woodrow wilson birthplace

When I arrived the site was closed, but it was still worthwhile to walk the grounds and get an idea of how Woodrow Wilson might have lived and grown.

This is a great place to get your fill of politics and history in Staunton. The birthplace occupies three buildings including a museum and the birthplace house itself.There is an entry fee, but the staff run complimentary tours every half hour. I found the guide extremely knowledgeable, friendly and keen to tell the story of the young Pres. Wilson.

Well preserved and will give you a very good impression of the daily life in that era. The tour guide did an excellent job.

A charming home. Like the way that they have focused on keeping the house in line with what it would have looked liked circa 1858. Wilson was only here for just under two years, but you can get an idea of how this and his later life helped to influence him. Gained a decent understanding of his family background. Tour guide was friendly, reasonably knowledgeable, and willing to answer questions. You get to see the basement, grounds, and 1st floor, but not the uppermost floor while on the tour. Mostly period pieces in the home, but did have a few items that belonged to the Wilson family. Museum has his presidential vehicle-very cool. WW1 exhibit was small and basic although periscope was interesting. The portion of the museum that covers his life in chronological order is three rooms, but well done. Exhibits do an ok job of presenting a balanced appraisal of Wilson's two terms as president, but would have liked for them to have explored some of these things in more detail. Decent gift shop with very friendly staff. Would have enjoyed it a lot more though if staff had called us all out for the beginning of the tour. Needed to make a pit stop before hand only to look out the window and see that the tour was already starting. 15 people on the tour which they described as a fairly large tour, but guide did a good job leading us through the rooms. We parked a ways away and walked three to four blocks, but it looked like there as plenty of parking to the rear of the building. Several small sandwich shops and restaurants within a block or two of the museum. Price was a little steep for a 35 minute tour (14 dollars), but comparable to the cost of other presidential homes. Overall, a decent experience.

We enjoyed the home and library very much. If you enjoy history then you are in for a real treat. If you are wheel chair bound, it would be more difficult for you to enjoy the home.

Though born in the middle of the 19th century, Wilson's lived in and had an impact that carried through to the 20th century and beyond. His childhood birthplace was not unlike some of the homes many of us know from our personal experiences. This is a short tour that is included in the Library and Museum ticket. The tour guide did a great job of explaining the way of life and the family's perspective of the community. Highly recommended.

Woodrow Wilson has about as many homes as Edgar Allen Poe. He got around. This is his birthplace and he lived here until he was two. It is also the site of his Presidential Library. The home tour is very interesting. The docent led tour visits the first floor and the basement/lower floor. You are not allowed to visit the second floor. The docent said something about fire laws, but I suspect the second floor has not been renovated. Very few furnishings are original to the Wilsons, because when they moved, they took their furniture. The docent was knowledgeable about the home and the Wilsons. The library has Wilson’s Pierce Arrow automobile and is a walk through his presidency and personal life. The lower level is a recreated WWI trench, which is interesting to walk through. Overall, this is definitely worth a side trip if you are going on the skyline drive or are in the area.

We love touring old homes and this home had the added historical interest. We like to visit Presidential homes and libraries when we travel. Our tour was led by Jody and he did a great job of filling us in on the life of Woodrow Wilson or "Tommy" as he was called early in his life. The home is beautifully restored and filled with period antiques, some of them original to the home or Wilson family.

The museum and birthplace home are a worthwhile visit if you enjoy historical places. It is operated by a non-profit organization (I believe) and is not on a grand scale like some of the other presidential sites. The museum has several interesting exhibits and the tour of the home was quite well done. Bottom line - probably not worth a major detour to visit, but highly recommended if you have some free time in the Staunton area.

Wilson was born in the house and in the tour you visit the room where he was born and see his crib. The house was OK but more interesting was the museum which provides a comprehensive history of his family, his early life and education and his work as a university president, Governor of New Jersey and his time as President of the United States. There are many artifacts and pictures and a very good film about his life. Very interesting learning about that time in our history. Admission for adults is $16 and for seniors $14.

The birthplace of Woodrow Wilson ending up being so much better than I expected. Definitely stop in, take the tour and visit the museum and read all the info and push all the buttons. The tour of the actual house was really awesome. Our tour guide was a student at Mary Baldwin College and she was very knowledgable and personable. W had a small group on our tour so we went through quickly but w had time to take in each room. It is an amazing feeling to stand in the actual room where a president was born and to see the crib that he slept in. There are also so neat things in the gift shop. Take your time here.... It is worth it!

Went on a tour today of the house where President Woodrow Wilson was born and where he spent the first three years of his life. Our tour guide Jody was very knowledgable not only of the house but of the President and his ancestors. You cannot take pictures inside the house which is a shame because there are many interesting artifacts that non-flash photography clearly can't hurt. The admission price for the house and the museum is $12 for seniors which for me is a fair price for both venues combined. I recommend a visit especially to see the museum but also for the house to learn more about our 28th president from the tour guide.

This home where WW as born and lived for only the first few years of his life, showed a great deal about his family and those times. His father was a minister and this house was provided to them by the church he administered to. While this was his first congregation he wasn't paid a huge salary but he was provided with this home. My sense was that it wasn't quite upper class but rather comfortable for the times. He left there within a few years to lead a much larger congregation and was paid a great deal more and needed to provide for his family. I believe they moved deeper into the South but WW essentially had progressive values except for his racial beliefs which seemed fairly traditional Southern values for those times. So while this was his birthplace and he returned here after he became President to a huge celebration by the town, I doubt it had much to do with forming his beliefs and value system. I truly enjoyed the visit here to both the Presidential Library and Museum and the adjacent birth place and would highly recommend it to any one visiting this area. We stayed at an amazing B&B named the Inn at Old Virginia. Feel free to read that separate review.

This is not to be missed, especially with what is going on around the world now. Learn about his birth here, self schooling by his parents, education and rise to presidency, entry into WWI, formation of the League of Nations and inability to get the US committed.

We visit many Presidential sites, and we enjoyed this visit to the Museum and birthplace. President Wilson's home in Washington DC has many more personal objects, but this tour of his birthplace gives good background on his family and of family life of a well respected and well paid minister of the time (his father). A few tips. It opens at 9:00 a.m. We parked in the parking lot in back (signs will direct you off of E Beverley Street.) There are two handicapped spaces next to the museum. If you park in the lot, you have a lovely short walk through the garden.We bought our tickets in the gift shop. They were $14 for adults and $12 for persons over 60. No government funds are used for upkeep fees are necessary. We then did a self tour in the museum which has timelines, objects, photos of his family , as well as displays on immigration and other pertinent social issues (WWII is not a focal point here.)On the hour, starting at 10 AM, guided tours are given of the Birthplace. The downstairs has the kitchen, cook's bedroom, , and an informal dining room. Upstairs is the parlor, dining room, the parents' bedroom where the President was born, and his father's study. Some original furnishings from the Wilson's remain, but most are period pieces. Guides explain the functions of the items very well as share information on the president. If you ask questions, you will get a lot more information!The museum and Birthplace are in a lovely part of old Staunton. Take time to walk or at least drive around a bit to see the houses and the Mary Baldwin College campus. TheWilson Library is also in the same block with the Museum and birthplace, but it appears to be open by appointment for research.