white hall state historic site

I have toured here four times total.I went twice at Christmas and it was absolutely beautiful.The decorations alone were awesome and the furnishings a must see for anyone who enjoys antiques. I saw a play performed there twice and enjoyed that very much. If you are in the area, i highly recommend you take the time to go.

I thought the price of admission was well worth it. There are many neat furnishings from the time period in this house, furniture artwork, etc. The stories the guides tell are also interesting apparently clay killed 2 men in his kitchen at age 80 because they offended him. According to the guide pretty much bare handed. There were many more interesting details that one stuck in my memory. Recomended they also decorate for Christmas and have a ghost walk at Halloween

Very nice place to visit. You can walk through the home, learn about the inhabitants, and enjoy the grounds. There are sometimes events held at the site, including Derby brunch.

We took out of town friends for a tour. Everyone was very pleased with the docent's knowledge of the house, grounds and history. He was willing to answer questions and share some stories. It was great, we are going to the Christmas Open House to see it again, decorated for Christmas this time. Can't wait.

We had chosen White Hall for Smithsonian Museum Day and it was a great choice. The home is a little off the beaten path but once you arrive you will realize that it is really something special. The grounds are trimmed to perfection, there was going to be a wedding that afternoon so it was also fun just watching them use the mansion as a backdrop. Our tour guide, Jeffrey was extremely enthusiastic and answered each question, seeming to really be glad to talk about the Clay family and the home's furnishings. The gift shop is located in an outbuilding and there really isn't much to it but that wasn't why we came anyway. I would definitely tell others about this place, it is beautiful!

We had not planned to tour this home but are so glad we did. We were in Barea on the way back to Cincinnati. Our tour guide was an expert on the family and the home having authored a book about both. The home is massive and was full of original items belonging to the Clay family. There was an interesting dramatic history of the Clay family, and it was such a pleasure to hear the sage from someone so familiar with it. Dn't miss this glorious home.

Went to an evening ghost walk and tour. Curator gave tour and very interesting. Didn't see any ghost but heard stories of sights and sounds of them. Interesting house of Cassius Clay Ambassador to Russia during Lincoln's era. Seniors be careful lots of steep stairs. Also have gift shop. Next door to a county park and lake.

I have taken visitors friends and relatives to Whitehall several times in the past. The tour we experience the second of July was the best. We were lucky to have the curator herself lead us through the house because she was extremely well informed. She answered every question we had and untangled some legends that have been woven through the years abut Cassius Clay. She was well informed about the house, the furniture, the family and the lives and events of the household. She spoke from memory but with conversational tone rather than a rehearsed, rapid recital. It was an excellent tour and I will entertain guests in the future with another visit to this lovely, historical Kentucky home.

Our guide knew the history that is a fact and we loved the way he brought the history. The White hall is something you have to see it's a part of the history of Richmond ! do not miss it !

Met another couple to do a tour of this restored property. Obviously much effort and expense went into the restoration, which was handled by a former governors wife. Our guide was very knowledgeable and good about pointing out what was original to the house and what was period. Tour took about 1.5 hours and does involve a number of stairs. You start on the main floor and go to the top, then down to the basement to exit. Lots of history and information is provided. Would do it again and recommend to anyone who can climb easy stairs.

The tour guide was very knowledgeable and shared great stories from the home and family that lived there. The house is beautiful and so are the grounds!!!!! We will be back and cant wait for the Ghost stories and scandals this summer and the Christmas special this holiday season!!!

Even though my wife and I have been to the Lexington area many times to visit the Kentucky Horse Park, we never took a short trip to visit White Hall, which is just north of Richmond, Ky. Part of that was due to the fact that I had not bothered to check the actual distance, and thought it was around an hour away. In actuality, White Hall is very close to exit 95 of I-75, and the Horse Park is at Exit 120 of I-75, so you can easily make the trip from Georgetown or Lexington in less than half an hour. We went to White Hall on a Sunday afternoon, when my wife was getting tired of the Horse Park and there was a chance of rain. Turning to the house, White Hall has over 40 rooms, and was built in two stages. The original house is now on the left side and back of the house (as viewed from the front). The original house had lower ceilings, which results in the need for a number of stairs on upper floors in order to connect the upper sections to one another. Unlike many other house tours of large mansions, you get to visit almost all of the rooms, encompassing three floors plus a basement (this results in traversing over 120 steps, so you have to be somewhat fit to tour). As the principal builder of the house, Cassisus Clay, had served as ambassador to Russia in the 1860's, and was friends with Lincoln and his family, there are many interesting photos and art pieces in the house. Also, as noted in other reviews, the house was very unusual for its time, as it had furnace heating, as well as indoor plumbing that was based off of a rainwater collection system.Tours run April through October every hour on the hour Wednesday through Sunday, with Sunday having fewer tours (there are limited tours on weekends in December). Another error I made was assuming that the tour would be one hour long because the tours left every hour. In actuality, there are two tour guides on duty, and our tour ran close to 90 minutes. Our guide, Jeffrey, is a college history professor and was very entertaining and informative, and answered all questions without rushing anyone through the tour. The tour price is $8 for adults, but there are plenty of $1 off discounts, including discounts for AAA members. As a result, most of the people on my tour (my wife and I included) paid only $7 apiece, which I think was a good deal given everything we saw. It should be noted that the small visitor center at White Hall is closed, so tickets are bought at the door of the mansion, and souvenirs are also sold inside the house now. Also, there is no place that I saw to buy food anywhere on the property (there are a handful of outbuildings), but there is a McDonald's right off of I-75 at Exit 95.

This is a interesting home adding insight into the past in Kentucky. As a life long resident of Kentucky I was pleasantly surprised at the revelations at Whitehall. Central Heating Indoor plumbing and a true humanitarian in the owner Abolitionist Cassius Clay. Not the boxer put possibly the reason for the boxers name. This was a truly interesting gentleman from his abolitionist tendencies to his marriage to a teenager of 15 while he was 85 years of age, to driving off the people of Lexington with a cannon when they came to retrieve the young wife. His daughter was nominated by the democrats for the Presidency of the US in 1920. And added to this he was an Ambassador to Russia. The home is remarkable well kept and in excellent condition. Having been restored after a contest with a tornado it is again open and well worth the visit.

Most tours are to very small groups and the guides are well informed and very personable. Over the Halloween season and Christmas there are special tours and entertainment. About a one-minute drive past the house is a picnic area/playground/small lake. We have done the tour several times and have enjoyed it each time

We visited White Hall State Historic and very interesting place, anyone never been there, I recommended at least once. The guide has very knowledge of history of this house and Kentucky.