Tours

House Tours

The house is currently CLOSED for tours.

Our grounds and gardens are open year-round. Guided tours of the house run from Memorial Day through October, and are held on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Tours are available by appointment only and must be booked at least 24 hours in advance. Monday tours should be booked by the previous Friday. Please call 413.528.6888 or email bidwellhm2@gmail.com to make a reservation.

Led by our head docent or one of our trained interns, on this tour visitors will learn about the history of the house, the story of the Bidwell family, and life in the 18th-century Berkshire Hills.  The tour begins outside with a discussion of the architecture and grounds, and then moves inside for a tour of the first and second floors of the house.  For those visitors unable to climb stairs, we now have the option for guests to watch the tour of the 2nd floor on a tablet.

Ticket Prices
Adult: $20
Senior: $15
Student: $5 (12-18, or with valid student ID)
Child: Free (under 12)
Members: Free (learn about membership HERE)

We are pleased to participate in the Card to Culture program. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders are entitled to free admission to all house tours and can register for events at the member price. This provides free admission to the cardholder plus three others in the household. This is made possible by the Mass Cultural Council, through collaboration with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services’ Department of Transitional Assistance, the Department of Public Health’s MassWIC, and the Massachusetts Health Connector. See the full list of participating organizations offering EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare discounts.

The Bidwell House Museum is part of the North American Reciprocal Museum (NARM) Association, and NARM members receive free admission for house tours. The NARM network is a mosaic of over 1,200 art museums and galleries, historical museums and societies, botanical gardens, children’s museums, zoos, and more. When you sign up with your favorite participating NARM institution you can receive reciprocal membership benefits across the United States, Canada, Bermuda, El Salvador, and Mexico.

We are a Blue Star Museum, a program through a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, offering free admission for house tours to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.

We provide free admission for house tours to members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), including teachers, faculty, professional staff, and education support professionals working at public schools, colleges, and universities across Massachusetts.

Outdoor Self-Guided Tours

In 2020, the Bidwell House Museum created a new “Outside-the-House Tour” for visitors.  The Museum’s gardens and grounds are open every day, free of charge, and we invite you to come to the Museum to explore the trails, view the stunning gardens, and learn more about life in the 18th century Berkshires.  We have created a brand new map of the grounds along with a history primer so you can learn as you walk and understand the story of the house, the history of the land, and the significance of various features of the property.  These materials are free, though donations are appreciated to cover the cost of the printing.

We also have a treasure hunt for kids in which all of the answers can be found in the primer or on the grounds. On the Museum’s front porch, you will find the maps, the history primer, and the treasure hunt along with a map of our Native American Trail and our basic trail map.  Cell service is limited at the Museum, so if you prefer to download any of these materials before visiting you can do that below and on our Trails page.

Seld-Guided Walk Along the Native American Interpretive Trail

In 2018 the Museum, in cooperation with the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Indians and the Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, created a new interpretive trail that retraces the steps of the Native Americans—specifically the local Stockbridge Band of the Mohican Tribe—who lived and hunted in this area for thousands of years. In 2020, this self-guided walk was expanded and will take you to eight stops on the property with educational displays at each stop that tell the story of the Native American presence on this land.  Maps for this hike can be found at the parking kiosk, on the porch, or downloaded below. Occasionally we offer guided versions of this hike, so check our events page to see when the next hike is scheduled.

You can learn more about the Native American history of this land HERE.