Walking Tour

Download Guide

Follow the directions in a series of clues to find places from Mrs. Lincoln's childhood. This playful walk to ten locations in downtown Lexington is geared to children ages 7-10 and their families.

Join us for a presentation with Lois Romano about her new biography of Mary Todd Lincoln. The former Washington Post writer drew from years of research to portray Mary as a complex, consequential woman whose life deserves far more nuance and respect than history has afforded her.

In conversation with MTL House executive director Gwen Thompson, Romano will examine how Mary’s story was shaped largely by men whose accounts reduced her to a caricature – erratic, extravagant, unstable – while overlooking the context of her grief, intelligence, and resilience. The discussion will also highlight the first lady’s overlooked contributions to the nation. A politically astute partner to Abraham Lincoln, she was deeply engaged in the issues of her time. She advocated for Civil War soldiers and endured personal sacrifices amid national crisis. She also successfully secured a federal pension after Lincoln’s death – helping ensure that future first ladies would be afforded similar support.

This program will take place online via Zoom. Registration is required. The Zoom link will be emailed to registrants with their registration confirmation.

Online registration is required by clicking here.

Celebrate Presidents’ Day with a special event designed for families! This year’s event is inspired by the Lincoln family’s pastimes – from playing games to pampering pets to supporting the troops. Games and hands-on activities are designed for ages 5-10, but all are welcome. Allow an hour for your visit. This event is FREE thanks to the generous sponsorship of WealthSouth, Concierge Financial Services.

Celebrate Mary Lincoln’s 207th birthday with us at a FREE event inspired by entertainments she hosted and attended. Watch magician John Shore perform tricks like those in a show in the Lincoln White House, meet an interpreter dressed for a ball, and sample treats the Lincolns enjoyed at events in Springfield and Washington. Drop in anytime from 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. No reservations required. Free. Recommended for ages 12-up.

This event is offered in partnership with 250Lex, the city’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Lexington.

Doors open at 2 p.m. with last entrance at 3:15 p.m. Allow 45 minutes.

Explore Mary Todd Lincoln’s relationship with clothing – the fashion trends of her adult years, her relationship with dressmaker Elizabeth Keckley, and more! Listen to a presentation on mid-19th century women’s attire, chat with a costumed interpreter, see mourning items from the MTL House collection, and an 1830s dress from the Liberty Hall Historic Site collection. Light refreshments.

Recommended for ages 12- up. $15 general public/ $10 museum members, under 18 years, and college students. Purchase advance tickets here or at the door.

Explore the Lexington Cemetery with us! This self-guided walk will focus on the community’s divided loyalties during the Civil War. Museum staff will be stationed along the route to share stories of both soldiers and civilians. The walk will feature family plots and Union and Confederate burial grounds.

Recommended for ages 12- up. $10 general public/ Free to museum members. Entry times for the self-guided walk are staggered at 2 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. The walk is approximately 1 mile and lasts about 90 minutes. Purchase tickets here.

Lexington residents are invited to celebrate the city’s 250th anniversary at a special free day.  Chat with a costumed Mary Lincoln presenter, see our Mary Todd’s Lexington panel exhibit, and sample the famous vanilla almond cake served in Lexington in 1825!

Last entry at 3 p.m. Recommended for ages 12-up.

Celebrate Presidents’ Day with a special event designed for families! Meet Mrs. Lincoln and enjoy hands-on activities inspired by the childhoods of Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln. Activities include writing with quill pens, playing marbles, and other games. The interactive event is designed for children ages 5-10, but all are welcome.

Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. The event will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (last entrance at 3 p.m.) on Monday, February 17. Allow one hour for your visit.

This free event is offered in partnership with 250Lex, the city’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of Lexington. Other Lexington history organizations will be open and free to the public that day, to find out more, click here.

Join us for an early celebration of Mary Todd Lincoln’s 206th birthday! Take a self-guided tour of the house, listen to live music by guitarist Dennis Davis, enjoy light seasonal refreshments, and shop for holiday gifts in the museum store.

FREE. Drop in any time between 2:00 and 4:00 PM. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

This free virtual program will feature an illustrated talk on Mary Lincoln’s niece, artist Katherine Helm, by MTLH Assistant Director, Kate Hesseldenz. This program will take place via the online meeting platform Zoom. Online registration is required by clicking here.

MTLH Executive Director Gwen Thompson will be participating in a roundtable discussion during the 2024 Hopemont Lecture Preservation Workshop at 10:30 a.m. Hosted by the Blue Grass Trust, this free half-day workshop is designed for preservation and public history professionals, students, and grassroots leaders. Registration info HERE.

Members will meet for the 56th annual business meeting of the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation. After a short meeting, attendees are invited to socialize at a wine and cheese reception immediately following. Not a member? Join by clicking here!

Join us on June 9 – the 47th anniversary of the museum’s opening day in 1977 – for an open house to learn about the 200+ year history of the property's varied residents and uses. We'll also touch on the history of the neighborhood during the Todd era.

Participants will see historic photos of the home, view artifacts excavated from nearby locations with archaeologist Jason Flay, examine historical records, and chat with author Doug Tattershall about the site’s connection to the famous Lexington madam, Belle Brezing.

Free. Recommended for ages 12-up. Come anytime between 3 p.m.- 5 p.m.

Join us on May 23 to test your Mary and Abraham Lincoln knowledge at our trivia night! The night begins at 7 p.m. at the Old North Bar located in the Greyline Station in Lexington. Food/drinks for purchase and a chance to pose with our Mary and Abe selfie station. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners!

