The Mark Twain House Review

Firstly, I have to compliment everyone who works at the Mark Twain House & Museum; you guys do a stellar job! It was an amazing experience that I will treasure for a long time, and all the work and outstanding effort that you have put into the house and museum clearly shines through!
My family and I visited from PA to learn more about Mark Twain, taking the house tour, perusing the archives, and later exploring the museum as well. Throughout the entire visit, the staff were both helpful and every ounce the Twainian scholar, providing for an extremely enjoyable and informational tour that everyone, from myself to my 9-year-old brother, highly appreciated. Our guide was very knowledgeable, engaging, and offered the same droll humor that you'd expect from Mark Twain himself! A great experience that I highly recommend!

A truly awesome experience to see this beautiful home where Sam Clemens and family spent 17 joyful years. This was the author s home during the most successful and prolific period of his fascinating career. It s wonderful to see the space in which his daughters were raised and where he wrote some of his most beloved works including Adventures of Huck Finn, The Prince and the Pauper. It s an extraordinary example of the architecture and decor of the time as well.

Our tour guide, Joan, was kind, patient, knowledgeable and fun! She did a wonderful job of sharing the history of the home and the time sped by.

The pandemic precautions in place in August 2020 are excellent, tours are limited to 5 people, masks are required, hand sanitizer is widely available, and social distancing is possible. It seems that additional air circulating devices have been added to the space to ensure sufficient air movement.

Highly highly recommend a visit.

Loved speaking with Lizzie. Wonderful experience. Home incredible.

Blue Star Family museum and house tour. Our tour guide was wonderful and, while you can t take photos once inside the house, it s such a unique experience that you won t need photos to remember it. A lot of work has been done to restore this house and is in a constant state of repair. If you are a blue star family, please consider donating to the museum.

I'm writing to express my disappointment with my latest visit (my 6th) to the Mark Twain house.

My first visit to the house was over 20 years ago, in the days before the museum/visitors' center was built, when tickets for the house tour were purchased at one of the carriage house windows.

Here were the problems with my latest house visit:

1. Our tour guide, Bryan, had a cold or some throat problem, causing him to clear his throat every ten seconds during the tour. As my friend with me pithily observed, "That tour guide cleared his throat more in the thirty minutes of our tour than Twain himself did in the 15 16 years he lived in the house." When visitors pay $20 per person for a house tour, they should get a guide at his/her best.

2. For 20 years the tour always opened with the anecdote about Twain's using the phone booth in the house foyer. So imagine my annoyance when I was ineptly and cursorily told by Bryan that that anecdote wasn't part of the tour anymore. Again, he didn't explain why, only stating that some "new evidence" suggested that the phone had always been in the kitchen. To find out that this anecdote--this CORNERSTONE of Twain lore--was untrue, calls into question the veracity of the entire tour. If this isn't true, what else isn't true? The anecdote about Twain telling stories to his daughters based on the objects on the fireplace mantle? What? I thought that Clara was alive when the house was opened to the public, and therefore had vetted the locations of everything in the house.

3. For 20 years, visitors were always brought into Twain's bedroom to see the bed with the elaborate headboard. There, we were told the story of how he wrote in bed sitting at the foot of the bed so he could see the angels on the headboard. On my latest tour, not only were we not taken into the bedroom, but Twain's writing in bed was downplayed considerably.

4. Related to point #3, in the billiard room, Bryan played up the idea that Twain did *all* of his writing in there. In my previous 5 tours over 20 years, and in the many biographies of Twain that I've read, it has been emphasized that Twain actually did a great deal of his writing in bed. Also in the billiard room, Bryan wasn't going to mention Twain's pigeon holes for storing his manuscripts in progress until a visitor asked him about them.

5. I couldn't believe that the Mark Twain house is doing a "ghost" tour based on the death of Suzy in the house. Do you have any idea what poor taste this shows? Suzy died a profoundly sad and painful death. Before her death, she went blind, wandered the house alone and thought her mother was dead. How can the Mark Twain house profit from her and Twain's misfortune like this? I think you seriously need to weigh the "profit" gained by this sideshow against the damage to your reputation as a location of serious literary history.

