Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Massachusetts
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Closed until May 23, 2025
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Massachusetts
Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site Massachusetts
4.7
Temporarily closedClosed until May 23, 2025
About
Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site is a historic house and cultural institution that preserves a remarkable Georgian house whose occupants shaped our nation. It was a site of colonial enslavement and community activism, George Washington’s first long-term headquarters of the American Revolution, and the place where Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote his canon of 19th-century American literature. Please visit the website for hours and tours.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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- Harvard • 10 min walk
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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
4.7
180 reviews
Excellent
135
Very good
34
Average
10
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Brendan S
Arlington, VA2,243 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
This house is historic for multiple reasons. First, it was George Washington’s HQ for 9 months at the start of the Revolutionary War and second, it was the longtime home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Much of the house is original to the 18th Century, though all the furnishings are Longfellow’s. There’s no evidence or mementos of Washington’s stay. The 55-minute tour was thorough, but it assumes background knowledge of Washington and Longfellow’s work. The NPS is also playing up the LGBTQ history of the site because Longfellow’s daughter and grandson who lived in the house into the 20th Century were LGBTQ. The problem is that this seems to have resulted in various LGBTQ picture books targeted at young children in the reading area of the visitor’s center. It is appalling that taxpayer dollars are promoting such age-inappropriate content at a government site.
Written July 5, 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.
Susan P
Putnam, CT958 contributions
Jul 2022
We toured this site on a Friday. No reservations are required, however, you can call to reserve the day of a tour. We should have done so, as the 11:00 tour we arrived in time to take was full and we had to wait until 12:00. Tours are close to one hour and include two floors of the mansion. Other tours, including a 30-minute kids tour are also available. Our guide was passionate about her work and able to answer questions. This house is quite large and steeped in history with so many interesting people visiting and living there. The visitor center is fully accessible as is the first floor of the house. There is also handicap parking near the visitor center and garden. The garden is beautiful and relatively flat, fine for a wheelchair or rollator. Best of all, it is free to tour though donations are appreciated.
Written July 26, 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.
Jane
Chicago, IL10 contributions
Oct 2022
Beautiful house full of history and cultural significance. Ranger Kate did an AMAZING job as our tour guide, and brought to life not only the lives of the significant men who lived there (George Washington and Longfellow), but also the families and domestic servants (sometimes slaves) who supported the running of the household. Fascinating look into history - definitely worth the short walk from Harvard Square.
Tip: you cannot visit the house without a tour. Get there early to reserve your spot. You won't regret it!
Tip: you cannot visit the house without a tour. Get there early to reserve your spot. You won't regret it!
Written October 8, 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.
SouthernBelle
New Orleans, LA592 contributions
Jul 2023
We didn't expect much from this tour, it was pouring rain so we needed to find something to do indoors and stumbled upon this. It would up being one of the highlights of our week long trip to the Boston area. Highly highly recommend!
Written September 21, 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.
Sualeh Fatehi
Boston, MA11 contributions
Aug 2022
I loved the tour that Ranger Kate Porter gave of the Longfellow House. She related interesting anecdotes not only of Longfellow, but his extended family. We got the time to look around the rooms which the NPS has preserved very well. Ranger Kate was very knowledgeable and passionate on the subject and was able to answer questions from the audience.
Written August 13, 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.
Susie N
11 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
We were expecting to learn at least some about Washington on our tour. We were disappointed with what little Washington info we received. The tour groups are small, no more than 12. On Saturday we had to wait 1.5 hours to attend the last tour. At least on Saturday the out was the quick tour, only 30 minutes instead of the full 55 minute tour. The danger was knowledgeable and was able to answer a surprising amount of our children’s obscure questions.
Written June 22, 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.
1852house
Kendall, NY66 contributions
Jul 2022
Sven, our tour guide was knowledgeable and personable. The house was filled with wonderful things, however, Sven's presentation of the history of the house, and of its inhabitants was enjoyable and incredibly informative. Thank you Sven and the staff that was working on July 4th. Highly recommended!
Written July 18, 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.
drwatson32
Shawnee, OK1,614 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
Cool spot with a lot of Longfellow family items. We enjoyed a small tour with just our family. The guides know a lot about the topic at hand, but we were concerned about parking. It would be helpful if they could offer more advice about the area. There were parking spots available on site, but we were told they were for staff only.
Written June 3, 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.
floridatraveler52
Florida91 contributions
Sep 2021
Unfortunately due to covid the house is closed for tours. The rangers are set up under a tent on the lawn. They are knowledgeable and enthusiastic to share their knowledge of the house. And yes, George Washington slept there.
Written September 18, 2021
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.
Toni C
113 contributions
This was my second trip to the Longfellow house just a few blocks from Harvard Square. This is a great tour and a home brimming with history (it was George Washington's headquarters during a portion of the Revolutionary War and in the Longfellow family for many, many years). If you love history, if you love Longfellow...and even if you just love the Victorian Age, don't miss this lovely, lovely place with many furnishings, paintings etc original to the Longfellow family.
Written January 28, 2011
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.
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