-5pm
Closed Monday's, most national holidays and several weeks at the end of January.
No admission charged; donations suggested.
Hillwood is the former 25-acre estate of Marjorie Merriweather Post, heir to the Post cereal fortune. It features French and Russian art collections as well as beautiful gardens, which are maintained in the same manner as when Mrs. Post lived at Hillwood.
Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden (Smithsonian)
(202) 633-4674
Corner of 7th Street and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20560
Hours and Admission
Open Daily: 10am-5:30pm
Museum Plaza: 7:30am-5:30pm
Museum Garden: 7:30am-dusk
No admission charged; donations accepted
This Smithsonian museum, which bears the name of renowned collector Joseph H. Hirshhorn (1889-1981) who donated more than 6,000 paintings and sculptures, features international modern and contemporary art. Daily tours conducted by docents. The Sculpture Garden is located on the National Mall and contains more than 60 large-scale works of art from Auguste Rodin, Alexander Calder, Henry Moore and others.
Lady Bird Johnson Park
(703) 289-2500
Located in Virginia, along the George Washington Memorial Parkway near the Pentagon and Arlington Memorial Cemetery,
Hours and Admission
Open year-round during daylight hours No admission charged
Located at on an island in the Potomac River that is only accessible from a footbridge from a parking lot on the Virginia shore, you will find a relaxing spot to watch the river. You will get great views of the Potomac and Washington skyline at a site that Lady Bird Johnson often used to admire the city.
Mount Vernon (George Washington's Home)
(703) 780-2000
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway
Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Hours and Admission
April-October: 9am-5pm
November-March: 9am-4pm
Admission charged
Home and final resting place of America's 1st President, George Washington. During the time that Washington lived here (more than 45 years), Mount Vernon was an 8,000-acre plantation, which was divided into five farms; each was a complete unit. The farm where Washington and his family lived was called the "Mansion House Farm," and is the part of the plantation that we refer to today as "Mount Vernon." Washington inherited the property from his older half-brother, who named the property in honor of his commanding officer, Admiral Edward Vernon of the British navy.
Oatlands Historic House and Gardens
(703) 777-3174
20850 Oatlands Plantation Lane, Leesburg, VA 20175
Hours and Admission
Monday - Saturday 10am-5pm
Sunday, 1pm-5pm
Open April 1-December 30.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 24 and 2, and New Year's Eve.
Admission charged. Free for children age five and under.
Other specialty tours available with dedicated times. See Oatlands website for details.
Built over two centuries ago in 1798 by George Carter, a descendant of one of Virginia’s first families, the Oatlands Historic House and Gardens originated as a plantation maintained by slave labor. Known for its elaborate gardens, the property was then purchased in 1903 by Mr. and Mrs. William Corcoran Eustis of Washington, D.C., who eventually restored the original property.
The Octagon House 
(202) 626-7439
1799 New York Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Hours and Admission
Self-guided tours
Thursday – Saturday, 1-4pm
No admission charged
Located just blocks from the White House, this residence, designed by the architect of the U.S. Capitol, Dr. William Thornton, was built in 1801 and served as a temporary "Executive Mansion" for President James Madison in 1814 after the British burned the White House. You will see this kid-friendly museum house contains touchable exhibits and opportunities for children to learn more about life during early American history.
Old Stone House Garden
3051 M Street, NW, Washington, DC
Hours and Admission
Open daily 11am-6pm Closed Thanksgiving, December 25, and January 1.
The garden is open during daylight hours.
No admission charged.
This English garden in Georgetown, on the site of the oldest surviving building in the Washington area, is managed by the National Park Service and features fruit trees and flowers.
Tudor Place Historic House and Garden
(202) 965-0400
1644 31st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007
Hours and Admission
February through December
Tuesday-Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday Noon-4pm
Closed Monday and most federal holidays.
Admission charged
Tudor Place in Georgetown Heights was built by Martha Washington's granddaughter and her husband. The 5-1/2 acre garden features a box edging from Mount Vernon with a large collection of period flowers and shrubs.
U.S. Botanic Garden
(202) 225-8333 
100 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20001
Hours and Admission
10am-5pm daily
No admission charged
The U.S. Botanic Garden is located on the National Mall across from the U.S. Capitol along First Street, SW. It features Bartholdi Park, the National Garden and the newly-restored Conservatory. Approximately 4,000 plants are on display.
U.S. National Arboretum, including National Bonsai and Penjing Museum
(202) 245-2726 
3501 New York Avenue, NE, Washington, DC
Hours and Admission
Arboretum
Open daily 8am-5pm
Closed December 25
Visitors Center
Open Daily 8am-4:30pm, except for federal holidays November through February
The visitors center is closed federal holidays November-February
Bonsai & Penjing Museum
Open daily 10am-4pm, except for federal holidays November through February
No admission charged to any museum.
Over 14,000 different species, varieties and cultivars are displayed on this campus in northeast Washington, D.C. You will find Asian plant collections, dogwoods, holly, magnolia, bonsai, azaleas and many other varieties.
Washington National Cathedral Gardens
(202) 537-6200 
Cathedral is located at 3101 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Garden tours begin on South Road off Wisconsin Avenue
Hours and Admission
The gardens are open daily to visitors year round. Maps for self-guided tours may be downloaded from the Cathedral Gardens website.
Docent led tours are available for groups of five or more for $5 per person.
The gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., and take up about two-thirds of the National Cathedral site.
Woodlawn Plantation
(703) 780-4000
9000 Richmond Highway, Alexandria, VA
Hours and Admission
Open April-December Friday-Monday 11am-3pm
Admission charged
This plantation was originally a gift from George Washington to "Nelly" Custis, granddaughter of Martha Washington. It was designed by Dr. William Thornton, who was also the first architect of the U.S. Capitol and the Octagon House.
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