Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home
Hildene
The summer estate of Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Lincoln, in Georgian Revival style. It has formal gardens, a restored Pullman railcar and panoramic valley views.
Hildene is the summer estate that Robert Todd Lincoln, the only one of President Abraham Lincoln's sons to reach adulthood, built in 1905. It covers about 400 acres and sits on a terrace just south of Manchester, overlooking the Battenkill River valley. The main house preserves original Lincoln family belongings, including a top hat that Lincoln once wore and a 1908 Aeolian pipe organ. The formal garden behind the house imitates the patterns of stained-glass windows, and over a thousand peonies bloom in June. The estate also has the restored Pullman luxury railcar “Sunlight,” a goat-milk dairy farm and about 12 miles of trails. Adult admission is about $25, and it is open year-round (9:30–16:30). Plan for half a day. By car, drive about 3 kilometers south on Route 7A from the town center.
Opening hours
9:30–16:30 (except public holidays)
Nearby sights
- Manchester Village & The Equinox
- American Museum of Fly Fishing
- Southern Vermont Arts Center
- Lye Brook Falls
- Manchester Designer Outlets
- Northshire Bookstore
- Mount Equinox Skyline Drive
- Dorset Quarry