Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House
4.5
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
Closed
Wednesday
Closed
Thursday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Woodlawn Estate and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Pope-Leighey House are two iconic architectural sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, located on the same property in historic Alexandria, Virginia, just outside Washington D.C. Our Federal Georgian Mansion, built in 1805 for Nelly Parke Custis Lewis and Lawrence Lewis and our Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Usonian House, built in 1940 and moved to our property in the 60's both sit in a beautiful landscape. Visitors are encouraged to explore the contrasting architectural and historical stories of these two masterpiece homes, set in glorious landscape. Our site is also home to the non-profit farm, Arcadia Center for Sustainable Food & Agriculture.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travelers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travelers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travelers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

See what travelers are saying

  • montanapescado
    Albuquerque, New Mexico1,575 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    What a great contrast!
    This may be the best twofer ticket in the D.C. area! Woodlawn is a wonderful historic property and then you get the more modern Frank Lloyd Wright house as well. The FLW home is small, but still packed with the architect's signature innovations. Its easy to add these propertys to the nearby Mt. Vernon for a full day of core history and historical architecture.
    Visited February 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 17, 2024
  • Karolyn M
    Marysville, Washington19 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Historical Homes
    A great tour of two historical homes. Our tour guides were excellent and provided extensive detail regarding the two properties. Pathways were clearly marked and the properties are well laid out. Would definitely recommend.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 6, 2024
  • Lindsay M
    Gibbstown, New Jersey2 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Worth a visit
    We enjoyed our visit. Initially, we were only going to visit the Pope-Leighey House but we added Woodlawn. Glad we saw both, even though the price was a bit steep. But seeing Pope-Leighey made our trip! We only saw a few of the rooms in the Woodlawn house and they are still building their collection. I would visit again.
    Visited May 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written May 20, 2024
  • _barnesbev007
    Manassas, Virginia28 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic Tour
    This was my 3rd visit to the Pope- Leighy House. The area surrounding the house continues to improve. It's a very nice walk to the property. I love Frank Lloyd Wright's work and enjoy seeing his works. The guide was very good and introduced new information. I will mostly visit the house again in a couple of years.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written June 10, 2024
  • Lisa P
    Washington DC, District of Columbia6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pope-Leighey is a must see FLLW home
    We went for the Pope-Leighey House tour which was fabulous, especially because of our tour guide Karen. She truly has a passion for the home and its history and it came through in her guided tour. Definitely worth the visit to this location and if your a FLLW fan, a must see. PS they have AC, so if it's a scorcher of a day, you will get a bit of relief too... On to Woodlawn, I was impressed with the balanced tour which provided history of both the history and families of the home owners and the slave workers who lived and worked in this home. They are still doing copious research to ensure the full story is represented, but it was impressive to see the progress.
    Visited June 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written July 1, 2024
  • Maureen M
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Long on my local bucket list--and did not disappoint!
    As a local, the Pope-Leighey House has been a long-standing item on my bucket list! I was not disappointed! The house is so intriguing and the tour guide, Karen, was incredibly knowledgeable and engaging. This house is a gem. And per Karen's recommendation, we also signed up for the tour of Woodlawn. Fascinating history and our guide (I can't remember his name-but he is a UVA college student) did an excellent job of telling the many stories of this house. It was a great afternoon!
    Visited July 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written July 7, 2024
  • bb w
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Pope-Leighy House is Fascinating
    The Pope-Leighy house tour was fascinating. Our guide, Laura, was well versed in all things Frank Lloyd Wright. The history of the house, from conception to construction to being moved, is a fabulous tale. Kudos to the Pope and Leighy families for realizing what this house was historically and for making it available to the public. Next time we will include the Woodlawn tour also.
    Visited August 2024
    Traveled with family
    Written August 24, 2024
  • MillerDan
    286 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unlike what you're used to seeing in a F.L. Wight house
    Woodlawn mansion isn't much to see, but the Pope-Leighey house on the same grounds is a site that will change your view of Frank Lloyd Wright and his house architecture. The Pope-Leighey house (named after the two successive owners beginning in 1940) is Wright's answer to affordable housing. The house is 1,200 square feet of home for a family of four, built at a cost of $7,000. Although it looks nothing like Wright's Prairie style homes, the Pope-Leighey house shows Wright's brilliant creativity and unique approach to design. Wright designed several of these "Usonia" homes (United States of North America with an "i" thrown in to the name to make it pronounceable), and there's no better example of his basic Usonian design than this house.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written September 3, 2024
  • Kathy P
    Glenwood, Iowa10 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Bucket List Item
    I went to the Pope-Leighey House, having seen Woodlawn long ago. The guide was incredibly knowledgeable and enthusiastic about imparting that knowledge. Tours are small and must be paid for in advance. The property was interesting and well preserved. This item was on my bucket list to see before I moved out of the area.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled with friends
    Written September 21, 2024
  • beschman
    Columbia, Maryland9 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Wonderful gem in Alexandria, VA!
    I have toured several FLW projects (including Robie Home, Kraus Home, Falling Water, Kentuck Knob, Taliesin West and the Martin Home), and the Pope-Leighey Home and tour did not disappoint. Our Guide, Karen, was knowledgeable, entertaining, enthusiastic and funny. Probably the best FLW guide I have had. And the Usonian homes FLW designed are so interesting. I highly recommend touring this home if you have the opportunity.
    Visited September 2024
    Traveled as a couple
    Written October 1, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles289 reviews
Excellent
201
Very good
64
Average
11
Poor
7
Terrible
6

