Customer Reviews
What You'll Get
A family outing fosters lifelong memories while giving houses the chance to molt in private. Leave your domicile to its own devices and check out a truly historical abode with today's Groupon to President Lincoln's Cottage. Choose between the following options:
- For $2, you get one children's general-admission ticket (ages 6–12) with guided tour (a $5 value).
- For $6, you get one adult general-admission ticket (ages 13+) with guided tour (up to a $12 value).
Museum members pay $6 for admission. Children ages 5 and under are admitted for free.
History reverberates throughout the 34-room, Gothic Revival–style home in which President Lincoln lived during the Civil War and penned the Emancipation Proclamation. During the roughly one-hour tour, a professional guide calls on historical voices and multimedia technology to bring the tales of the 16th president and the Civil War to life, filling each room with anecdotes of Lincoln holding important meetings, relaxing with family, and pondering decisions of national importance, such as whether to get matching "Union Forever" tattoos with Andrew Johnson.
Afterward, sate further history hungers with a self-guided exploration of the Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center, a LEED–certified structure that houses four permanent exhibits chock-full of historical artifacts, Civil War prints, maps, and photographs. The current special exhibit, "Being Lincoln," runs through October 3 and invites visitors to look past Honest Abe's iconic image and assess the man who lived beneath the stovepipe hat. An interactive gallery gives visitors a touch-screened seat at Lincoln’s Cabinet table, where they can help to develop war strategies and brainstorm titles for the Cabinet’s a capella LP.
President Lincoln's Cottage keeps its historic doors unbarred seven days a week, with tours running on the hour. A gift shop brims with Lincoln memorabilia such as collectible coins and history books, with proceeds benefiting preservation and educational programming. Free parking is available to ticket holders. Because the cottage can get crowded quickly, reservations are recommended (especially on weekends).
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires Dec 31, 2011. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy 2 additional as gifts. Valid only for option purchased. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About President Lincoln's Cottage
Many of the rooms in President Lincoln's Cottage resound with the voices of Lincoln and his houseguests, in the form of actor-interpreted recordings broadcast through audio speakers. Though not all rooms are accessible to the public, daily tours through this Gothic Revival home use interactive multimedia to tell the stories of Abraham Lincoln's ideas, struggles in passing emancipation, and family during the three summers they spent here during the Civil War. Knowledgeable guides divulge facts about the president's meditations and meetings, often tailoring tours to their areas of personal expertise, such as war or politics. They showcase video screens populated by images about Lincoln's life. Guides also invite visitors to engage in conversation throughout the tour while welcoming them to sit on furniture.
The adjacent Robert H. Smith Visitor Education Center, built in 1905 and restored as a LEED-certified building, houses a range of both permanent and temporary exhibits. Visitors engage with interactive displays, photos, and manuscripts revealing the presidential Cabinet's feelings on emancipation, life in Washington DC during the Civil War, and the president's role as commander in chief. The cottage also hosts a lecture series with guests that have included historians, Lincoln experts, and an artist who sculpted a life-size statue of the president and his horse, which today stands watch over the cottage.