6. Finally I was disappointed by the overall "Disneyfication" of the Mark Twain house. Whereas a visit to the house used to feel like a casual visit to a home of a beloved ancestor, it now feels like just another ride at Disneyworld--packing as many people into each "ride" as possible, packing as many rides into each day as possible, and keeping each ride as short as possible. If profits and efficiency are most important to the Mark Twain house, why not simply hire docents to watch over the house and allow visitors to do self-guided tours using their phones or iPads? The canned tour guide blather--material that now is clearly outdated, untrue and/or inconsistently delivered--needs to go away.

In general, I have to thank the Mark Twain house because this disappointing visit has made me much more circumspect about visiting historical sites in the future.

To potential visitors of the Mark Twain house: I strongly advise you to avoid yet another Disney attraction and simply read about his time there and peruse the Google images of the house interior. It truly is a beautiful home--lots of hand-carved mahogany and elaborate glass and tile--but the canned tour, at one time adequate, is now abysmal.

Very interesting tour. Problem is no pictures allowed. Discounted ticket for seniors and if you show proof of Harriet Beecher Stowe ticket you get another $3 off.

A very unique home and informative house tour. Highly recommended!

It is a great place to learn. We took students from Capital Community College on a visit.

I was only able to see the outside structure of home. The tours need to be extended after 5 or 6pm. I tried to visit after 5pm and missed the tour.

Absolutely beautiful and breathtaking, my husband and I had a great time walking around taking pictures at the entrance! There's a restriction about cameras in some places!

The Twain house itself is a remarkable monument to one of the most iconoclastic figures in US literary history. It exemplifies the garish excesses of a man born in the midwest who spent his adulthood trying to fit into high society while at the same time mocking it.

However, the high admission price of $18 is a ripoff. You are not allowed to take photos inside, which is ridiculous and an obvious attempt to control the photo rights of the property. You are also not allowed to tour the facility without the constant yammering of a young tour guide who is clueless about Twain and the house itself, except for the gossipy insights the tour has taught her, and who refuses to let you linger in the library to see what titles Twain collected or in the bedroom to examine the gas light he had run to his bed so that he could light his cigars.

In all it's worth the time--once. It's definitely not a do over.

I homeschool our 10 yr old daughter and we are full time RVers. So we made a day in Hartford and this was included on what we were learning in History. We definitely enjoyed ourselves. We both learned so much.

Every time I take a tour I learn something new. A historical gem in Hartford.

Have read a number of novels of Mark Twain and was greatly interested to have a look at the creative abode of the literary figure! Didn t take a tour , but enjoyed the architectural work and the gorgeous structure from outside !

A magical place that takes you back to the life of one of the greatest Americans. A must see in the east.

Marvelous way to see history of how world famous stories we're created

Awesome tour, not a history buff but the tour in character made it well worth taking, i might even take it again with a different character. Super cool ... learned alot.

Really good. I got to know more about this legendary writer and his family. Worth the visit.

Ranked one of the top house museums in the world for a reason. The house and museum are fascinating, of course, but throw in the Twain connection and it is a must see.

We loved the tour and my oldest enjoyed listening to the stories in the museum. The house is incredible and the tour guide was quite knowledgeable and able to answer all the questions our group had.

Beautiful home and museum, friendly staff. $18 per-person...

Mrs. Livy Clemens was our tour guide. She was delightful. Amazing house of an amazing American. The living history tour of Mark Twain's home is a must if you are ever in Hartford CT.

Amazing tour. Beautiful home. You feel transported back in time. Didn't want to leave.

Great history in the museum and the tour of the house is wonderful! Mark Twain's irreverence is always such a pleasure.

Fantastic and a great cultural icon in Hartford. I LOVE when they did a free admission day for Hartford residents. Otherwise admission is $19, which seems a little too expensive, but I understand the high cost since this property has to be well preserved. They also do summer writing programs for kids, which is excellent. Keep up the good work.

