Ford's Theatre Society Review

Totally recommend this tour. Off the beaten path a little but was well worth the walk. So many interesting things there. Was surprised as we walked through at the amount of work that went in to this.

Pretty cool space. The speaker was a bit lengthy. I enjoyed it, but some in my party fell asleep.

A sad place given it's history. But great tour and beautiful workmanship.

Great place to take your kids for a fun educational trip.

This historic landmark is known to our nation as where an assassination attempt was carried out on Abraham Lincoln. There is now a historic museum under the theater, which still remains open to the public.

Best tourist attraction in DC...so informative and thought inducing.. The neighborhood is kinda sketchy so be careful getting off the subway.

It's a scam, nothing is original, the building is 100% fake. However, there is a small museum below, but it was OK at best. Just a tourist trap to capitalize on Lincoln's murder.

Very moving Memorial, a nice tribute for our 16th President. Lots of information.

This is the historic place where President Abraham Lincoln was shot. The place is still very well maintained and history was kept intact. The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable. They are able to answer almost any questions you have about the venue.

Loved the history. Very crowded. I don't recommend the week of the 4th of July to go sightseeing in DC. I love the city. And all its culture but everyone is in town for the same thing. Wait lines for museums are over an hour.

The history alone is worth the trip! We went to see A Christmas Carol and enjoyed the smaller venue and charming theater. The show was festive and we sang along to the Christmas songs, as well as glancing at the box in which Lincoln was assassinated.

Wow, so fun to go to a play here. Museum in the basement is very interesting. We go to A Christmas Carol every year.

The park ranger presentation was awesome. Good general perspective of the general situation at the time as well as specifics of Lincoln's assassination. Admission free and no wait.

A fantastic look back at a huge moment in American history.

Wonderful experience. My 5 year old loved it. Very educational. Handicap accessible. Easing parking in garage under Ford's Theater ($22) with elevator to Ford's Theater.

I was surprised how small this theatre was. This is the place where our beloved Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while he was watching a show.

The park rangers were fabulous and this place was loaded with information!

We had a great park ranger that really painted a picture of the events that evening. My kids enjoyed the Jr Ranger activity.

Well done. Presents one of the most historic moments in American history in a concise timeline.

Well worth what time you may spend in line. Effective use of an actor to communicate the drama and tragedy which occurred here. Beautifully renovated.

Great historical place to see the real Ford's theatre and the bed Lincoln died in. They get very busy and sell out of tickets early so book ahead of time online.

Great memorial to Lincoln and a part of American history. It's free!

Didn't go in. Because why bother? It's more interesting outside anyways.

The course of history was changed here on the night of April 14, 1865 when John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln, as the President watched a play.

If you are visiting you have to make the stop at Ford's Theater. Get there early. They will open the museum before the first show. When they open they theater sit in the second story balcony, it has the best view. They park rangers will give a nice little recap of the events leading up to that fateful night.

Across the street is the house where the President died, it is also a museum. It was being renovated when we visited.

Came here for Hello, Dolly! earlier this week. Show itself was pretty good.

We had center seats, about midway on orchestra level, so the view was great. The seats were comfortable, and you can bring in bottled water (other food and drink prohibited).

To be that close to such a historical event location is a wonderful place to reflect on sacrifices made

It's an intimate setting for a show. All seats are good seats.

I liked the self paced your. You're guided to rooms and then can dig in if you want or move on. The artifacts were super interesting and they layed out the events in a manner anyone could easily get. Lot of info here

If you're a Lincoln fan, you have to make the pilgrimage to Ford's. If you're a teacher, take a week to complete the fellowship program with the education staff and you'll have an unforgettable experience. If you're into the theater, take in a show! The museum downstairs contains many relics from the night of Lincoln's assassination, including Booth's gun. Head across the street to the Peterson House to see where Lincoln died and tour the education center.

Aside from the tragic history of the theater, this is a nice venue to see a stage play or musical. It will seem small to those used to larger spaces but the feel and look closely retains the period of Lincoln. I always make it a point to look up to the box where Lincoln was shot to remind myself of the rich history of the place and look around imagining how many people have watched performances here. As can be seen in the photo, there are minor obstructed views from the support beams. Still a wonderful place to see the arts performed.

Very interesting visit. Was told to go here and is a good visit. Get tickets ahead of time.

Great experience!

Just ensure what you're getting for the site visit. The things covered are a bit different as per the timings. Some of the time slots don't have the museum. Check at the counter and choose a time slot that covers everything you want to do.

Definitely worth the time.

Excellent destination! Admission was free and we had no wait time to enter. The artifacts there are so interesting! This should be on everyone's to-do list for visiting Washington D.C.

A very interesting and sobering place, Lincoln is my favorite President

We saw a very moving and informative one-person play on stage. Would highly recommend.

Great program! Learned a lot and the museum is first rate!

Very well put together and the museum and theater are well presented I also recommend going across the street to the house that Abraham Lincoln died in they still have the bed that he breathed his last breath on, overall I would recommend for everyone.

I so enjoyed seeing Born Yesterday at Fords and then spending time in the museum. A wonderful day of history!

Sadly, the great President Lincoln spent the last of his life! This tragedy should not be repeated again. Stop doing world where people who practice justice are in danger!

