Martin Van Buren Natl Historic Site

I came here with my fiancée back in September and we loved it! The tour is very informative and was very fun. It’s always wonderful to learn more about a historical person, especially a President, and you get to learn a ton about President Van Buren. Definitely stop by if you’re around Albany and enjoy historical sites!

It was a great experience. The staff was so friendly and knowledgable. It was a beautiful experience and beautiful grounds. Worth a visit especially in the fall.

My partner and I went to the Martin Van Buren Historic Site as we were driving from Albany to the Berkshires. We actually had never heard of this place and didn’t know it was here except for a solitary sign when we got off the highway for another road. We hightailed it in the opposite direction of our destination, and we are both very glad we did.
First off, the park ranger there mentioned that because my partner’s in the military, we were eligible for a free year pass to any National Park site as a benefit of active service. For all the national parks sites we’ve been to over the past years, we were shocked that this is even a program because we had never heard of it. That is easily a $ 170 benefit, and this place gets five stars just for telling us about this when all the others didn’t.
As for the historic site itself, we were able to get on a tour that started in about 40 minutes. Our guide, Lou, was very engaging and funny, and made our trip memorable with his quips and anecdotes. We were able to see almost all of the house during the tour, including the gorgeously restored original paintings on the wall in the entranceway. To think that so much history has occurred from this house in the 1830s and 1840s, it’s great that they still have a good portion of original furniture and items.
If you’re not able to get on a tour, they have a walking path around the grounds that takes about 20 to 30 minutes. The one not five-​star aspect to this historic site is the gift shop. It’s not very comprehensive, and has more books about Andrew Jackson and Frederick Douglass than it has about Martin Van Buren.
Overall, we had a great time at the Martin Van Buren Historic Site. I recommend it for families as well as couples. There were some kids when we were there.

You don’t have to be a history geek to enjoy this place, but it probably helps. (Full disclosure: I have an MA in dead white males.) Even if you arrive knowing absolutely nothing about our 8^th president, the knowledgeable, enthusiastic guides will bring this obscure figure to life and leave you with a grudging appreciation, at the very least. The house helps to put Van Buren in context, helps you see the world just a little bit through his eyes, rather than judging him in ²⁰⁄₂₀ hindsight. My tour helped me grasp, in a much more visceral way, the enormous stresses and uncertainties our country faced exactly midway between the Revolution and the Civil War. Given the seismic shifts that were taking place, it’s no wonder that Van Buren and his successors were one-​term presidents who left a relatively small footprint.
Besides fleshing out the MVB political biography, the tour also touches on mid 19^th century farming, architecture, design, social life and more. In other words, you’ll pack a lot of information into the single hour you’re allotted inside the mansion. If I had one criticism, it would be that compressed time frame: I would have loved to spend much more time browsing on my own, rather than shuffling through with a group, but I understand the security concerns and budget constraints. If the short tour leaves you wanting more, there’s good information to be found in the adjoining gift shop.

Didn’t even know that Martin VanBuren was from NY. He helped found both the Democratic and Republican Parties. Who knew? I wonder how many people even know that (I didn’t) We had a small group and the building Lindenwald was interesting (ask to ring the doorbell). The Park Rangers were very friendly and knowledgeable and interesting without being boring. Worth a stop!

It’s a very nice tour. The building has a lot of secrets and is quite interesting in its décor, and history, and in the mechanical amenities for its time. The grounds are lovely and the scenic ride up the Taconic Parkway is worth the price of admission. Dennis, our National Park Ranger, was a very nice tour guide. He often made us smile with his sense of humor.
Our group was small at about 12 people, and the group before us had about eight people on it, so there is plenty of opportunity to ask questions. The tour costs $ 5 for adults while kids under 12 are free, and it takes under an hour to tour the whole house. There is no air conditioning so I recommend you visit on a cooler summer day or wait until spring or fall.
The burial site a mile away has no parking so don’t expect to vist the grave site without parking on someone’s yard or driveway. There is no street parking.

What a fantastic site! I knew very little about Martin Van Buren before coming here; I was actually interested because the home has a connection to Washington Irving. I had intended to go for a few years, mostly just because I thought it was funny there was a whole National Park site devoted to one of the most obscure Presidents in history. I was pleasantly surprised!
I took a guided tour of «Lindenwald» (as it’s called) in the fall — that by itself is great, if you’ve never seen this part of New York in the fall. The group was a fairly large one but we had an incredible time. The Park Ranger who gave the tour was very animated and enthusiastic — even with his corny jokes, I couldn’t help but be swept into the spirit of it. The house itself, especially on the outside, is gorgeous. If you love historic homes or presidential history, this is definitely worth visiting.