Mordecai Historic Park
Mordecai Historic Park
4.5
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Mordecai Historic Park and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Mordecai
Reach out directly
Best nearby
Restaurants
544 within 5 kms
Attractions
188 within 10 kms
Contribute
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
164 reviews
Excellent
97
Very good
49
Average
12
Poor
2
Terrible
4
Emily T
Talent, OR53 contributions
Aug 2023 • Family
It’s a beautifully preserved site with a sprinkling of other buildings. Located in an easy spot, it’s a great place to take the family to learn a thing or two about the dark nature of this nations history.
Written 22 August 2023
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.
teknoge3k
Rocky Mount, VA1 573 contributions
Jun 2023
Very neat place. We'd been before but my 12 year old was interested so we stopped for him to see it while we were in Raleigh. I wish we were able to get a tour but they were stopping as we arrived. Still fun to see on your own.
Written 11 June 2023
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.
Kate Illinois1
Illinois4 722 contributions
May 2023
The hour tour provides history of the Lane and Mordecai family. The House was built for the Lane Family in 1785. Moses Mordecai married Henry Lane’s oldest daughter, Peggy. It's the oldest home in Raleigh still on the original foundation. Other historic building have been moved to this site for preservation. One of the buildings is where President Andrew Johnson was born in 1808. The building is a small tavern kitchen from downtown Raleigh where his mother worked. The tour provides a summary of his life and presidency. Our female docent was quite knowledgeable and passionate sharing the history of this house, buildings and family members throughout the years. Adults $7, Senior $4. Parking lot near house and signs directing you to the visitor's center. The center has a small museum to review prior to your tour. Restroom building located between the house and visitor's center.
Written 21 May 2023
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.
Tyke's Travels
Garner, NC274 contributions
Apr 2023 • Family
We just did the Historic Raleigh Trolley Tour. It was very interesting and enjoyable. The tour was a one hour ride through the city of Raleigh with the narration about the city of Raleigh since its creation. It was a great way to see the city without fighting traffic. There is adequate parking on Mimosa Street where the tour starts and ends. After the tour there is a walking tour through some of the houses on the Mordecai property. This is well worth the small ticket price.
Written 22 April 2023
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.
Victoria R
Raleigh, NC9 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
I visited this place with my family today. It's a remarkable site, the tour was fun and enriching. The tour was for about an hour, and there's a lot of history within this place. I will definitely come back.
Written 5 March 2023
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.
Lorraine H
2 contributions
Oct 2022 • Family
Erin , our tour guide was fantastic Knowledgable, passionate and polite. She truly brought the history of the Mordacei family to life .A credit to her employer 😊I was visiting from Ireland with very limited knowledge of local Rayleigh history and found your tour very informative and well organised. I would highly recommend this tour. My sister and family who live in Cary also attended tour for first time and were very impressed
Written 27 October 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.
CRAIG C
Utah296 contributions
Jun 2022 • Solo
It’s a well maintained area, but it’s similar to other sites like this across the area. The best part is at the Welcome Center where they discuss slavery.
Written 17 June 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.
RozzyW
Tampa, FL289 contributions
Oct 2021 • Couples
The grounds of Mordecai park are green and relaxing to walk about. We arrived just after dark to catch the Haunted Trolley tour. Costumed characters narrated a 45 minute trolley ride around downtown Raleigh, telling of the haunted history of many buildings and cemeteries. Fun and fascinating!
Written 30 October 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.
katsusanna
Raleigh, NC612 contributions
Aug 2021
This is a fascinating site. In addition to the impressive Mordecai House, the site also includes several other historic buildings as well as lovely grounds to explore. Our visit to the site began at the Visitors Center (which is also a large, beautiful house. I forgot to ask about the history of THAT house -- I wish I had!), which contains a gift shop and some exhibits relating to the history of the Mordecai family. Tours begin at the top of the hour, and we had the privilege of having Jennifer as our tour guide. She was outstanding. She related the history of not only the Lane and Mordecai families, but also told us the history of the house itself as well as that of the various other buildings on the property. It is a LOT of information to share, and she did a fantastic job.
We first visited the small structure that is the birthplace of President Andrew Johnson. Jennifer shared with us some of the history of that lesser-known president, who was born right here in Raleigh. His birthplace was moved from its original site (several blocks away) to Mordecai Historic Park. There are several other historic buildings that were likewise moved to the Mordecai property, and in addition to the Andrew Johnson birthplace, we toured the historic St. Mark's Chapel, which was moved from a nearby plantation and is now a site for weddings (which would be charming!), and also a kitchen dependency, which is not original to the site but was moved and placed on the same spot where the Mordecai family's original kitchen stood.
