Experience Victorian exuberance
A National Historic Landmark
When Henry and Lucy Bowen built Roseland Cottage, a summer home for their growing family, the bold Gothic Revival style they chose contrasted sharply with the other houses on Woodstock’s town green. Bowen was a self-made man and, like many New Englanders of his times, an advocate of moral causes such as temperance and ending slavery.
We offer several private group tour experiences at Roseland Cottage, from a standard guided house tour to a more customized experience tailored to your group. Please feel free to call us to discuss our offerings in depth.
Location:
556 Route 169, Woodstock, Connecticut
860-928-4074
Hours of Operation:
- June 1 to October 15, Thursday through Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- All group tours must be scheduled by appointment. In addition to open days, group tours may be scheduled at times the museum is closed to the public.
Specialty Tours
We are happy to work with you to customize your experience.
- Guided House Tour: Enjoy an approximately one-hour guided tour; please allow one and a half hours for your visit.
- Guided Landscape Tour: After touring the house join our gardener for a tour of the landscape.
- A Victorian Christmas: Enjoy hot cider and cookies in the carriage room, along with a brief illustrated introduction to house and family. Then, you’ll have your own private tour of Roseland decorated in authentic Victorian fashion, according to the Bowen family’s memoir The Christmas of 1887. (Available seasonally, subject to change.)
- Behind-the-Scenes: In addition to the guided house tour, add the attic, cellar, kitchen, and peek into the servant’s area, not on view during the guided house tour.
- Tea: Enjoy tea on the lawn (weather permitting) or in our carriage room before or after your tour.
- Henry Bowen, Abolitionist: This tour emphasizes the commitment of Henry Bowen to the anti-slavery movement and touches on the influence Prudence Crandall, and Lewis and Arthur Tappan had on Bowen’s dedication to the cause.
Tour Details
- Up to 15 visitors can tour the house with each guide; generally we can accommodate up to 45 visitors in the house in one hour. Accommodations can be made for larger groups.
- Please note that the tour requires a considerable amount of standing and climbing stairs. If members of your group need special assistance, please let the museum know in advance.
Cost:
- Additional rates apply for all specialty tours. Prices subject to change.
- Receptive tour operator rates available upon request.
- Tour leader and bus driver are welcome to a complimentary tour with the group.
- A non-refundable deposit based on your maximum number is due upon booking. The outstanding balance must be paid when the group arrives on-site for the tour.
- Please call two weeks in advance to confirm a guaranteed number of visitors.
Nearby Attractions:
- A wide variety of restaurants, shops, historic sites, museums, and attractions near Roseland Cottage include: Inn at Woodstock Hill, Mansion at Bald Hill, Taylor Brook Winery, Sweet Evalina’s, Prudence Crandall Museum, and an antiques mall and shops in Putnam.
- Make Roseland Cottage a stop during a drive on Route 169, a National Scenic Byway.
- Join us at our annual Roseland Cottage Fine Arts and Crafts Festival, one of the leading juried fine arts and crafts shows in New England. This two-day show takes place the third weekend in October.
Amenities:
- Two restrooms are located in the Visitor Center.
- Museum shop offering an assortment of books and gifts
- 3.5 acres of historic gardens and open land
- Plenty of parking on-site for cars. Please call for information about parking areas for tour buses.
Please Remember:
- Interior and exterior photography for personal use is allowed and encouraged but cell phones should be silenced prior to your tour.
- Your group will stay with the tour guide for the entire tour.
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