Kim R
Richmond, VA65 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Friends
Underappreciated and well worth the visit. After the hordes at Mount Vernon, Woodlawn was wonderful. We were the only people on the tour and our guide (young guy, sorry I cannot remember his name) was amazing. He made the history of the home and the people who lived there come alive, and he's obviously very passionate about the place. Pope-Leighey was a treat - it's the only Frank Lloyd Wright house in VA that is open to the public. It's very small - only 1200 square feet, but has an interesting history and of course all the FLW stories associated with it. Also, the museum shop was great - small but everything was really reasonably priced unlike some museum shops. Make sure to see these two!
Written October 18, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lauren V W
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
The Pope-Leighey House is a MUST visit for avid Frank Lloyd Wright fans in the DMV-whether you live here or happen to be visiting Mt. Vernon. Our tour guide Kim provided a wealth of details about Wright, the home's design and history as well as the Pope and Leighey family. An example of Wright's Usonian architecture, the home is a superb yet small scale example of how visionary and far ahead of his time Wright was. We only had time to tour Pope-Leighey but because of the excellent tour, we'll be back to tour Woodlawn which has a unique and differentiating history of its own.
Written October 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

schmelke
5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
We had a terrific tour of the Pope-Leighey House today (didn't visit Woodlawn). It was most definitely enjoyable and educational. Our guide, Peter, was fantastic and knowledgeable - we would have never discovered all the nuances of this Frank Lloyd Wright house without his outstanding tour. We arranged a group tour prior to public opening with Kristi who was very helpful. Appreciate all their efforts. This place is a gem - a small house that really gave us great insight into the architect. Tour took no more than an hour and everyone in our group would definitely recommend it to others.
Written November 20, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