Mark twains house was beautiful, and the guide had a lot of information

An absolutely amazing experience. The tour guide went above and beyond to accommodate my children. Even if you've never read a Mark Twain novel I recommend you take the tour.

This house is American history!! It's absolutely stunning, the grand workmanship and details of furniture is awesome. Not to mention thinking about author Mark Twain and how he must have enjoyed this beautiful property. I can see how the house allowed Mark Twain to rest and provided inspiration for book's he wrote. I highly recommend visiting the Mark Twain House.

I was on my way to nyc to visit friends and family. Stopped on the way with my family, visited the museum, took a tour of the home which was absolutely beautiful, if you have time and enjoy books and history definitely a place to come and see. Very educational and historic

The house is beautiful, they have done an amazing job with revitalizing the home to look like it did when Mark Twain lived there. They charge $18 and you can only go into the home on the tour. They don't allow any pictures inside the home, but you can take them outside. The tour guide I had was full of great information about the home and life of Mark Twain. I gave it 3 stars however because you are only aloud one hour in the home with the guide. My tour guide was in a hurry to get us through the house and got irritated when people in the group wanted to take there time looking at different things in the home. At one point he got so irritated he said " you go ahead and do your own tour because you are obviously not interested in what I have to say" . He then walked away throwing a tantrum like my 3 year old would. Just to clarify I was the youngest person on the tour at 35. After about 10 min of huffing and puffing and muttering under his breath he asked everyone if they would like him to continue with the tour. To sum it up if you are quit and listen, and follow quickly you will have a happy tour guide. I did enjoy the home and it's rich history.

Amazing well kept house museum. The tour and the guide were the best part of our tour. You get enough time to go through all rooms of the house museum. They have a small cafeteria on site as well.

Awesome historic Americana!
Must go!

The living history tour was a treat, the Joseph Twichell character was extremely knowledgeable and engaging! Very worth the $25.

Our Field trip was a very informative and we especially loved the story workshop!

It was really cool but in a horrible area of town. We came put from oregon for a wedding and decided to visit. I would think twice about visiting with kids or at all due to the crime in the area adjacent

The tour is an absolute must if you're in Hartford. The interiors of the house are stunning. The entrance affords dramatic views (after all, it was designed by a church architect).

Had a wonderful time here, learned about the life of Mark Twain and his marvelous works.

This is on Farmington Avenue,
The Mark Twain house and Museum,
That's where he wrote Hackberry Fin!

Make sure to do the living history tour as they are very entertaining.

Loved the emersive tour where your tour guide plays the role of someone close to Mark Twain.

I took my daughters as they were giving free tours to residents of Hartford. I lived in Hartford for almost my whole life and I have never been to the Mark Twain house. The tour was a great experience. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and informative and the house itself was beautiful. I really felt as though I had taken a step back in time when I was in the house. All in all it was a great experience I will be attending again!

The ghost trip shed interesting lights to the old building. I learned a lot of culture for that period of time. It really worth the trip

It was a fun place to go and learn although all of the exhibits weren't open when I was there and I wasn't told that ahead of time.

Not much you can see unless you joint the tour team!

The living history tour was pretty awesome! We had the eldest daughter, Suzie, and she was great! Well done!

Not worth of spending that $. Historic place and green surroundings are scenic.

This has been an absolutely amazing experience. I would highly recommend this place. The staff were so friendly. Gary was my tour guide and I felt like I left there knowing Mark Twain (or should I properly say Sam Cleburn). Not just his house or his works, but personal stories about the family, how the estate progressed, etc. the architecture and design elements were worth the trip but the staff made it their mission to make you see the time period. Absolutely wonderful. I finished up my tour with a cup of hot tea from the cute cafe and took a walk through the wonderful gift shop. I am so thankful to David, the local on my plane that recommended spending my 4-5 hour wait here.

The main parking lot was a bit difficult to find. Look out for an obscure sign along Farmington Avenue between Forest and Owen streets, which points to the driveway.

