Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site

I’ve not studied museum design, but I am fascinated by it. This place, for such a random and small house, is actually quite a good national park. For one, it’s a very unique moment in US History — so that’s enough to draw you here. And if you don’t know, it’s because McKinley was shot in Buffalo and Roosevelt was sworn into the presidency in this house.
The tour is diverse so you’re never feeling like you’re being lectured to. There are some great technology bits, a really nice diorama of what issues and thoughts were going on at the time, and good stuff on the Pan American Exposition. The tour that we took was incredibly well rehearsed too — a lot of timing, choreography, but nothing theatrical. Just intricate.

A very interesting tour that is different than most. First off some logistics — you need to go on a tour to see this place so go to their website to reserve a spot since it appears that they only take eight people per tour per hour. If you just pop-​in you might get lucky and get a spot but I would not count on it. Also, somewhat strangely, their hours on weekends are much shorter than on weekdays.
The tour guides’ narration is done as if it is the days leading up to and including the day TR is being inaugurated and paints a picture of what is going on in the moment. It is not your typical reciting of facts, names and dates. Once the main tour of the house and events is done there is time for questions and then they let you loose to experience some very well done and up-​to-​date hands-​on exhibits. We liked the electronic president’s desk where you can take your picture and sign some bills.
The staff was super friendly and very knowledgeable. If you like history this is well worth your time.

Check ahead and find out when their free/​suggested donation days are. Teddy Roosevelt is kind of ignored a bit in modern American history but it’s amazing what a titan this guy was, how progressive he was for his time, and how he originated the original pornstache. Although I guess a site devoted to him isn’t going to paint him as a Bolshevik either. The gift shop is really kind of neat, lots of things devoted to ‘his beloved pornstache.

History happened here! The house was updated a couple years ago and is a great stop to kill an hour. The presentation is informative, exciting, and unique. The staff does a great job. Highly recommend that you make a stop. You cannot visit too many different places where a man became President.

I stay-​cationed this spot on a very cold, rainy day in April.
The docent is fantastic and the tour is in no way boring. I’m a cancellation stamp collector so I know my national parks and historical sites!
The technology upgrades bring out the child in me as I got to sit at the presidential desk and have a picture of myself sitting there emailed to me. I looked very presidential.
Bring the kids once they’re in 8^th/​9^th grade. It would be a little dry for younger kids.

What a great place! My 9 yo. son said, ‘I feel like I’m on vacation!’ It was like a museum we would see in a different city while traveling. Very informative and interactive. Our tour guide, Del, was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. Definitely recommend for locals and tourists!

Welcome to Buffalo’s ONLY National Park that many of its residents don’t even know about! Having gone a few times in grade school, I made my way back. They had put an extensive addition a few years back in 2009 which this was much needed (technology) and allowed for an expanded gift shop and welcome/​waiting area. The tour was reasonable at $ 10 for adults, however they have a sweet family price of $ 25 for 2 adults and all kids under 18!
The site does a well job establishing a background of what was going on then (Pan-​Americanpan Exposition in 1901) and the details behind the shooting of McKinley. Walking the rooms they have done a cool job with sounds and even smells (!) to get you back to what was going on the Wilcox Mansion for TR’s inauguration. The actual tour didn’t go over so much the life/​legacy of McKinley/​TR, just touching briefly on it. In the upstairs, where the tour ends, is the interactive area where you get your money’s worth!
Yes, there is the cool presidential desk, but for history buffs, the displays, and touch screen at the roll up desks is where’s its at. Plenty of info on the assassin, the exposition, the first aid McKinley received, among other things. The gift shop has a lot of cool TR mustache items, presidential nic nacs and also Buffalo items. Cool place to learn about Buffalo’s unfortunate place in the history of the Executive Branch of the US government.

Really enjoyed the tour of the house. Even though there was construction next door, I didn’t mind since it was for good of the historic site. Furniture’s and décor was covered up, but they provided pictures for us to see what it looked like before they covered everything. In addition they gave us a book with the history of the house as a gift for the inconvenience of the construction. Really enjoyed it, what a great place in history.

What a great interactive museum! I have to say up front that I am a national park junkie; I will go to anything listed in my national parks passport. Since I was going to be passing through Buffalo, I talked my friend into stopping here on our way. We were both so glad we did!
There is an interactive exhibit that can be enjoyed before or after the tour about the great Pan-​American Exposition in 1901. The guide leads you through the events of the day that President McKinley was assassinated before leading you into another room where you view a presentation on Roosevelt and the many issues he faced in our nation, including race relations, conservation, the economy, etc. It was a fantastic groundwork for giving a visitor perspective on the rest of the tour. I have to say that I really appreciate museums that assume no background knowledge from visitors. While the guides may be passionate and knowledgeable, they understand that most people do not bring with them nearly the depth of understanding when they walk through the door.
Our guide was great. She answered our questions, she was very engaging, and of course she knew her stuff.
The second floor of the museum was a real treat. It was a self-​guided interactive series of exhibits that incorporated computers, video, and present-​day information to engage especially younger visitors and make everything more relatable. We had fun sitting behind the Oval Office desk, where you get to type in your name, pretend to veto or pass bills, and have your picture taken looking presidential. It will ask you for your email address and email the photo to you with a fake headline about your presidency.
If you think this small museum is going to be stodgy and boring, give it a chance. I bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

This mansion was the site of Theodore Roosevelt’s inauguration, after President McKinley was assassinated. The tour guides at this facility were very informative. The guides emphasized Theodore Roosevelt’sdevotion to brotherhood, regulation of American corporations, and zest for conserving our natural resources. I also learned a lot about the late 19^th Century and Early 20^th Century History of Buffalo.

This site commemorates the inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt as President after the assassination of President McKinley. After McKinley had died, Teddy had to be sworn in. Instead of doing it in the same house where his friend had just died, he moved to a friend’s house nearby and took the oath of office.
This site was a private residence for a number of years after the inauguration, then was turned into a restaurant. After the owner of the restaurant died, the future was up in the air and the building was almost torn down. Luckily through community action the house was preserved. The house has since been taken over and administered by the National Park Service. The NPS has rennovated the site and made a nice new visitor center next to the house in a carriage house. The site is still a work in progress.
For a fee you can take a tour where the docent explains the events leading up to and surrounding the inauguration. I recommend it since you get a lot of information.
The site is located at Delaware and North. Parking is behind the house if you drive around the block. This site is also just down the street from Anchor Bar, the home of the original Buffalo Wing.