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Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Admission and Guided Tour

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site Admission and Guided Tour

Overview

Experience Theodore Roosevelt's unusual 1901 inauguration like never before. With a combination of historically restored rooms and interactive exhibits, you'll feel as if you are part of the events of that fateful September, while gaining a new perspective on the issues Roosevelt faced during his presidency.

City: Buffalo

Mon 23 Dec

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $12.83

Make a reservation

Mon 23 Dec

Starting at $12.83

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Guided tour

Route and map

Meeting point

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Buffalo
641 Delaware Ave,

This ticket must be exchanged for a direct entry ticket at the starting point of the attraction.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Additional Info

Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Free off-street parking is available behind the TR Site and is accessible from Delaware Avenue or Franklin Street
Face masks required for guides in public areas
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas

What To Expect

Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

Step back in time and into the world that Theodore Roosevelt knew, through a powerful, immersive experience of sight, sound and interaction. Walk where he walked, see and hear the challenges he faced, and get a sense of what it was like to lead our nation during such a pivotal time in its history. It's the dawn of a new century. Millions are traveling to Buffalo, NY, to join in the celebration of the 1901 Pan-American Exposition. Perhaps you'll try your hand at the Captains of Industry game, and see if you have what it takes to command an early 20th century business. Or maybe you'll crank the handle of the kinetoscope to watch a period film clip. No matter what you choose, you're sure to feel the excitement and optimism of a country on the forefront of innovation. Following a guided tour, you have the opportunity to learn from the past on your own and see how history is relevant in your life by considering the challenges and opportunities presented by the same issues today.

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (50)

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schmayla98

Jun 2019

The site is cool for an hour's visit. There is a great exhibit on the Pan Am Exposition of 1902 that you can look at either after your tour or while you wait. You have to take a tour if you want to see inside of the house. Props to the site for being fully handicap accessible. The tour is meh. You "step back in time" and are given the tour as if you are living at that time. It starts off with a video. Then you move into the dining room of the house before listening to a recording/viewing photos that correspond to the audio. Then you move into the room TR was inaugurated in where a recording plays of the inauguration happening. Then you move into the dining room. All the way up until the dining room, not a single fact was mentioned about the actual house. I found myself going on Wiki to look some facts up (the guide at one point said we were in the time machine so they couldn't take any questions until we were done). Instead of pretending to walk back in time, I would have rather learned what I was looking at. I didn't learn much about TR from this site either. The NPS system was barely mentioned, and his faults were highly avoided. I got to see the site, but the historical context and history lesson were missing from the tour. I would have much rather walked around the house at my own pace and been chaperoned than have to watch/listen to these videos that were fillers. In sum: see the house, but Wiki before you go.

Response from Host

Jun 2019

I regret that you were obviously expecting a more "traditional" historic house tour, but we purposely determined not to be, as you referred to it, a "meh" historic house museum, interpreting the house and furnishings. When we reinvented the Inaugural Site 10 years ago, we focused on five issues that had to have been on Roosevelt's mind the afternoon he took the oath of office, consequential throughout his presidency, and no less relevant today than they were 118 years ago. I apologize if the guide didn't point you in the direction of our interactive kiosks in our Exploration Room where you could have spent time learning about the history of the house, the furnishings, the Pan-Am Exposition, and the life and presidency of Theodore Roosevelt. You would have been the recipient of much more germane material than I'm afraid a wiki would have provided. I would also suggest that if you had engaged with our interactive Portrait Gallery in our President's Office, you would have discovered quite a bit about Roosevelt and his presidency, warts and all. For instance, even though Roosevelt extended an invitation to Booker T Washington to dine at the White House while in Buffalo following the swearing-in, Roosevelt was by no means an egalitarian when it came to the races. The interactive exhibit speaks of Roosevelt's belief that blacks were inferior as a race and also highlighted the Brownsville incident. Lastly, with respect to mention of the NPS, we speak more about the support we receive from our Western New York community. This National Historic Site is unlike any other NPS facility in the country in that the 1966 enabling legislation which created the Site also created the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site Foundation which is legislatively charged with the management, maintenance, operations, planning, and interpretation of the Site. There are no federal employees here and approximately 60% of our annual operating budget is the direct result of the generosity of the community. I'm hoping this gives you a more complete view of why we do things the way we do here at the Site. It has allowed us to double our annual visitation to nearly 30,000 and to be ranked #5 among all destinations here in the Buffalo area, according to TripAdvisor.com Stanton H Hudson Jr. Executive Director Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

drfager279

Jun 2019

My family was visiting from out of town. This tour includes a great deal of information from 1901 when the Pan American Exhibition was held in Buffalo. You learn a great deal about the past history of Buffalo which is very interesting. The tour guide was fantastic and the displays are state of the art along with the house being in pristine condition to enjoy!

Wildfire70

May 2019

First off, let me say that Teddy Roosevelt is my favorite President and it was really cool to tour this building. HOWEVER, I don't think people should be charged to get in to National Park Historic sites. OUR GOVERNMENT needs to fund these sites and have free public access. That being said, on to the tour..... My husband and I arrived about 40 minutes before the next tour was to begin so we spent that time browsing the small gift shop and looking around. When it came time for our tour, the Guide introduced herself and it began with a short video. We were guided through the dining area of the home and then went into another room to watch another video. We were then led into the living room area where TR took the oath of office. We were then led upstairs to a hallway with a few wall exhibits and another room that had a replica Presidential desk. The cool thing about this is that if you sit at the desk and type on the virtual typewriter, you can get your picture taken at the desk and emailed to you. That was really cool! Overall, I found the Guide to be knowledgeable and polite. We had a good time here.