HandsomeHoward
New York181 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Couples
We loved touring Woodlawn. Edwin was a knowledgeable, engaging guide who bubbled with enthusiasm and interesting stories, informing, welcoming, amusing. We learned a lot about the families involved, relationships, the era and the various iterations of the house. Ambling over to Pope-Leighey, we were looking forward to a new Frank Lloyd Wright for us, probably the 20th property we’ve seen that he was involved in. Unfortunately, our guide, Odessa, is not a fan of men in general or Mr. Wright in particular. The “Usonian” house was designed to be affordable ($5,000) and utilitarian, mostly unadorned and set back in a natural setting. This house has many oft-seen traits of the architect, none of which were mentioned. In fact, everything we learned of the house, the owners, the time-line and the history (it was moved to Alexandria) could have fit on my business card. As usual, we were delighted to catch another glimpse of the masters work. Her 45 minute attempt at emasculation was the only detraction.
Written October 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark M
Dover, NH23 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2024 • Couples
We did not tour Woodlawn, only the Pope-Leighey House which is on the same campus. We have toured quite a few FLW buildings and homes; they all have the same DNA and yet there are any number of differences between them. Pope-Leighey is fairly typical but smaller than others. (it was supposed to be bigger but a too-small budget ruled that out... also fairly typical of FLW projects.) It's a real cutie... very intimate and homey with a great use of the space it had. We saw it on a sunny day, creating wonderful shapes and shadows cast on the walls and floors. And our tour guide was warm and welcoming. Put this one on your FLW to-do list! HINT: when we went, they offered a deal. We booked our two tickets online and then showed our National Trust for Historic Places membership card at check-in for a one-ticket refund. Ask ahead of time if this offer is still good.
Written December 13, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Virginia lady
3 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Family
This was our first visit to the property, after many years of saying we wanted to go. We bought a combination ticket in advance for tours at Woodlawn and Pope-Leighey. The guides at both houses were wonderful. They provided just the perfect amount and type of information, and we could tell that they really care about the stories behind these buildings. I advise visiting both houses- since both are fascinating, and the contrast in styles is significant. Pope-Leighey is small so the tour size has to be kept low. That's one reason for buying tickets in advance. The experience here is really a gem, one that more folks should know about.
Written December 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Lawtance
Duluth, MN5 contributions
1.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2024 • Family
I have seen over a hundred Frank Lloyd Wright houses, gotten to stay in a couple of them, and toured over a dozen. The tour of the Pope-Leighey House was as good of a tour as I have been one. There were just two of us, so it was a very intimate experience, and we were able to discuss things and not have to listen to somebody talk. The details on the materials used was especially interesting, and the high point was when we asked about how the house had been originally situated on the compass and she produced a visual aid that allowed her to pivot the structure to talk about what Wright intended and what ended up happening. A very enjoyable hour with a knowledgeable and engaging guide.
Written May 19, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kate J
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2023
Booked a tour of the Pope-Leighey House while on a trip to DC - our tour guide did a wonderful job of guiding us through this home and was very informative.
We really enjoyed how he provided a nice, but true overview of Frank Lloyd Wright (who had his moments)
Out of the FLW homes/hotels we have toured this has made our top 5 and that is due in no small part to the excellent guide.
At 1200 sq feet the home is small but the provenance and spaces inside are worth the time.
If you book the tour, please note that you will drive and park at the main property then walk down a path to the site of the home.
This is a must for any FLW fan.
Written March 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Brian M
Laurel, MD218 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Friends
Fantastic opportunity to see a Frank Lloyd Wright home, close to DC. This Usonian design, family home, was so interesting and full of detail. Lisa, our guide, made the place come alive with stories and facts. Just visited Falling Water, honestly I enjoyed this tour more, a more intimate experience with lots of relevant details of Wright’s work
Written October 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Leila S
1 contribution
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2023 • Solo
The tour guide, Kim, was an excellent guide/interpreter, but also most knowledgeable about Frank Lloyd Wright. She engaged everyone on the tour and shared both obvious and subtle information that brought the house, the architect, and the two owners alive. She helped us understand what Wright wanted to put across with the Usonian design and what it meant for a couple with two children to live in such apparently tight quarters. Great tour/guide
Written July 12, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 289
*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Woodlawn & Pope-Leighey House - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2025)

All Alexandria HotelsAlexandria Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Alexandria
All things to do in Alexandria
Day Trips in Alexandria
RestaurantsFlightsVacation RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesRental Cars