The museum and the 45-minute house tour are satisfactory. There are exhibits and a short film in the museum, where I learned a great deal about the life and times of the famed author - his humble beginnings, his most important novels, and his inspiration for writing those novels. He held progressive views and was vocal about them.

The house is a short walk away and can only be visited via a guided tour. It was really dark inside and we were told that was deliberate because that's how it was when the author and his family lived there. We visited on a scorching summer day and the air-conditioning made for a comfortable and pleasant tour. No picture-taking though. And the place was crowded as there were two other groups doing the house tour.

After the house tour, we walked around the green space and chanced upon the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center (we came back the next day to join a guided tour).

We ended our tour at the nice gift shop. Our entire stay lasted 2.5 hours.

Wonderful architecture, history, and tour. This turned out to be much more interesting than I expected and it kept everyone in our group intrigued.

I am on a historical site frenzy and The Mark Twain House certainly lived up to my expectations as being a fantastic site to visit. The tour was very informative and my guide was thoroughly knowledgeable about the Clemens family and especially about the great humorist and author Samuel Clemens. There are plenty of original pieces inside the home as well as restored furnishings. One is not allowed to take pictures inside the house (as I was able to at The John Adams home in Quincy, Massachusetts) and the price is $20 but don't let that deter you from visiting ths amazing historical home of a truly remarkable American. Highly recommended!

The architecture is really nice. Had a really good time and it was a nice learning experience.

Most significant American writer and story teller ever.

The tour was very restrictive, not allowing photos. And the tour guide was new, so everything seemed forced and uninteresting. The house was beautiful, but at $20 per person, didn't seem worth it. However we had to leave early because the baby couldn't deal with it. The staff was great and understanding, offering a refund with no problem. But, honestly I was glad to be saved from the rest of the tour.

Started the Christmas house tour there...what a beautiful place!

What a beautiful home. Sam Clemens sure lead a colorful life. The movie presentation prior to the visit helped a lot to understand the Author & his life. The small museum was very interesting. Wonder if the Historical Society would consider pre-recorded headsets to wear and make the house tour self-guided? This would help eliminate contradictory facts from the tour guide. If you have a chance, go a day or so ahead to pre-purchase the tour tickets. It will save you a $9 on-line ticket vendor fee.

Enjoyed touring the Mark Twain House & Museum. The writer loves WOOD!!! so you will see the beautiful woods everywhere inside the house. The writer had a great taste for designing house requiring a lot of woods. Every room of the house I visited had been impressively restored to beautiful condition. Taking photos inside home and touching any thing is not allowed!!! Great historical location. Highly recommend so you won't regret!

Living History tour was absolutely amazing. Our guide, "George", Tom Raines, (sp) the butler brought it to life and was very knowledgeable in character and out. My teen and I are very glad we opted for more than house tour experience!

Such an amazing tour!! We visited from out of town and it was well worth it. To learn the history of Mark Twain WoW is all I can say. There is alot of walking and flights of stairs to go up be prepared. Justin our tour guide was AMAZING!!

Wonderful experience with a very knowledgeable guide. Highly recommended!

Came here yesterday but came late already closed and will comeback again later. So we just taking pictures from outside as many peoples still coming and taking pictures from outside. Beautiful landmarks.

Awesome tour. If you take the tour, take the one with the girl who portrays Mark Twain's daughter. She is absolutely amazing and knowledgeable.

Very cool place. We took the in character, guided tour, and our guide Lizzy was very informative. The home is beautiful and the details of the craftsmanship were amazing. I think the extra cost of the in character tour was worth it. It was much more interesting than the regular tour I could overhear.

This is the most amazing spot in Connecticut. Don't pass it by when passing through.

Well worth a visit, exceptional tour, new insights into an American icon.

This is quite possibly the coolest house in America, once home to THE American humor writer. Well worth the visit -- or many visits!

Very good and that brings us straight back to a beautiful period in history. Mr. Mark Twain was certainly a super interesting man ...

Great tour and very informative there is walking so those of limited mobility should be mindful of the stairs.