I hadn't been here in many years. The exhibit space is excellent and informative.

Another great performance of A Christmas Carol at the Ford theater. There were some changes since we haven't been able to attend for several years. Some parts reminded me of being in the haunted house at Disney World.

A great piece of history. Well preserved and good facilities

It starts with a tour through the civil war museum, it is not extensive, but it is well done. Then, you go into the theater and we were told some background information and the story. She did a fantastic job, it was about a 45 minute presentation, it was engaging the whole time. There was a mix of fun facts and important history. She was passionate, it really came through.
the last thing is you go to the house across the street, where Lincoln was taken to lie down. There is a great museum there also.
Really a great place to go, and it's free!

Terrible place, my husband got shot in the head by one of the actors. Terrible security, I'm never coming here again.

Our family came to see A Christmas Carol, and thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the venue. The fine performances of the company and the play's themes of redemption, charity and generosity allowed what could be merely a tragically sad place to rise like a Phoenix above the sorrow. The empty and closed Lincoln balcony box above us seemed less an echo of violence preserved in time than a place for Lincoln's ghost to happily join all of us in the joys of song and dance performed well. The children in the performance were charming, and Edward Gero was masterful as Scrooge, his interpretation is now my favorite!

Beautiful venue with amazing history. Be sure to take the tour and give yourself enough time to appreciate it.

Emotional experience here - to think of President Lincoln inside the theatre, unaware that death was right around the corner. Great piece of history. Not-to-be-missed.

My rating is on the seats. TIP: bring a seat wedge!
....... Into the woods was FANTASTIC, amazing production that blew me away. production lasted 2 hrs, 45 mins.
....SEATING- very distracting; Imagine sitting on a rock for 3 hours. I am young, a small female and I felt so stiff and kept fidgeting trying to find a comfortable angle after just 20 minutes in the chair. They REALLY need to upgrade the seats. For this reason I will not be going to see another production (UNLESS VERY SHORT) at this theater, the seats were just too uncomfortable and stiff, perhaps the worst I have sat in that is comparable to metal football stadium seats.

The performances are superb.. the seating is just extremely uncomfortable!!

Wonderful actors, excellent performance of the Christmas Carol. Very knowledgeable about the history of the theater. Had a wonderful, entertaining and informative visit!

Excellent historical tour of the famous Ford Theater and description of the Lincoln assasination.

Staff was knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. Nice artifacts, the last bit with the book tower was my favorite. I wish there was more of a presentation, speech, and or tour guide. Would not recommend if you do not like reading on your own.

Museum was closed due to the hours. Easy to get to from downtown DC. Looked great from outside and from lobby. Small gift shop inside. Have to pay for admission but unsure of price.

Beautiful older theater. We enjoyed the museum before the show. The theater is smaller than many and most seats offer a good view. Very good performance!

Very disappointed that I couldnt go inside due to the government shutdown (thanks alot overpaid politicians). Will be back to tour the interior but was very cool to see this historic building!

Theater and Museum in One. Very manageable to see Petersens House and museum and then cross street to see a show at Ford's with 30 minute stroll through that museum beforehand all in half a day.

Had a great time watching "My American Cousin", really great play. During the showing some lady screamed from a booth above me, and I heard a gunshot sound, but didn't see a prop on stage.

Just saying the backstage workers shouldn't use sound affects when not appropriate. 3/5 experience.

I think this is a must see, especially if visiting the city with family! I have lived in DC for years, but finally took a private tour of Ford's. Our tour guide Shelby really brought the tour to life! I learned so much in under an hour. Even if you consider yourself a history buff, I am confident you will leave having learned an additional bit of trivia. 5 stars!

We saw the Wiz at the Ford Theater. It was excellent. It's a much smaller theater than I expected and I was pleasantly surprised to see that they hadn't touched the Presidential Suites. During the intermission, you can walk around and get some snack, soda or trinkets from the gift shop. I would recommend going here for the historical tour. Don't forget to check the bust of Lincoln when you walk in.

We went to see A Christmas Carol. The play was very nice, staff and ushers were very helpful.

Beautiful facility and museum! Really enjoyed A Christmas Carol!

Enjoyed a fantastic performance of 'Into the Woods'. Highly recommended.

Not "the original" structure itself, but it's essentially a replica of where Lincoln got shot in the back of the face. I mean, that's the only reason you want to go here right?

Oh yeah, the production of The Christmas Carol was pretty good, too...

Awesome experience with a great ranger talk in the theatre.

Tour of President Lincoln's assassination and the house where he passed away. This tour brings the history to life. We President Lincoln.

The lady who did the verbal presentation in the theatre, deserves 5 stars. The forester in the basement, deserves a negative 16, what a jerk, my toddler went into a tantrum, I found a corner where she was laying on the ground kicking and screaming, we were around no one, the wind bag asked me to move her, I said I would, just give me a second she is having a meltdown and she is autistic, the windbag said he didnt care, I needed to move, I was blocking an exhibit. The reality was that my toddler was making a scene while he was trying to blab on about nothing useful and it was taking away from his 1 man side show.

Visited on a school field trip in the 6th grade and definitely itching to come back. Im pretty sure a lot of us kind if teared up for the visit. #goodtimes

A quiet place to learn about president Abraham Lincoln.