Old North Bar is located at 101 W Loudon Ave Suite 116, Lexington, KY 40508.

Join museum staff on April 15 to explore how the many losses Mary Lincoln suffered reflected the ways in which 19th-century Americans coped with death. This illustrated lecture will feature historical sources that illustrate evolving funerary and mourning customs and unorthodox practices such as spiritualism.

This free virtual program will take place via the online meeting platform Zoom from 6 p.m. -7 p.m. Recommended for ages 14-up. Online registration is required.

Click here to register.

FREE to children through age 17; $15 adults

Celebrate Presidents’ Day with a special event designed for families! Meet Mrs. Lincoln and enjoy games and hands-on activities inspired by her many roles as first lady—from campaigner to entertainer! The interactive event is designed for children ages 5-10, but all are welcome.

The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with timed entry and limited capacity. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Walk-ups are welcome, but to guarantee entry, please book online. Allow 1 hour for your visit.

Online booking to guarantee entry is available here.

Thank you to our event sponsor WealthSouth for making this program possible. WealthSouth has been serving Central Kentucky since 1909 providing wealth management, trust and commercial banking. #locallycommitted

FREE. Drop in at any time between 1:00 and 4:00 p.m. Recommended for ages 12 and up.

Join us for an early celebration of Mary Todd Lincoln’s 205th birthday and get a jump on holiday shopping! Take a self-guided tour of the house, enjoy light seasonal refreshments, show off your knowledge of Lincoln holiday history by taking a trivia quiz, and shop for stocking stuffers and other gifts in the museum store.

Please note: Holiday decorations will be minimal.

FREE performances at 3:00 p.m. and 3:45 p.m.

Did you know that Mary Todd’s favorite teacher was French? Join us for a free dramatization based on the life of Charlotte Mentelle and explore other French influences in Mary’s life. Mentelle fled her native Paris during the French Revolution, arriving in Lexington in 1798. In 1820 she opened a school for girls, which Mary Todd attended in the 1830s.

The event will feature a Kentucky Humanities Chautauqua performance by Dr. Simonetta Cochis of Transylvania University. Event includes a French-inspired self-guided tour and Mary Todd Lincoln’s French almond cake. The 25-minute presentation will be offered at 3:00 and 3:45 p.m. Recommended for ages 12-up. Tickets are free, but space is limited.

To guarantee entry, tickets are available here.

Complete Chautauqua presentation description available here. This program is funded in part by Kentucky Humanities and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Program at 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. $25 general admission; $15 for museum members

Have you heard that Mary Lincoln met with mediums and attended séances? In this 60-minute program classical magician John Shore will discuss some of the most famous people connected with the 19th-century spiritualism movement and use the techniques of a magician to recreate some of the effects that convinced audiences that they could communicate with deceased loved ones. After his presentation, museum staff will talk about Mary Lincoln’s involvement with spiritualism.

The program will be offered at 6:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Recommended for ages 14-up. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $15 for museum members. Space is limited to 20 per entry time. To guarantee entry, please book online below.

Complete program description here.

Tickets available here.

Members and donors will gather to conduct the 55th annual business meeting of the Kentucky Mansions Preservation Foundation. After the short meeting, attendees are invited to socialize at a wine and cheese reception immediately following.

Not a member? Join by clicking here!

$10 adults; Free to children through age 17; Free to museum members

Explore Lexington as Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln would have known it! Museum staff will be stationed along the route of this self-guided walk to share information. This one mile walk includes locations from Mary’s childhood and the Lincolns’ visits to Lexington.

$10 adults; free to children and museum members. Tickets can be purchased online or at MTL House. The walk starts at MTL House. Allow one hour to complete the walk. Free parking is available behind the museum.

Tickets available here.

Explore the Lexington Cemetery with us! The walk will focus on our community’s divided loyalties during the Civil War. Museum staff will be stationed along the route to share stories of both soldiers and civilians. The walk will feature family plots and Union and Confederate burial grounds.

Recommended for ages 12- up. $10 general public/ Free to museum members. Arrive at the Henry Clay monument any time between 2:00 and 3:00 PM to begin the walk. Tickets can be purchased below and will be available in real-time until sold out.

Tickets are available here.

Join museum staff and Bourbon Bakery owner Heather Andress to explore the history of Mary Lincoln’s legendary vanilla almond cake and learn how to make one.

It all started in 1825 when French confectioner Mathurin Giron created an elaborate cake to serve when the Marquis de Lafayette visited Lexington. According to some accounts, the Todd family got the recipe, Mary learned to make it, and Abraham Lincoln declared it his favorite. But evidence to support the story is scanty. In this program, we’ll share what we know—and what we don’t!

Then Heather Andress will share step-by-step tips for making the cake served at Mary Todd Lincoln House events—from sifting the flour to choosing the right oven temperature. Click here for the recipe. Heather is the owner of The Bourbon Bakery, a cottage bakery that specializes in small-batch desserts that are full of flavor and beautifully presented.

This free virtual program will take place via the online meeting platform Zoom. Recommended for ages 12-up. Online registration is required.

Click here to register.

Celebrate Presidents’ Day with a special event designed for families! Visit with Mrs. Lincoln, watch a magic show like one held in the Lincoln White House, learn to play marbles, and enjoy other activities inspired by those of Mary, Abraham, and their sons. The informal event is intended for children ages 5-10, but all are welcome.

The event runs from 10 to 2 with timed entry and limited capacity. Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult. Walk-ups are welcome, but to guarantee entry, use online booking. Allow 1 hour for your visit. Free parking is available behind the museum.

Online booking to guarantee entry is available here.