Gadsby's Tavern Museum
Gadsby's Tavern Museum
4.5
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 5:00 PM
About
Learn about early America at Alexandria’s five-star hotel of the 18th century! Gadsby’s Tavern Museum consists of the c. 1785 tavern and the 1792 City Tavern and Hotel. John Gadsby propelled the buildings to fame, managing operations with his enslaved staff. It was the center of political, business, and social life in Alexandria and hosted the likes of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
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Neighbourhood: Old Town
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
267 reviews
Excellent
146
Very good
99
Average
20
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Kate Illinois1
Illinois4 861 contributions
May 2022
We should have done the self guided tour and saved money and time. Everything the guide said was written all through the building, but she left out many items. We went back and read all the placards. That is when we discovered George and Martha Washington attended the 1798 & 1799 Washington Birthnight Ball. Only thing she told us it was where Thomas Jefferson inaugural banquet took place and the room hosted the annual Washington Birthday celebration.
Written 21 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Group_Hotel_Pro
Alpharetta, GA72 contributions
Jul 2021
This is a very intimate museum, and is priced affordably. My favorite part was the focus on which sorts of food and drinks were commonly served and consumed by travelers in the late 18th century Revolution era. If you are visiting Alexandria, you will walk right past this place, I guarantee it. So stop in and take a look.
Written 3 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joshmilind
Ashburn, VA107 contributions
Aug 2014 • Couples
I was really looking forward to this after reading good reviews. We reached at the museum in the afternoon. It wasn't at all crowded. We were greeted by a little girl in period dress as soon as we entered which was a surprise, but a good one. We entered into the tiny gift shop and asked for the tour. We bought 2 tickets (5$ per person, 1$ off if you have AAA membership) and he directed us back to the little girl, who directed us again to one of the rooms right behind her. We then, very quickly realized that ALL the docents were kids. Please don't get me wrong, we loved them and appreciated their effort. They did the best they could, but I believe our experience would have been much different if we had an adult docent guide us. As for the museum, it's filled with history. Two young girls were demonstrating ice-cream making, which was fun.
Written 24 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dover2400
dover, pa18 contributions
Mar 2013 • Couples
Great food at lunch at good prices. Go around 11:30AM. Get Key to City book ($9) at Visitor's Center on King St near waterfront. Gets you $5 off meal and free entrance to other historic sites. Went back again for the Ale battered Cod for kunch.
Written 29 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Loretta V
Lake Dallas, United States111 contributions
May 2017 • Friends
Just to know when and how this started is amazing. The food is wonderful and the servers are all dressed in period dress. It is beautiful inside and has original floor and serving pieces.
Written 9 May 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
elcodfish
Depew, New York6 contributions
Apr 2017 • Couples
We just visited the museum and had a fabulous tour with Kristy. If you can make the tour, it really tells you so much more about the buildings. What is wonderful is the space was never renovated into a home or other business so you really get to see an authentic representation of life at the time. The tour really tells you about life and about how the tavern would have been utilized. Absolutely worth the hour.
Written 27 April 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gijilly
5 contributions
Oct 2016 • Solo
This is a staple in Old Town. The food is Colonial and quite heavy but so worth the experience. Ghost tours line up here, the Lafayette Ball is held here, George Washington ate here regularly- what's not to love?
Written 18 October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Angela H
North Carolina61 contributions
Apr 2016 • Family
This is one of those must see places, if only for the fact six presidents socialized here. You can see where they ate, where they danced, where boarders stayed, sharing rope beds and pallets. Very nice docent. Get your city pass from the visitor center so that you pay only $10 for all of the museums. Otherwise, it's $5 admission, $4 AAA rate.
Written 8 April 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LivinglifeinPA
Allentown, PA876 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
For $4.00 (usual fee is $5, but AAA members get an additional $1 off), you can't beat this tour! It's short, but informative...........just to see how the musicans climbed up the ladder to go to their box for ballroom/musical experiences was worth the $4.00.
It's also so amazing to be in the same place where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, & other previous presidents were too..............how many opportunities do you have to experience that?
Go for the $5 tour.........or the $4 one if you are AAA members! Totally worth the cost!!!
It's also so amazing to be in the same place where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, & other previous presidents were too..............how many opportunities do you have to experience that?
Go for the $5 tour.........or the $4 one if you are AAA members! Totally worth the cost!!!
Written 3 November 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
chicagotraveller48
chicago29 contributions
Apr 2012 • Family
We were walking around old town Alexandria and happened on Gadsby's Tavern Museum. The tour was only $4 each with our AAA discount. What a delightful tour. It was short, maybe 20 minutes. But we learned a lot about the tavern and history of Alexandria. Would highly recommend it. There's a working restaurant in one of the buildings, but we had already eaten so we didn't try it, though would have liked to. The young man who gave us the tour was very knowledgeable about the archeological digs in the area.
Written 11 April 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Liz W
Alexandria, Virginia
Adults: $5.00
Children (ages 5 -12): $3.00
Children under 5 are free with a paying adult.
Discounts are available to AAA Members and to visitors who have dined at Gadsby's Tavern Restaurant.
Written 15 July 2015
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