Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

What a cool historic site in Buffalo! The museum here is quite cool. And standing in the same room that Theodore Roosevelt stood in when he became president was surreal. The tour was great and the guide very knowledgeable!

My husband and I visited here on August 7, 2025. We took the guided tour and then walked around the museum on our own. It’s a very nice museum about when and why President Teddy Roosevelt was sworn in as President. This is the site were was sworn in, not where he lived. There was also history about Buffalo and the Pan-American Exposition (Worlds Fair).

It is not necessary to get tickets beforehand though at times there are online discounts. Nice historical site that is very well maintained inside and out. Free parking around the back of the building. Clean facility. Worth seeing this piece of history. No free WiFi.

Just a few blocks from downtown Buffalo and the famous City Hall building…what a unique national park! Sad circumstances made this place historic, as the assassination of President William McKinley made Teddy Roosevelt the next president of the United States. Sworn in at this home, this place is as much a historic place for Roosevelt as it is a memorial for McKinley.

This is a very informative historic site. You will learn a lot about Theodore Roosevelt and his presidency. They use extensive multimedia technology to tell the story and make it very engaging for young and old visitors. The house is also lovely. Spend some time exploring the trivia games they are fun and you will learn things you didn't know. We arrived an hour early for our booking and were able to bump up to the earlier tour. Thank you Connor for a great tour!

Don't miss the opportunity to see one of four presidential inauguration sites outside of DC. The home is well preserved, air conditioned and the tour is enjoyable. We did not buy tickets in advance and were able to join the next tour starting after we arrived. There is free parking behind the house.

The tour felt very gimmicky. We were "time travelers" walking through the house with fake smells and sounds. There were some edutainment displays they set and an ai hologram TR that kind of worked. We wanted to learn about the occupants of the house and the house's history, not just TR's Inauguration. Felt more geared towards a younger audience.

While I didn't get an official tour, we enjoyed the little bit we could see! Highly recommend getting a tour in advance! The history is well presented and the place is well kept!

Theodore Roosevelt Inauguration National Historic Site is located in Allentown. This is another historic building on the National Registry. The small yet interesting building had lots of information on Roosevelt. A small talk/tour was in session when I entered. The docent relayed information to the visitors. The gift shop had many Roosevelt related gifts. No charge to enter. Street parking available.

I try to fill my trips out of town with some history and educational stuff of places I have never been to or even heard of. When I finally decided to where I would be going I started to look around and see what was catch my interest. This fit the bill. What drew me in was that it had to do with one of our Presidents, fairly cheap on the pocketbook ($12), and easy parking (free and onsite). You can enter the lot from the front or from behind, I suggest from behind as it is easier to access the lot and you won't have to deal with the drive up ATM from the bank. You enter from the back of the building as well, whether you walk up from the street or park in the lot. Try to check the site before showing up and see if the tour times are listed. There is not entry into the space unless you are on a tour. I know, kind of weird, and a bit annoying, but that is how they do it here and that is how you gain access, only on a tour. Pay attention to the tour. Depending on the volunteer (yes, they are volunteers) you have, it can go fast. They are full of information and will tell you more about the house than you can pick up from the informational displays throughout. Pictures area allowed and I suggest taking plenty of them. Sometimes when you go back to them you might catch something you missed when you were initially there. A little about the house, as the name of this establishment tells you, it was used for the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt. One of only a handful of places outside of the Capitol that would host an event like this. An ordinary house that housed a family and occasional guests over the years ended up being a historic place that fell into shambles and became restored. After President McKinley was shot and ultimately was assassinated President Roosevelt took the oath of office in the library of the house. For a short time, this also served as the White House I suppose. Roosevelt meeting with his inherited Cabinet in the dining room. After the inauguration the house passed through the family and was sold. It became a restaurant up until the 70s and then sat unused and started to crumble. There was movement to tear this place down, but a group made sure to save it and now it is ran by the National Parks Services. They were able to restore the place to what it looked like at the time, only a few things in the house are original to the house. One of the bookcases in the library and one of the chandeliers in the house are told to you. Upstairs is a different set up. One room upstairs houses an exhibit on the history of the house. It goes through the timeline of it being a family home, to the restaurant, and the now historic landmark. Another room has a mock up of what Theodore Roosevelt's Presidential Office would have looked like. You can "play" in here. You can sit at the desk and pretend to be President for a day. If you are looking for something to do in the Buffalo area to kill time or just to enjoy your day, stop by here. You will not regret it and you will learn something new.

