Garden clubs, social groups, bus tours, senior centers, and church groups are all invited to enjoy the distinct experience of visiting Hillwood together. 

Ample free parking, numerous touring options, and delicious group dining make Hillwood the perfect destination for your group of 10 or more people.

As long-standing members of the American Bus Association and the National Tour Association, we easily accommodate motor coaches with advance reservations.

Group Tour Options

Self guided tours

Groups may select our twenty-four-page printed tour booklet or various audio tours of the mansion and gardens. By selecting this self-guided tour option, groups may enjoy Hillwood at their leisure and allow time to view special exhibitions, tour the greenhouse, and find collections-related gifts in the museum shop. Access a digital version of the visitor guide to enjoy from home or to save paper during your visit.

Docent-led Tours

Groups may tour the mansion and/or gardens with knowledgeable volunteer docents, based on preset tour times, seasonal availability, and advance arrangements. Guided tours last one hour. Docent-led tours must be confirmed two weeks in advance.

Customized Tours

For an additional cost, Hillwood can create a unique tour for your group—focusing on specific items in the collection, in the gardens, or in Russian or French—at a time that is convenient for your group. Customized tours must be confirmed at least two weeks in advance.

Virtual Tours

Hillwood is happy to offer virtual tours for groups of 10 or more. Marjorie Merriweather Post purchased Hillwood with the intent to leave it as a museum that would inspire and educate the public, and we are so excited to bring the mansion to you. 

Gather with friends and join a trained volunteer docent to learn about Post, her rich collections, and how they are experienced today very much as they were in Post’s time. View photos, collection highlights, and archival images, while asking questions in real time. Tours are held via Zoom and last 1 hour. Cost is $10 per person | $7 per Hillwood member.

Dining

For groups of ten or more wishing to dine, please view our lunch menus. Call 202.243.3914 or email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org to make your advance reservation. Lunch orders and final payment are due one week prior to your visit. Merriweather Café space is based on availability.

Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea
March 25-April 23, 2023

Celebrate the arrival of spring and the start of cherry blossom season at Hillwood with our seasonal Cherry Blossom Afternoon Tea. Enjoy delicious spring-inspired flavors, such as a strawberry chicken sandwich, cherry blossom milk pudding, and an assortment of Harney and Sons spring tea flavors, and toast to the arrival of spring with an optional glass of champagne. This seasonal tea will be $35 per person (inclusive of tax and gratuity). There is a ten-person minimum; however, we are happy to make reservations for smaller groups that pay the ten-person minimum. View the menu here. Advance reservations are required. For more information, please email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org or call 202.243.3914.

Please note the following: Merriweather Café is open 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The last seating time for a tea reservation is 2:30 p.m. Groups of ten or more are asked to make advance reservations and pre-order no later than seven business days in advance with confirmation of attendance and payment. The café cannot split checks for groups of ten and more. Menu prices reflect all taxes and gratuity. Groups who dine full-service are seated either in a room adjacent to the cafe's main dining room called C.W. Post, or in our tented courtyard (open-air but covered tent in the warm months, with siding/heating in the winter months). We cannot guarantee private dining spaces for groups. Private events and meetings are not permitted without prior arrangements. There is a 1.5 hour table limit for all group reservations. Groups wishing to use the C.W. Post room for fully private use, or for more than 1.5 hours, must reserve the room in advance (Private use is guaranteed for no more than 3 hours. Fees apply). Private events are not permitted in the tent. We do not permit balloons, special event set-up, or outside alcohol. 

Booking a Group Tour

To book a group tour, please complete the Group Tour Reservation Form.

Here you will answer all the questions we will need to accommodate your group, such as date, number of guests, and tour and dining preferences .

Once you have your request complete, you can return the form in three ways: 

• Fax to Hillwood at 202.243.3914
• Email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org
• Mail to Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens, 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20008, Attn: Group Tours

You will be notified of your group reservation by phone or email within 48 hours of receipt. 

For group inquiries please email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org or call 202.243.3914.

Special Events

Hillwood welcomes corporate and non-profit organizations and offers several indoor and outdoor event venues. Private events, such as weddings, are not permitted. For information about hosting a special event at Hillwood, please email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org or call 202.243.3914.

Meeting Spaces

Hillwood welcomes groups to host private meetings and events and offers three separate conference and dining rooms, all of which are A/V enabled. Please note that admission to tour the estate is separate from the meeting room fee. For more information about hosting a meeting or staff retreat at Hillwood, please email grouptours@HillwoodMuseum.org or call 202.243.3914.