Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens

4155 Linnean Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA

Address:	4155 Linnean Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Phone:	+1 202-686-5807
Site:	hillwoodmuseum.org
Rating:	4.6
Working:	Closed 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM 10AM–5PM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 14

Nicholas Sammons

Even though the Hillwood Estate is a fantastic venue and well worth a visit, Im leaving a bad review after signing up for the "Afternoon Tea Service" offered by their cafe. When I signed up for this, I sorta imagined it would be a refined afternoon tea in the ambiance of one of the estates many impressive dining rooms or gardens. Instead of a pleasant dining area, my party was led into what seemed more like a cheapo hotel conference room. The so-called "tea service" seemed to be put together by someone who had never had tea before. We had to ask to be provided with cream and sugar (not cubed). They had a reasonable selection of tea, but they initially only provided a limited quantity of the more popular varieties (e.g. Earl Grey) such that we had to ask for more. And of course, the tea was bagged, not loose, which any true tea aficionado would look down on. The tea pots were some of those annoying defective variety that make it impossible not to spill half the tea as youre pouring. The wait staff seemed semi-competent, slow and constantly flustered. The sandwiches and scones were really the only half-decent part of the event. If this seems a little critical, its mainly for two reasons; 1) we paid $23 per person for tea, a couple small cucumber sandwiches and a scone. I dont mind paying that much, but the service should really be up to par. 2) the Hillwood Estate is such a great venue, youd sorta hope theyd know how to do this kind of tea service with some competence.

A Private User

The estate itself is beautiful; however, the parking situation is horrendous and I would caution against anyone trying to visit Hillwood on a weekend or during a busy season. The guard motioned us to enter the line of cars for parking; little did I know I would be trapped in the extremely narrow, winding road for 30 minutes, all movement blocked in front and behind me. If you are the least bit claustrophobic about being trapped in traffic you will hate this. I got out to check what was happening and it turns out there was one person directing parking who was releasing one car at a time, each time a car left from the full parking lot. Well, you can imagine, people were not leaving at a rapid rate. WHen that person left, he was replaced by a young woman whose job seemed to be to keep the line in place until he returned. When I got to the front of the line, I was so disturbed by the parking situation that I exited. I parked four blocks away and walked to the museum. When I tried to enter, they told me that all visitors must park on the property and no neighborhood parking whatsoever was allowed. Bye-bye, Hillwood, Ill return (maybe) on a very slow day, but never again on a Saturday.

Mata Lowden-Townsend

OMG. I love this place. Visited it once before but was still overwhelmed by its beauty and the collection of Marjorie Post. You will see some of the most rare and exquisite pieces of art, jewels, and decor as any place in America. Pieces collected over lifetime from all corners of Europe and Asia. I took a hundred pictures at least. You are allowed to tour at your leisure but having a guide gives you great anecdotal stories. Their gift shop is to die for. Such beautiful things. I may even go back a third time. How one person can accumulate so much is mind-boggling!

Luiz Henrique Paiva Quintão

É uma visita diferentes das tradicionais visitas a museu e memoriais de Washington D.C. É mais afastada da cidade. Local bonito, principalmente na primeira aonde os jardins estão em seu auge. Funcionários nem tão educados e o preço um pouco caro para o que se oferece.

James T

非常好的一个早年移居美国的俄罗斯贵夫人私人庄园庄园里面收藏了很多俄罗斯古代收藏品很多文物是在前苏联解体后去俄罗斯收购运输到美国来的非常具有历史价值特别具有价值的是一个复活节彩蛋和一顶钻石皇冠

Zach Hardy

Beautiful house and gardens that are worth a visit, but not too much beneath the surface in my opinion. Lots of Russian art along with Baroque French pieces, which are pretty if somewhat gaudy. Ms. Post seemed like a well intentioned lady but also a blatant 1 percenter. If fantasy lifestyles of the hyper rich interest you, youll be fascinated by this place. Certainly dont expect the intellectual intrigue of a place like TJs Monticello.

Stuart Stone

The art and the history in this museum are not to be missed. Mrs. Post did an incredible job of preserving the grandeur of Czarist Russia. I am told that the current Russian state would love to have much of this back, that their museums and palaces have small plaques indicating what is missing. Belgium, France, and the rest of Western Europe (and Hillwood Museum!) are now the repositories of that period of wealth and creativity.

Colleen Grant

Do yourself a favor and visit Hillwood during the spring or summer so you can take a walk through the gardens. They are so peaceful and beautiful...youll completely forget youre still in the DC city limits! There is so much to see in the house, you could definitely spend hours inside without even realizing it! They put on great temporary exhibits and the Russian collection (gorgeous porcelain and Faberge eggs) is incredible.

Ana

I had randomly searched for "unique things to do" in DC to get away from the normal city life and Hollywood Estate happened to come up on one of the websites. After visiting for a few hours, I can safely say this place is just amazing and takes me back to Europe. It is just filled with old French/Russian collections and the entire estate is just exquisite. Highly recommend - phone pictures dont do it justice.

bubb les

Wow I feel this is an amazing historic venue thats tucked away in the DC area, the so-called "suggested donation" is a large deterrent. Although I can understand keeping track of guests, supposedly the walk-through is by donation only, and yet I felt pressured to pay the "suggested donation" (admittance) at the entrance and from the web site. Truly a gem, but not worth $18 "suggested" donation

Fay

We went here on a whim, we heard this place was expensive to get in but in fact its just a donation of your choice, was a large estate with tours or you could walk around by yourself. The gardens were beautiful, the Japanese one is a bit hidden down some stairs in the backyard. So much to see inside, they have plenty of seating throughout the buildings and elevators for the older folks.

Ryan Whiteis

Went on the recommendation of a coworker. My girlfriend and I will definitely be going again. There is no fee, but there is a suggested donation, which we made and I recommend others make as well for what you get out of it. The whole estate is breathtaking. Definitely take your time. The whole estate is big enough that, even with a crowded parking lot, you never feel crowded by people.

brian thompson

One of my favorite places to visit in DC. The perfect spot for lovers of history and horticulture. Great place to bring family and friends especially if you are tired of going to all the touristy places like the mall and monuments. This place is one of the must sees in DC. Try to visit when the flowers are blooming especially the azaellas.

Anna-Maria Bogdanova

If you are not a museum type, it is just because you havent found the museum which is right for you. Try Hillwood! Gardens, parks, flowerbeds, landscapes are breathtaking. The mansion beats a lot of existing museums, and its a pleasant walk around the house! Spend some time in the museum shop. It offers good selection of books and jams! =)