Very interesting museum! This is the only National Park not run by the National Park Service. We entered at no charge due to Dad being a veteran with a National Parks pass. If you remember your U.S. history, President William McKinley was shot by an assassin in 1901 in Buffalo, NY. He survived but died soon after from infection. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt was brought to Buffalo and was sworn in as President in this house. The house belonged to a close friend of Roosevelt. The museum honors Roosevelt's personal and political histories. Many domestic and international issues facing Roosevelt in 1901 correspond with today's issues. Our tour guide was full of knowledge and very engaging and enthusiastic about presenting the history of the event.

I've been to a lot of sites, and this one really surprised me. They put a lot of thought into the presentation. Instead of the typical, dry facts presentation, they made it creative and interesting while at the same time giving you the information you needed about this important event in history when we lost William McKinley and got Theodore Roosevelt. The docent did a great job presenting and the displays were extremely well done. Highly recommended to all presidential history buffs.

Where teddy roosevelt was sworn in as president in 1901. They only do tours on the hour at the hour and couldn't walk in on your own sadly

I had looked into this site in advance and saw that guided tours are required to access most of the space, so I went ahead and reserved tickets in advance. It was a smooth and easy check-in process at the desk. This space is open for browsing - the area right next to the desk has a small gift shop, and then the next room contains a very well done small exhibit space that completely sets the stage for where you are headed in history here: 1901 and the Pan-American Exposition. The sights and sounds are replicated and it's very nicely set up with some interactive stations. Our tour guide was very friendly. There was a short film in the exhibit space, and then we headed into the guided tour only section. This portion consists mainly of 3 rooms, due to the fact that this home actually belonged to Roosevelt's friend Wilcox. Roosevelt was on vacation at the time of McKinley's passing, and there were significant concerns about waiting the long time it would take in those days to get him all the way back to Washington DC to be inaugurated. As a result, it was decided that the necessary folks from DC would travel to Buffalo to meet Roosevelt there. As such, the three major rooms used by Roosevelt here were the dining room, Wilcox's office that he offered for Roosevelt's use - including a telegraph that was brought in - and the site of the swearing in itself, the parlor. Only sketches are available of the actual ceremony, as the photographers got into a fight. There is an additional room that offers a very informative recording. The upstairs has been turned into an additional exhibit space, along with an event space. One fun room up here is the replica of Roosevelt's presidential office in the White House. Visitors are welcome to sit at the replica desk and have your picture taken. Parking is available in a lot around back. Staff is friendly and helpful. I wouldn't necessarily have guessed this would be such an intriguing site, but it was!

Took a guided tour here. It's very interesting. Our tour guide were fun and knowledgeable. Definitely worth visiting!

I enjoyed my visit to the TR Inauguration site, but other than its 5 mins of fame as the place Theodore Roosevelt took the presidential oath it isn't super interesting. There were a lot video and interactive features like a replica of Roosevelt's office where you can take your picture as his desk and pick a funny newspaper headline. Worth the $12 for a one-hour tour, but I wouldn't go again. The tourist site was a bit hidden and not obvious without GPS.

The guide was really good and knowledgeable. There's parking and they do guided tours. There's a lot of historical information and after the tour they let you freely go around the rooms so you can see things at your own pace and take pictures.

Showed up at 330 and were told all tours are over for the day. I just wanted to look around! The entire lobby was empty - why not let people in. Staff were very rude with their response. "We are closed" Too bad - was interested in visiting

I'm a big fan of the National Park Service as a whole and it had been years since I visited the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, despite growing up just a couple of miles from it. So, when I was in town in January, I made a reservation for a tour and walked 4.7 miles to explore this fantastic site about one of my favorite presidents. As a holder of the America the Beautiful pass, my entrance fee was very inexpensive (possibly nonexistent!). I was the only person on my tour and was thrilled to watch videos depicting the magnificence of Western New York during the Pan-Am Exposition, wow what a time! I was fascinated by how Teddy Roosevelt was vacationing in the Adirondacks and how he got back to Buffalo when McKinley was shot. There are many interactive exhibits at the site and I think the entire site is really well done. It turns out this building has had a lot of uses throughout history... An army barracks, a private residence, the place where one of the most significant events in our nation's history took place, a restaurant, an abandoned building, a National Park Service site. At the time of the inauguration, it was the home of a friend (Ansley Wilcox) and the inauguration was brief, emotional, and improvised! Nonetheless, it brought Teddy Roosevelt into office and changed the nation! Now if only I can get over to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota...! Someday!!

