Vermont Attractions: Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home Part 1

nHis father, Abraham Lincoln, was born in a log cabin and came from the humblest rank in life to become over our nation during a very momentous period of our history. One generation later, Robert Todd Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to live to adulthood, became Chairman of one of the largest corporations in America at the turn of the 20th century. In 1905, Robert Todd Lincoln built his Georgian Revival mansion in the scenic village of Manchester in the Shires of Vermont. It was the home of only Lincoln descendants until 1975, which was longer than any other Lincoln residence. The mansion is a wonderful example of the “Great American Story” and the story of the Lincoln family’s love affair with Vermont. The historic home, gardens, trails, woods and farm resides on 412 preserved acres of quintessential Vermont landscape.

Each year Hildene’s staff and volunteers welcome thousands of guests daily to the Lincoln home, grounds and trails. The tourist site can accommodate scheduled guided tours, self-guided tours, group tours and school groups. You will need to call in advance for handicap accessibility to be sure they can meet your needs. Please follow the link in the resource box at the bottom of this article for handicap accessibility contact information.

House VisitsnnThe house visit tour includes:nn• A brief video orientation in the Welcome Centern• A self-guided tour of the Lincoln homen• A demonstration of the 1,000-pipe Aeolian organ n• Access to the formal gardensn• You can also visit the cutting and kitchen gardens, the observatory and the exhibitsn• Guided tours are offered at noon each day, by appointment at other times and on occasion when docents are available.

You should allow yourself 2 to 3 hours to complete the house visit.

Hildene’s staff also offers personal tours for the visually impaired by appointment. You will need to contact them in advance. Please follow the link in the resource box at the end of this article for contact information about visually impaired tour appointments.

You can receive a grounds pass to visit the garden, grounds, walking trails and farm. The grounds pass is not valid for admission into the Lincoln home. The Hildene staff allows picnic on the grounds, but for your and the safety of the animals, picnics are not allowed on the farm.

Hours and PricesnnThe Lincoln Mansion is open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for adults, $4 for youth, children under 6 and members are admitted FREE. The grounds pass is $5 for adults, $2 for youth, children under 6 and members is FREE. The mansion is closed Thanksgiving, Christmas (December 24, 25, & 26) and Easter. These times and rates are current as of summer of 2007.

July 1 through October 15, they feature wagon rides to the farm which begins at the Welcome Center for $1 per person. You will need to call them for times of the wagon rides. Follow the link at the end of this article for more contact information. These dates are current as of summer 2007.

Mid-December to mid-March is Cross-Country Skiing and Snowshoeing if the weather permits 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. These dates and times are current as of summer 2007.

The staff at Hildene welcomes group tours year-round with advance reservations. School group tours are also welcome. Please follow the link in resource box at end of this article for contact information about group tours.

Continued in Part 2nnnnThis article is FREE to publish with the resource box.nn© 2007 Connie Limon All Rights Reserved