Several former presidents’ homes are now museums where visitors can walk the same rooms and porches those leaders knew. They range from plantation estates in Virginia to a modest Georgia farmhouse, and most are cared for by the National Park Service or private nonprofits. Here are twelve presidential homes across the country that welcome the public.
1. Mount Vernon: George Washington’s Virginia estate
Mount Vernon in Virginia, about 15 miles south of Washington, D.C., was the home George Washington shared with his wife, Martha. According to the estate’s visitor page, the Mansion can be entered only on a guided tour, and its first and second floors remain open during ongoing preservation work.
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association, a private nonprofit, has owned and cared for the estate since acquiring it from the Washington family in 1858. Visitors can also see Washington’s tomb, four gardens, a working farm and exhibits on the enslaved people who lived there.