Great experience. Tour was really interesting with time to explore parts of the house on our own before and after the tour. Felt like you were hearing a good story. Nice immersive and interactive experiences too. My 17 year old daughter loved it. Just enough information without overwhelming you and knowledgeable guide who could answer questions if one wanted to dig deeper.

Looking for something to do on a cold snowy day in Buffalo? The Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historical Site is an interesting place to visit. Since there have only been 4 presidents inaugurated outside of Washington DC, you know there has to be a story behind it. The former president, William McKinley, was in Buffalo for the Pan-American Exposition where he was assassinated. The house was owned by friends of Roosevelt and was where he was staying while McKinley was resting after surgery to remove the bullets (unsuccessfully) and then inaugurated in the living room. The historical site not only includes exhibits about the event but also history of Buffalo and of the Pan-American Exposition. Did you know the Exposition included the first massive display of electric power in the US (hundreds of thousands of 8 watt light bulbs gradually illuminated each night) using electricity generated by power plants in Niagara Falls? Besides the house itself there are also interactive exhibits to enjoy and of course a nice gift shop. 2021-14

I'm not usually a huge fan of museums, but this was very interesting. The tour was guided by a docent. He took us around to various rooms of the mansion where Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated after Cleveland was assassinated. Much of the house has been restored to that time period, unless they didn't have enough pictures or written documentation of what it looked like. The tour was part the guide telling us information and part movies explaining things. We hadn't heard anything about this, but found it on a Google search and were glad we went. We got in free with our national parks pass; otherwise there is a fee for the tour/museum.

When you're deciding whether or not to go here: ask yourself two questions? 1. How much of a history buff are you? 2. How big a fan of TR are you? On the tour, you have the opportunity to learn a little of the history surrounding McKinley and TR, as well as the Pan-American Exposition and the issues facing the nation at the time. There is a special exhibit connected to the Pan-American Exposition, there are some artifacts and a couple interactive items (which were closed to to COVID) The house the tour takes place in is where TR had to be inaugurated after the tragic events that required him to assume to office of the President of the United States. The decor, furniture, and vibe is reminiscent of the time, and very well kept. The significance, or rather what took place in the rooms is explained, and there are a series of videos which you watch as part of the tour. I recall two interactive exhibits, one where you get to learn more about issues affecting the nation at the time, and another where you get a picture taken behind the president's desk, and get to compare your governmental decisions to TR's. So, why only 3 stars? Well: I appreciate the house was historically significant, though the inauguration taking place there was a coincidence, for lack of a better term. Had the tragic events of the time not taken place, or taken place elsewhere, this would be a very nice private home likely owned by someone fairly wealthy. Much of what was learned came historically from short videos that were shown at different points of the tour. The tour was informative, certainly, but was more focused on the significance of the space.

