Presidential Homes

Four of the first five U.S. presidents made Virginia their home: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. Along with the White House, in the area in and around Washington, DC, you can visit Mount Vernon, Washington's home; Woodrow Wilson's home (he was the only President to settle in DC following his presidency); and several other residences and locations in the area closely connected with current and former Presidents.

Additionally, within a few hours' drive of Washington, DC, you can visit several homes and sites that were significant in the lives of Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe and other Founding Fathers. You will find information below on Presidential homes as well as other historic homes that may be of interest.

Please note that most of the properties are not open on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas and New Year's Day. Hours of operation are usually reduced during the fall and winter months.

Arlington House (the Custis-Lee Mansion)
(703) 235-1530
Located on the grounds of Arlington National Cemetery

Hours and Admission
Generally 9:30am-4:30pm, some extended hours in the summer.
Check the Arlington House website for today's hours.
Closed January 1, December 25
No admission charged; reservations are not required, but groups are limited to 25 at one time.

This was the home of Robert E. Lee and his family for 30 years, it was originally built by George Washington Parke Custis as a memorial to his step-grandfather George Washington. It was in this house that Robert E. Lee wrote his resignation letter from the U.S. Army on April 20, 1861.

James Monroe's Highland (President James Monroe's home) 
(434) 293-8000
2050 James Monroe Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Hours and 

Admission
11am-5pm November-March
9am-6pm April-October
Admission charged; guided house tours available

Located in Albemarle County near Monticello (approximately two hours southwest of Washington, DC), Highland was home to our 5th President James Monroe for nearly a quarter of a century. The presidential home, which was built in 1799, burned down in the 1830s and was never rebuilt by Monroe. Research and work is underway to uncover the foundation of the home and to add insight into the life of a Founding Father. The tour offered includes an augmented reality option that gives insight into the lives of enslaved people who lived and worked there. You can also tour the Monroes’ 1818 guest house.

Blair House
1651-1653 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC
Not open for public tours, but visible from Pennsylvania Avenue across from the White House.

Blair House is the official state guest house for the President of the United States. It was built in 1824 in the Federal Style, and first served as a private home for Joseph Lovell, the first Surgeon General of the U.S. The name comes from Francis Preston Blair, Sr., who served as a member of Andrew Jackson’s “Kitchen Cabinet” and co-publisher of the Globe, who purchased the property in 1836. The federal government purchased the house in 1942; since then, it has been the primary guest residence for foreign heads of state visiting the President. During Truman’s presidency, it served as the President’s residents while the White House was gutted and rebuilt (1948-52). The home is never open to the public.

Berkeley Plantation (Harrison ancestral home)  
(804) 829-6018
12602 Harrison Landing Road, Charles City, VA 23030

Hours and Admission
10:30am-6:30pm - January-mid March
9:30am-4:30pm - mid March-December 
Grounds open until 5:30pm for ticketed guests
Closed Thanksgiving, December 25
Admission charged; guided house tours available

Considered one of the first great estates in America; the first official Thanksgiving was celebrated here on December 4, 1619. Berkeley Plantation was home to the Harrison family--6th President William Henry Harrison, and his grandson, the 23rd President Benjamin Harrison.

Ferry Farm (George Washington's home)  
(540) 370-0732
268 Kings Highway, Fredericksburg, VA 22405

Hours and Admission
10am-5pm daily
Closed January 1, Thanksgiving, December 24, 25, 31
Admission charged

George Washington's family roots are deep in historic Fredericksburg. He lived on Ferry Farm from six years old to about 19 when he moved to Mount Vernon.

John F. Kennedy residences, Georgetown area of Washington, D.C. 
1528 31st Street, NW, Washington, DC
1400 34th Street, NW, Washington, DC
3271 P Street, NW, Washington, DC
3307 N Street, NW, Washington, DC
No public access to residences

During his tenure in the U.S. Senate, John F. Kennedy lived in four different houses in Georgetown. The homes are private residences and not available for tours; so please respect the privacy of the owners. But you can view them from the outside.

Kenmore Plantation (Family home of George Washington's sister)
(540) 373-3381
1201 Washington Avenue, Fredericksburg, VA 22401

Hours and Admission
March to October: Monday-Saturday, 10am-5pm Sunday, Noon-5pm
November to December: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4pm Sunday, Noon-4pm
Closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and December 24, 25, & 31
Admission charged

This Georgian mansion, built in the 1770s by Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis, George Washington's sister, is famous for its ornate plasterwork ceilings.

