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American period rooms are a phenomenon of the Colonial Revival period. Just as the NSDAR was at the forefront of the Colonial Revival, the DAR Museum period rooms are among the earliest in America.
With each room sponsored by a different state organization of NSDAR, they reflect a wide range of time and place. The New Jersey Room, a "seventeenth-century council chamber," was the first period room to be installed and looks much as it did when it first opened in 1910. Other rooms, originally the administrative offices of the National Society, are funded by different states and range in date from a one-room Pilgrim century dwelling (the Wisconsin Room) to a Victorian parlor (the Missouri Room), a tavern (Georgia), a study (Delaware), and an attic filled with toys and dolls (New Hampshire).
Nothing can take the place of an on-site tour with a trained DAR Museum docent, but until you can come to Washington, virtually step inside the DAR Museum Period Rooms online with this interactive 360 degree photography tour.
Each virtual tour provides the opportunity for you to move around the room by dragging your mouse to the different areas you want to see. The 360 degree perspective allows you to see everything in the room from the beautiful chandeliers and architectural features to the antique furnishings and carpets, exploring the many highlights of the DAR Museum collection.
Begin the Room Tour >
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Walk-In and Reserved Tours |
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 Docent-led tours of the period rooms are available Monday - Friday,
10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. and Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. For individuals and walk-in groups of 9 or less, tours are on the hour and half-hour subject to docent availability. Tour sign up is required for walk-in visitors at the docent desk. Tours last approximately 45 minutes, and admission is free.
For groups of 10 or more, reservations are required with a fee of $3 per person for docent-led tours. Docent-led tours of the period rooms are available Monday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. only. For reservations, contact the Assistant Curator of Education at 202-879-3341 or email museum@dar.org. |
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When docents are not available, self-guides are provided for walk-in visitors and reserved groups at no cost. For self-guided tours, period rooms are accessible Monday - Friday 9:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and Saturdays 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Self-guided groups of 10 or more are asked to notify the museum of their planned visit at 202-879-3341 or email museum@dar.org. |
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If you plan to visit the DAR Museum when a docent is not available, we recommend that you download the Period Room Tour Podcast and add it to your audio player before your visit. Audio players with the tour are also available to rent in gift shop. |
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Special tours are offered year round to highlight aspects of the collection. Please refer to the DAR Museum Calendar of Events or contact Assistant Curator of Education at 202-879-3341 or email museum@dar.org for information on upcoming special tours. |
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