I was excited to visit the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site today, but unfortunately, I was very disappointed. To begin with, you HAVE to do a guided tour and cannot walk or browse on your own. In the hour-long tour, approximately 30 minutes are spent in tiny museum-like rooms watching videos or listening to audio. When you finally venture out to the rest of the house, you are shown two rooms on the ground floor: the library where TR was inaugurated and a room where he received a telegram and wrote his first presidential address. The dining room was visible, but we were not allowed to tour it or go closer to see it for some reason. When the tour moves upstairs, they do not even use the main staircase of the house but lead you back to the gift shop entrance to use a newer staircase. There are about three more rooms upstairs, two of which are extremely bare, with some signage but not much else. This is also where the tour guide leaves you and ends the tour, but does not give any more information on the rooms upstairs, such as what they used to be. Our tour guide was very kind, and tried their best, but did not provide very good historical information, and answered questions very vaguely. As a history major, I was aware that some of the information lacked specificity and accuracy, with crucial parts of the story surrounding President McKinley's assassination being left out. They repeatedly asked if there were any questions, but when answering them, they provided very uninformed answers. In the end, I felt very disappointed at how little was shown. I feel as if $12 to see three truly furnished rooms of the house and receive inaccurate information is a bit much. It truly felt like a waste of money, and I hate to say that. I could have learned a lot more and enjoyed the experience more if I was able to do the tour myself. When I asked one of the higher-ups why more of the house wasn't shown, he replied, "Theodore Roosevelt really only stayed here for seven days, so we do not know if he was ever in the other rooms." I found this to be very frustrating as it is still a Buffalo historical site that housed a very prominent Buffalo family, and old architecture nerds like myself may just want to see the original rooms and woodworking. In conclusion, my experience could have been way better; I walked out of the site with no new information as I only saw what felt like 1/3 of the house and felt like I wasted my money. To learn more about the assassination of President McKinley and TR's inauguration, I suggest paying a visit to the Buffalo History Museum, where there is a lovely exhibit on the event that will leave you with more information than the house itself.

I would not make a trip just for this but if you are in the area give it a try Staff were super helpful but the house in my view barely counts as a historic venue

We booked tickets in advance, knowing we'd be traveling through Buffalo on a trip. Upon arrival, the gentleman was very nice. However, the tour guide was incredibly rude. I was traveling with my children (15, 12, 6 and 2) and wanted them to learn about and see history first-hand. However, my 12 year old was engaging with an interactive exhibit and got scolded by the tour guide. What's the purpose of having them if they aren't allowed to be utilized?! My two year old was a bit fussy and she was given dirty looks by the tour guide, even though I was clearly working to pacify her. I exited the tour and asked if there was a self-guided option and was told there was not. I advised that we were leaving because the tour guide was not very receptive to children and was simply told, "Okay." If we can't have patience and grace for children, how do we expect future generations to learn about and appreciate history?! I don't recommend this tour for anyone with kids and can't speak to the overall experience, as we left in the first room.

If you've read my reviews for long enough, you know I am a HUGE fan of obscure museums. While this one isn't obscure, per se, it is a niche museum absolutely worth a visit. The formal tours occur on the half hours each hour and last about an hour. A lot of your experience will depend on your docent and I definitely had someone in training, but that didn't take away from the experience. There are some video displays and recreations of what the house *may* have looked like on the day of the inauguration. I don't think anything is 100%, but it's a good representation. Definitely take a few minutes to see the Pan Am exhibit that starts the tour and allow yourself to be transported via the tour narrative. Very nice gift shop, ample parking, and lots of great history! Great compliment to the McKinley Death Rock & the Buffalo History Museum. $12 or free with the National Parks Pass.

This is a well done NPS site. The tour is the best produced I have experienced in NPS network. Rangers are really enthusiastic. Good junior ranger program. The actual things to see are limited, but I would still rec checking this site out.

Oh gosh, it's almost a crime that I haven't been to this place sooner. If you don't know me, I'm very much a history buff when it comes to the local stuff. I'm low-key obsessed with anything related to the Pan-American Exposition, from admiring the architecture of those plaster buildings to the key historical events surrounding it, including the assassination of William McKinley and subsequent inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt...I was bound to make my way here eventually! This place is absolutely awesome - it's a part of the National Parks Service, holds a great amount of historical significance, and does a pretty great job at retelling that story. They hold tours DAILY, starting at the bottom of the hour (:30). Walk-ins absolutely welcome, and pretty inexpensive per person ($12, with discounts for seniors/students/etc). I walked in a little after 12:30pm, and was able to squeeze in to a tour that had already started; afterward the tour guide allowed me to return to the first room we visited and went over the part of the presentation I had missed, which was extremely thoughtful and awesome of him. Touring through the museum itself, you really get an idea of how the world was back in 1901 - which doesn't really seem all that different from today, noting issues that are still present in our society now. Our tour guide did a fantastic job bringing us back in time, retelling the events of the Pan-Am leading up to McKinley's assassination, and going in detail about Theodore Roosevelt's inauguration (including what struggles he was faced with, the urgency for him to be sworn in). I definitely walked away with some knowledge about Teddy Roosevelt that I hadn't known before, along with a cool insight of Buffalo. The museum has a lot of scripted audio to further enhance the experience, along with touch-screen interactive exhibits. This place is definitely a cool mix of authentic and modern. I loved seeing the original parts of the Wilcox Mansion, including the study where TR was sworn in, and the dining room. If you're itching to learn more, totally check this place out! It's a great cabin fever reliever (serving as such during my visit), cool date idea, or a place to check out with friends, or whatever!

