Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

Washington, DC

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Escaped slave, abolitionist, author and statesman Frederick Douglass occupied this beautifully sited hilltop house from 1878 until his death in 1895. Original furnishings, books, photographs and other personal belongings paint a compelling portrait of both the private and public life of this great man. Keep an eye out for his wire-rim eyeglasses on his roll-top desk. Visits into the home – aka Cedar Hill – are by guided tour only.

Tour times are 9am, 12:15pm, 1:15pm, 3pm and 3:30pm (plus 4pm from April to October). It's best to reserve a ticket online (for a $1.50 fee, at www.recreation.gov) at least a day in advance, though unreserved tickets are available at the site's visitor center on a first-come basis.

The B2 bus runs from the Metro station to a stop right in front of Cedar Hill. However, you can't catch the return bus from the house. Instead, walk three blocks north to Good Hope Rd and get the B2 bus to the Metro there.

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