Lincoln's Cottage
(202) 829-0436
Soldier’s Home Grounds, 140 Rock Creek Church Rd, NW, Washington, DC 20011

Hours and Admission
Monday-Saturday 9:30am–4:30pm
Sunday 10:30am-4:30pm
Admission charged; advance purchase strongly recommended

This cottage, opened to the public in 2008, gives an intimate, never-before-seen view of Abraham Lincoln, who spent most of the summers during his presidency in this cottage, commuting to the White House daily by horseback or carriage. The cottage, formerly known as "Anderson Cottage and located on the grounds of the Soldier's Home, was designated a National Monument in 2000, and opened for public tours in February 2008 after a seven-year, $15 million restoration project.

Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home)
(434) 984-9800
931 Thomas Jefferson Parkway, Charlottesville, VA 22902

Hours and Admission
Hours for Monticello adjust seasonally. Please see Monticello's calendar for today's hours.
Admission charged; guided house tours available

Estate of Thomas Jefferson, the principal author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States. Located in Albemarle County, Virginia, approximately two hours from Washington, DC; near James Monroe's Highland and Montpelier.

Montpelier (James Madison's home)
(540) 672-2728
11350 Constitution Highway, Montpelier Station, VA 22957

Hours and Admission
Generally 9am-5pm but hours may adjust seasonally.
Please see Montpelier's hours for today's times. Admission charged; guided house tours available.

Home of James Madison, 4th President of the United States and the Father of the Constitution. Located about two hours southwest of Washington, DC, in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, James Madison was raised at Montpelier and lived here for his entire life except during his presidency.

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.

Poplar Forest (Thomas Jefferson's home)
(434) 525-1806
1548 Bateman Bridge Road, Forest, VA 24551

Hours and Admission
Open daily 10am-5pm March 15-December 30
Closed Easter, Thanksgiving Day, December 24-25
Admission charged; guided house tours available

This plantation and octagonal-shaped home near Lynchburg, Virginia, was used as a retreat by our nation's 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson. He considered it "the most valuable" of his possessions and called it "the best dwelling house in the state except that of Monticello."

The White House
The White House Visitors Office 24-Hour Hotline at (202) 208-1631

Hours and Admission Tours are available Tuesday-Thursday, 7:30am to 11:30am 11:00am Friday-Saturday, 7:30am - 1:30pm No admission charged

Please note that while my office is able to assist you with scheduling a tour, there are times when tours may be canceled without prior notice from the White House. For more information, please visit: www.whitehouse.gov

The White House offers self-guided tours to patrons on a first-come-first-served basis. Reservations are required to tour the White House. Please contact my office for assistance in securing a tour reservation for your party. Upon request, my office will be asked to provide the White House with security information about each member of your party (including children). Upon submission of your request by my office, you will receive an email from the White House asking for this information, and the link provided in the link in the email will expire after 8 days.

Due to extremely limited availability, it is highly recommended that tour requests be submitted as early as possible. Requests can be submitted up to three (3) months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance. If your party requests a visit that is less than 21 days away, the White House will not approve the tour request.

Every President since John Adams has lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one of the most famous addresses in the world. The White House is also the only private residence of a head of state that is open to the public. President George Washington oversaw construction of the building, but never resided in it. The White House survived a fire set by British troops in 1814, and another fire in the West Wing in 1929. The White House is six stories and includes 132 rooms, 35 bathroom and six levels, with 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, eight staircases and three elevators. While it’s now known as The White House (officially given by Theodore Roosevelt in 1901), it has also been known as the President’s Palace, the President’s House, and the Executive Mansion. Self-guided tours include the East Room and the Blue Room.

President Woodrow Wilson's House
(202) 387-4062
2340 S St., NW, Washington, DC 20008

Hours and Admission
March – December: Wednesday-Sunday 10am-4pm
Closed Monday, Tuesday, and major holidays including Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, and December 25.
January – February Friday-Sunday: 10am-4pm, Closed Monday – Thursday and major holidays
Admission charged
Groups of ten or more may be accommodated outside normal business hours with advance reservation.

This 1915 Georgian Revival home in the Kalorama section of Washington, D.C., was the last home of President Woodrow Wilson. It has been preserved to reflect Wilson's era, and most of the furnishings are original. It has been called a "living textbook of modern American life in the 1920s."

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