I visit Buffalo often. I love everything about Buffalo. I've driven by this site numerous times during my visits, but never thought about visiting. In our recent visit, my daughter brought along a friend, who is a history buff. I thought it would be interesting for her to see this historic Buffalo site. We set up our visit beforehand (COVID) and we showed up having no idea what to expect. I am now a fan of the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural site. I didn't know it would be a guided tour. I wish I would have gotten our docent's name, because he was outstanding. The tour took us through various parts of the historic, beautiful house where we watched informative videos and listened to our guide as he went through the events that lead up to and the eventual inauguration of Teddy Roosevelt. I wish we would have spent more time in the first room (Pan American). So many interesting artifacts, but we watched the video and moved onto the next room. Besides that, the tour was very informative and worth the visit. Buffalo is a beautiful city with a wonderful history. This is just one moment in it's past, but an important part in American history.

I want to preface my review with saying TR is my favorite president of all time and I have read several books about him through the years. I was very excited to come here and check this place out when I knew I'd be passing through Buffalo. This National Historic house is just a normal house that happened to be where TR was inaugurated after President McKinley was shot days before and died. TR really didn't spend a lot of time( a few days) here but the site does a good job of explaining why McKinley was here to begin with, the story behind TR's arrival and then a little about TR's presidency. We arrived as the place opened and as soon as we paid our 12.00 per person fee which honestly is pricey for what it is. (Get a National Park Pass and the fee is waved) We were then put in a tour group with one other person, watched 2 films and then brought to the room where TR was actually inaugurated. The guide did a good job of explaining the scene that took place that day then brought us upstairs. Upstairs focuses primarily on the rest of TR's presidency with interactive exhibits. The place is solid but I didn't ooh and aah over it. There is a gift shop at the entrance and large statue out front of Teddy. It is in walking distance of the Anchor Bar so you can kill 2 touristy spots of rather quickly.

Really nice park. The outside is under construction. We take a tour with a guide. Learned allot of history. They have put allot of money into reconstruction. Great gift shop. Very friendly staff. Would be a great field trip for school.

We had a really dynamic docent here named Karen. She really got into the storytelling and was very passionate about the subject matter, clearly. It was interesting to learn that this house had been turned into a restaurant at one time, and much of the property had to be reconstituted to put this place together. Fascinating that it is the only national park service location in the vicinity. I love quirky little museums like this. Not sure about the parking near here, we just Uber'd from our hotel downtown. The Neighborhood looked beautiful.

We had a lovely tour of this house and it was really cool to be on the same grounds where Roosevelt was inaugurated. The tours go all day and I think they stop 30 minutes before closing. Admission is $12 and well worth it. The design and decor of the early 1900s is impressive. Restored beautifully. I liked being able to brush up on historical facts long forgotten since school and learn some new things as well.

Here in Buffalo on business...and had a few spare hours. So decided to visit Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Historic Site. It is not his home (that's in Long Island), but he did stay here and was sworn into office here at age 42 within 24 hours of McKinley's death by an assassin's bullet. Close to downtown, and reachable via Buffalo's Metro Light Rail (exit Allen/Medical Campus Station) Loved the story of Teddy Roosevelt's (accidental) ascendancy to the president. He put USA interests first. He was our first Environmental President. You'll learn why he was one of our great presidents Roosevelt was a progressive Republican who stood for capitalism with restraint on its excesses, love of US beauty and natural resources, racial equality without preferences, "Square Deal" domestic policies, strong US military, pro-immigration with controls, rooting out corruption in government, and expansion of US interests outside of USA such as construction of the Panama Canal. Tip I: Don't miss the guided tour. The tour makes the trip. Site says tours are mandatory...but people were wondering around without a tour...so not sure if policy is followed. Timing Your Visit: If you time your visit for the hourly tours on the half-hour, budget 1 hour. Tours are scheduled hourly starting 9:30 am weekdays (12:30 pm weekends). Last tour at 3:30 pm Tip II: Don't forget your America the Beautiful Pass (previously named National Park Pass) for free admission. Hours: 9-5 pm Mon-Fri Noon - 5 pm Sat-Sun