The main focus of the tour, though, is the large and lovely Mordecai House, named after the second generation to live in the house. The house was originally built in 1785 by Joel Lane (the founding father of Raleigh) for his son as a wedding gift, but the son's daughter married a Mordecai, and from that point on, the house was occupied by Mordecai family members. Their family history is really quite fascinating, beginning with their 18th-century Jewish immigrant roots. The branch that lived in the Mordecai house converted to Christianity, and the Mordecai family (as well as the Lanes before them) were slaveholding planters, accumulating great wealth and extensive landholdings. On the tour, the stories of the enslaved inhabitants of the plantation are interwoven with those of the Mordecai and Lane families, making for a complex and interesting history.
After touring the house, we were able to stroll about in Ellen Mordecai's lovely garden, where, to our delight, the sunflowers were in full bloom, creating a dramatic and beautifully colorful display.
We spent about an hour and a half total at Mordecai Historic Park, and it was definitely time well spent. We will add this to our list of places to bring guests when they come to Raleigh to visit, and we certainly encourage anyone who lives in the vicinity to make a visit to the site. You will love it!
We first visited the small structure that is the birthplace of President Andrew Johnson. Jennifer shared with us some of the history of that lesser-known president, who was born right here in Raleigh. His birthplace was moved from its original site (several blocks away) to Mordecai Historic Park. There are several other historic buildings that were likewise moved to the Mordecai property, and in addition to the Andrew Johnson birthplace, we toured the historic St. Mark's Chapel, which was moved from a nearby plantation and is now a site for weddings (which would be charming!), and also a kitchen dependency, which is not original to the site but was moved and placed on the same spot where the Mordecai family's original kitchen stood.
The main focus of the tour, though, is the large and lovely Mordecai House, named after the second generation to live in the house. The house was originally built in 1785 by Joel Lane (the founding father of Raleigh) for his son as a wedding gift, but the son's daughter married a Mordecai, and from that point on, the house was occupied by Mordecai family members. Their family history is really quite fascinating, beginning with their 18th-century Jewish immigrant roots. The branch that lived in the Mordecai house converted to Christianity, and the Mordecai family (as well as the Lanes before them) were slaveholding planters, accumulating great wealth and extensive landholdings. On the tour, the stories of the enslaved inhabitants of the plantation are interwoven with those of the Mordecai and Lane families, making for a complex and interesting history.
After touring the house, we were able to stroll about in Ellen Mordecai's lovely garden, where, to our delight, the sunflowers were in full bloom, creating a dramatic and beautifully colorful display.
We spent about an hour and a half total at Mordecai Historic Park, and it was definitely time well spent. We will add this to our list of places to bring guests when they come to Raleigh to visit, and we certainly encourage anyone who lives in the vicinity to make a visit to the site. You will love it!
Written 1 August 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.
teknoge3k
Rocky Mount, VA1 573 contributions
Jul 2021
This is a very neat place to visit. We stopped by while we were in Raleigh to see this park and I am very glad I did. It was very clean, very well laid out, and to see the historic buildings was really cool. I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting the area. Also a mention to Joshua that works with the county, that's over this place. I had questions about it prior to our visit and he was very quick to respond with the information I needed.
Written 28 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.
Florence B
Concord, NC26 contributions
Is it located near the NC history museum? At walking distance?
bonniewest2017
Wilmington, NC79 contributions
I personally do not know how far away it is but if you are used to inner city walking , then I think that it is very doable. It is quite difficult to find parking in downtown Raleigh period, but not impossible. Hope you can enjoy both as the Museum is very nice! Perhaps park near the History Museum and then drive around the Mordecai District.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingMORDECAI HISTORIC PARK: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Mordecai Historic Park
- Hotels near Mordecai Historic Park:
- (1.36 km) Hampton Inn & Suites Raleigh Downtown
- (0.62 km) Newly Renovated Private House Minutes from Downtown Raleigh with King beds!!
- (0.68 km) Chic Condo in Downtown Raleigh
- (2.28 km) Raleigh Marriott City Center
- (2.81 km) Aloft Raleigh
- Restaurants near Mordecai Historic Park:
- (0.22 km) Stanbury
- (0.22 km) Escazú Chocolates
- (0.32 km) Yellow Dog Bread Company
- (0.45 km) Crawford & Son
- (0.79 km) Bad Daddy's Burger Bar