Winter Visit To Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home in Vermont
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If you don’t love the cold, visiting historic houses is a great indoor activity to do during the winter months. While many house museums are typically open during the warmer months, I was very excited to discover that Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home is open year-round! I always feel drawn to go to the mountains during the winter months, and a visit to this historic site in Vermont was a great way to experience the mountains while staying warm.
About Hildene
Hildene in Manchester, Vermont was the summer home of Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln. Robert named the estate Hildene, which translates to “hill and valley with stream” in Old English. This was because the house was built on a hill that overlooks Battenkill Valley.
Robert made his fortune when he was the president of the Pullman Company, which was the largest railroad manufacturing company in the world. He lived in Chicago, but fell in love with Vermont and built Hildene in Manchester, Vermont. He considered Hildene his “ancestral home.”
Hildene was built in 1905. The the 24-room Georgian revival mansion was designed by the Boston architectural firm Shepley, Rutan, and Coolidge and built by Boston builder Ira G. Hersey. The house included electricity, telephone service, hot-air heating, and an enunciator system that allowed the Lincolns to call their staff wherever they might be in the house.
My Visit To Hildene
This was my first time visiting. However, I actually tried to visit in December of 2024 right after Christmas. I knew what days they were open, but I just happened to go on a day they were closed due to the holidays. That trip, we ended up going to the Southern Vermont Arts Center instead since it is also in Manchester, Vermont.
Since this estate is NOT close for me (3.5 hour drive from southeastern Connecticut), I triple checked this time to ensure we didn’t make the drive just for it to be closed again. I checked both their website and their social media, which were up to date and very clear about which days they would be closed. While they were open on New Year’s Day, I went the day after. It was my first day trip of 2026!
Arriving
As I pulled up to the entrance, I held my breath because there was still a part of me that feared I got it wrong again and they would be closed. But, the gate was open! I drove down the long drive up to the parking lot by the Welcome Center. It was plowed, but snowy. I always expect this when going up north in the winter. I always put winter tires on in the winter just to make life easier when I go up north. It’s not uncommon for side roads to not be nicely plowed.
After parking, we headed into the Welcome Center to get our tickets. Tickets are purchased at the desk when you first walk in. You’ll get a sticker to wear to indicate that you’ve paid for admission and a paper map of the property. If you’re visiting in the winter like I was, the sticker might not stick well to your jacket. The worker warned us about this, and my sticker did end up falling off before we left. Make sure you keep your receipt to prove that you did pay if it does fall off.
The House
After we got our tickets, we headed over to the house. It was a short walk up a slight hill to get to the house from the Welcome Center. The pathway was clear of snow, which was nice. Before we headed inside, I snapped some photos of the house. We didn’t linger outside for too long because it was below freezing.
Once inside, we were greeted by a friendly docent. She gave us a quick overview of both Robert Todd Lincoln and the estate itself before we started our self-guided tour. She was extremely knowledgable and let us know she would be happy to answer any questions we might have. She also told us to make sure we check out the Pullman train car on the property before we left because it’s super cool.
After chatting with the docent, we headed off on our own to tour the house. Instead of giving you a play by play of that, I’ll let the photos of the house speak for themselves.
The First Floor
The Second Floor
Back Outside After The Self-Guided Tour
After we finished touring the house, we headed back outside. The first thing we checked out when we went back outside was the Observatory. The observatory is pretty close to the house. You can see it when you’re standing at the front of the house.
The path up to the observatory was a little icy in some spots, but I definitely wouldn’t say micro-spikes were necessary.
Robert Todd Lincoln became interested in astronomy from his father. He was so interested in it, he had this observatory built on his property in 1908. You can go inside the observatory during your visit to the property.
There are also some great views from where the observatory sits. You can see some surrounding mountains and the valley below.
After the observatory, we headed behind the house where the formal garden is. While the gardens aren’t in bloom during the winter, I still wanted to check out the back of the house. I bet it’s beautiful in the warmer months when the hedges are alive and flowers are in bloom.
By the time we were done looking at the back of the house, my legs were actually in pain from the cold. So, we headed back into the Welcome Center to poke around in the store to warm up before heading to the Pullman train car on the property. I was hoping to find a magnet, but the only magnets I saw were general Vermont ones, so I passed on those.
The Pullman Car, Sunbeam
Once we had warmed up a bit, we headed back outside and made the short walk to the Pullman Car. Thankfully, there were clear signs pointing us in the direction of the train car. We did have a map, but I’m a little directionally challenged even with a map.
What’s cool is that you can actually go inside the train car. There’s a docent inside the train car who gives you the history of it and how much it cost to build and how much it cost to use (it was hundreds of dollars per hour). We were told that two U.S. presidents had used this train car. The first was William McKinley, who was the 25th president. The second was Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president.
Below are some photos from the interior of the train car.
The Pullman Car was our last stop on the property for the day. There’s a lot more to explore, like miles of trails and a farm, but it was just too cold for me personally to enjoy it. I did pack appropriate winter clothes to be outside in the cold, but I don’t love layering up. The train was definitely a good way to end the visit, especially because it was nice and warm inside.
Is Hildene Worth Visiting In The Winter?
Absolutely! Not only is the estate beautiful with the snow, but it’s a great mostly indoor activity to do if you’re someone who doesn’t like to be cold.If you enjoy being outside in the winter, there are tons of trails to explore. There are 12 miles of walking trails, with a variety of landscapes from woods to meadows. Just be sure to dress appropriately for the weather.
I love visiting cultural landmarks like this, so full of history and ambience. The Lincoln Family Home looks stunning in winter especially with all the snow, but I bet it’d be beautiful year round as the seasons change.
I’d love to visit this home in the warmer months when everything is green and in the fall with the foliage.
I love visiting historic houses, and it looks like the perfect activity in Manchester in winter! I’m not a big fan of cold weather, so I’d really enjoy discovering and learning about each room.
I’m definitely not a fan of the cold either, but it was nice and warm inside the house.
The Lincoln Family Home looks stunning in winter with all the snow. But with beautiful gardens, I think it will look stunning in each season. I would also be nervous if it were truly open, although double checking.
It was definitely so pretty with all of the snow!
Hello! The house looks elegant both outside and inside. Are there a lot of visitors during summer time?
I’m sure there are more visitors in the warmer months!
Manchester is so beautiful to visit in winter, covered in a blanket of snow. We haven’t had a chance to visit Hildene in winter though, looks wonderful.
I’ve actually only been to Manchester in the winter and it’s definitely beautiful with snow! I’d love to experience the historic town when it’s a bit warmer though.