Glad we checked this place out...we missed it on our first pass through Buffalo and picked it up on our next stop back. As mentioned, call for tour times but generally the last tour will start 1.5 hour before their closing time (it's about an hour tour). A great piece of history that judging from some of the notes and post-its left by previous visitors is misunderstood by some (Teddy breaking up the banks and mega-corporations, emphasizing the environment, praising immigration). This tour is set up different than many similar tours in that there are several smart board videos that light up as the story unfolds. That is coupled with artifacts and recreations of the rooms where Teddy drafted his letters and was sworn in. Make this historic site a stop in your travels if you enjoy history or want to learn more. Fairly priced tours as well.

Lots of information about Teddy, how he came to be President and the things he implemented our country. We watched 3 videos and although our tour guide was very knowledgeable, we did feel rushed thru it. He told us we could take pics, but we weren't in a room long enough to take to many. We were the only 2 in this guided tour and it was the last one of the day. If you're into Presidential history, this is worth your time.

Excellent. 1) The tour is fantastic. 2) The price is reasonable. 3) Must visit spot if you like American history and are around the area.

We had been looking forward to visiting this site & feel that the history of the house & the TR inauguration warrant a visit. However, having been to several sites connected to Presidential history, we found this to be fair. First, the staff person who we first encountered could barely speak to us. We were the only ones there, so it wasn't an issue of being overwhelmed by customers. It felt as though we were interrupting him. The tour guide was nicer but the tour consisted of watching videos and seeing the room where Roosevelt's inauguration took place. There is a reliance on video screens throughout the tour. This would be fine, but there was no Ranger led presentation concerning the background of the house, the 1901 Exposition, etc. This site just received a grant of $100K from NY State. I hope some of that goes to support a more welcoming staff and a less tech oriented tour. For what the tour consisted of, we could have viewed the virtual tour online from home.

Pretty cool little piece of history. Found this place by looking through the national parks list. You can get in free if you have the annual park pass. The house consists of a few rooms that have been restored like they were during the inauguration of president Roosevelt. Also they have some visuals and audio. You are taken around by one of the friendly and knowledgeable guides. They tell the history of Roosevelt's pretty none standard inauguration. Very cool if you are into history.

I came here for a seminar and this was the location the company chose. It was a Saturday morning and I parked on the street. I followed the sign to the left of the house on the hill that said visitor center and was able to find the meeting place. It was upstairs from the museum area, which isn't too large, but it is very interesting. I felt hometown pride knowing that national and international history was made in this location. There was also history and memorabilia related to the 1901 World exposition. I like that they were also some interactive exhibits including a video type of thing. I spent about 20 minutes in there but I could easily have spent a few hours.

Very good tour guide. I felt they did a lot with fairly little. It is cool to stop and think, "Teddy Roosevelt was RIGHT here where I'm standing!" albeit 120 years ago. Worth a quick visit. Not more than 30 mins of your time.

Site where Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated. I'm always happy to see where they've been able to preserve history. This site doesn't disappoint. They've done their best to recreate the day that Roosevelt was inaugurated following the death of President McKinley. Definitely worth a visit and take the tour!

I visited here with a friend on 10 September 2016. The site is the building in which Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th President of the United States on 14 September 1901 following the assassination of William McKinley in Buffalo. The staff are knowledgeable and friendly while the interior of the building nicely recreates its 1901 appearance, complete with hidden systems to pipe in the smell of coffee in the dining room. The National Parks Service doesn't just commemorate Theodore Roosevelt's inaugural, though, but uses the space to discuss McKinley, Roosevelt's ties to New York and legacy, as well as encouraging visitors to think about what makes a good president. Worth visiting for any history buff, particularly given TR's enduring popularity.

A very interesting tour that is different than most. First off some logistics - you need to go on a tour to see this place so go to their website to reserve a spot since it appears that they only take eight people per tour per hour. If you just pop-in you might get lucky and get a spot but I would not count on it. Also, somewhat strangely, their hours on weekends are much shorter than on weekdays. The tour guides' narration is done as if it is the days leading up to and including the day TR is being inaugurated and paints a picture of what is going on in the moment. It is not your typical reciting of facts, names and dates. Once the main tour of the house and events is done there is time for questions and then they let you loose to experience some very well done and up-to-date hands-on exhibits. We liked the electronic president's desk where you can take your picture and sign some bills. The staff was super friendly and very knowledgeable. If you like history this is well worth your time.

This site commemorates the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt as President after the assassination of President McKinley. After McKinley had died, Teddy had to be sworn in. Instead of doing it in the same house where his friend had just died, he moved to a friend's house nearby and took the oath of office. This site was a private residence for a number of years after the inauguration, then was turned into a restaurant. After the owner of the restaurant died, the future was up in the air and the building was almost torn down. Luckily through community action the house was preserved. The house has since been taken over and administered by the National Park Service. The NPS has rennovated the site and made a nice new visitor center next to the house in a carriage house. The site is still a work in progress. For a fee you can take a tour where the docent explains the events leading up to and surrounding the inauguration. I recommend it since you get a lot of information. The site is located at Delaware and North. Parking is behind the house if you drive around the block. This site is also just down the street from Anchor Bar, the home of the original Buffalo Wing.

Great little musuem that host lots of great events open to the community ranging from historically relevant to pure leisure, such as their first Tuesday Coloring Nite. Lots of interesting history in this building and the tour through is worth checking out if you're in the area.

What a great interactive museum! I have to say up front that I am a national park junkie; I will go to anything listed in my national parks passport. Since I was going to be passing through Buffalo, I talked my friend into stopping here on our way. We were both so glad we did! There is an interactive exhibit that can be enjoyed before or after the tour about the great Pan-American Exposition in 1901. The guide leads you through the events of the day that President McKinley was assassinated before leading you into another room where you view a presentation on Roosevelt and the many issues he faced in our nation, including race relations, conservation, the economy, etc. It was a fantastic groundwork for giving a visitor perspective on the rest of the tour. I have to say that I really appreciate museums that assume no background knowledge from visitors. While the guides may be passionate and knowledgeable, they understand that most people do not bring with them nearly the depth of understanding when they walk through the door. Our guide was great. She answered our questions, she was very engaging, and of course she knew her stuff. The second floor of the museum was a real treat. It was a self-guided interactive series of exhibits that incorporated computers, video, and present-day information to engage especially younger visitors and make everything more relatable. We had fun sitting behind the Oval Office desk, where you get to type in your name, pretend to veto or pass bills, and have your picture taken looking presidential. It will ask you for your email address and email the photo to you with a fake headline about your presidency. If you think this small museum is going to be stodgy and boring, give it a chance. I bet you'll be pleasantly surprised!

A piece of history in Buffalo! I highly recommend visiting this museum to learn about the building's history and prominent place in presidential history. Only four presidents have been inaugurated outside of Washington, DC and BUFFALO is one of those places where an inauguration took place. I have attended several amazing events here as well as toured the museum a few times. They have done a top-notch job incorporating interactive exhibits with prime historical value. Did you know this building was almost demolished?! Thank goodness it was saved! I will leave more details about this place and the history for you to discover when you visit!

This is a very well done National Historic Site. You can park and enter through the back of the house and start in the gift shop, which looks like every other National Historic Site gift shop. You can use your national park pass for admission, or it is $10 per adult. You can only visit the museum via a guided tour which start every hour beginning at 9:30am on weekdays, and 12:30pm on weekends. The staff or volunteer who led our tour was very informative and passionate. He opens a door, and your interactive immersive museum experience starts. Not only are you stepping back in time to September 14, 1901, you are also entering the mind of Theodore Roosevelt. During that time Buffalo was a thriving city center. The Pan American Exposition was underway, and President McKinley was in town for the festivities. He was shot and died 8 days later. Roosevelt was called back to Buffalo when the president's condition worsened. He staid in the home of Ansley Wilcox, who was a prominent lawyer and pioneered the development of social work and civil service reform. It was in the library of this house that Roosevelt was sworn in as the 26th president of the U.S. The museum walks you through the events leading up to that moment in that exact room, just steps from where it all happened. There are articles in that room you see today, that witnessed the event years ago. On the second floor of the house are some great modern interactive exhibits. The museum really gets you to think about the issues back then, as compared to today. There are actually many similarities. The house is also a great example of the architecture and opulent interior design of that time. I would highly recommend visiting the nearby Frank Lloyd Wright Martin House Complex in the same day to compare and contrast. It's amazing to think that all of these influential people were alive and thriving in the same time period in Buffalo. The museum also hosts some neat community events in their 2nd floor event space. They had an evening adult coloring experience coming up.

On my way to Niagara Falls, I had some time to spend and decided to check out some of the sites in Buffalo. I discovered this place during my google search of, "things to do in Buffalo." I really love history and The Roosevelt's! The house was fairly easy to find. I parked on the street, but it looked like there was a parking lot behind the house. I found the employees to be very friendly and knowledgeable. I was the only one there and got a one-on-one tour. I really enjoyed learning about a piece of American history! The admission price was $12, which I consider a reasonable price that helps support a historical site. It's also not far from Canalside, which is a great place to check out after your tour.

Stopped by while touring the city Buffalo. Pleasant staff who gave a great tour. Lots of history if you know where to look, so support our national Parks and Sites. They also have a cute gift shop.

If you are looking for a tour, call ahead. The tour times end earlier than the hours. We tried to get a tour last minute, but on a day where it closed at 5, the last tour was 3:30. That being said, we still got to go in and check out the gift shop and also the Pan-American Exposition room. One of the hands on experiences was broken, but everything else was up and running. The only other qualm I have is that a lot of the artifacts didn't have any information attached to it telling you what it is or what it meant for the time. The people working here are very nice, and we definitely walked out of the gift store with a few souvenirs.

A great place to learn about a little bit of history in Buffalo! Also attended a 21+ wine/beer coloring event and then got a tour of the site. It was well worth the $5 entry fee.

Welcome to Buffalo's ONLY National Park that many of its residents don't even know about! Having gone a few times in grade school, I made my way back. They had put an extensive addition a few years back in 2009 which this was much needed (technology) and allowed for an expanded gift shop and welcome/waiting area. The tour was reasonable at $10 for adults, however they have a sweet family price of $25 for 2 adults and all kids under 18! The site does a well job establishing a background of what was going on then (Pan-Americanpan Exposition in 1901) and the details behind the shooting of McKinley. Walking the rooms they have done a cool job with sounds and even smells(!) to get you back to what was going on the Wilcox Mansion for TR's inauguration. The actual tour didn't go over so much the life/legacy of McKinley/TR, just touching briefly on it. In the upstairs, where the tour ends, is the interactive area where you get your money's worth! Yes, there is the cool presidential desk, but for history buffs, the displays, and touch screen at the roll up desks is where's its at. Plenty of info on the assassin, the exposition, the first aid McKinley received, among other things. The gift shop has a lot of cool TR mustache items, presidential nic nacs and also Buffalo items. Cool place to learn about Buffalo's unfortunate place in the history of the Executive Branch of the US government.

I stay-cationed this spot on a very cold, rainy day in April. The docent is fantastic and the tour is in no way boring. I'm a cancellation stamp collector so I know my national parks and historical sites! The technology upgrades bring out the child in me as I got to sit at the presidential desk and have a picture of myself sitting there emailed to me. I looked very presidential. Bring the kids once they're in 8th/9th grade. It would be a little dry for younger kids.

I've not studied museum design, but I am fascinated by it. This place, for such a random and small house, is actually quite a good national park. For one, it's a very unique moment in US History - so that's enough to draw you here. And if you don't know, it's because McKinley was shot in Buffalo and Roosevelt was sworn into the presidency in this house. The tour is diverse so you're never feeling like you're being lectured to. There are some great technology bits, a really nice diorama of what issues and thoughts were going on at the time, and good stuff on the Pan American Exposition. The tour that we took was incredibly well rehearsed too - a lot of timing, choreography, but nothing theatrical. Just intricate.