Plan Your Visit

“All museums should be like the Keeler! . . . Thought-provoking and made me curious, which is what one hopes for in a museum.”

Thank you for visiting Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center! We’re excited to welcome visitors to learn about our history on site and in person. Visitors will discover an expanded site experience – including tours and exhibits – that connects local and national, past and present, to explore themes of identity and memory.

We’re open Thursdays through Sundays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See below for information about admission, tours, exhibits, directions, and more.

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What’s On Our Site?

  • Start your visit at the newly remodeled, state-of-the-art Visitor Center, where staff are on hand to answer questions and sell admission to the site during open hours. The building, located next to the museum’s parking lot at 152 Main Street, was formerly the Cass Gilbert Memorial Library and also houses our collections and business offices.
  • Keeler Tavern Museum, a historic, c. 1711 white building located at the front of our site, directly on Main Street, is now fully open to the public. Visitors must purchase tickets at the Visitor Center to enter and tour the Museum. At times a home, a tavern, and a hotel, the Museum gives voice to hundreds of years of former residents’ stories. Guided tours use narrative and extensive historic collections to link local lives and events to a larger American experience.
  • The Museum Shop, located in the Visitor Center, features a thoughtfully curated selection of items and publications centered on our site, Ridgefield, and Connecticut history, as well as gifts for all ages.
  • The Walled Garden and Rose Arbor were designed circa 1915 by renowned architect Cass Gilbert for his wife Julia. The Garden’s lush plantings and weathered brick walls create an oasis of tranquil beauty.
  • The Garden House is located at the heart of our site. This picturesque European-style pavilion, where the Gilberts entertained notables from business and the arts, overlooks the stunning Walled Garden.
  • The Carriage Barn was originally home to the Gilberts’ horses and carriages, and later held a chauffeur-driven Pierce Arrow automobile. Today, the almost 150-year-old Barn, situated at the back of our site, showcases exhibits and events.

 

While You’re Visiting . . .

  • Please help us preserve history for future generations by not touching or sitting on period furniture and artifacts.
  • The Visitor Center, Garden House, and Carriage Barn are wheelchair accessible, as are many areas of the grounds. Our Museum tour includes tight spaces and two flights of narrow stairs and is not recommended for those with limited mobility.
  • Food and drink should be consumed only at outdoor picnic tables on the Visitor Center patio. Deposit all trash in receptacles.
  • Smoking and vaping are prohibited on our site.
  • Metal detecting by the general public is prohibited on our site.
  • Join network KTM-Guest for free WiFi during your visit.
  • The Garden House, Walled Garden, and Carriage Barn may be closed for private events; please follow signage as posted.

 

Photography and Drones

  • We encourage photography and videography for personal enjoyment only. Contact us about commercial purposes. Portrait photography of any kind, whether for income or otherwise, requires an advance reservation. To protect our collections, no flash photography in building interiors.
  • Visitors are advised that their photos may be taken by our staff for promotional purposes to raise awareness of our museum. Names are not used, except with permission. Visiting KTM&HC implies consent.
  • To ensure a positive and safe experience for all, we do not permit drones over our property, except when authorized by KTM&HC.

 

Business Office (located in the red brick Visitor Center)

  • The Business Office is open Tuesday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • For private event rentals, please contact Mary Ann Connors at mconnors@keelertavernmuseum.org or call 203-438-5485, x12.

 

Visitor Safety Guidelines

Help us support the health of our community by following these guidelines.

  • Masks are optional on our site and in our buildings. Please be respectful of every visitor’s masking choice.
  • If you’re sick, please stay home! We’re happy to help you reschedule your tickets.

 

General Liability Notice

By entering KTM&HC’s premises, including the Cass Gilbert Garden House and Carriage Barn, visitors agree to comply with all federal, state, and local requirements concerning measures required to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Visitors understand that Keeler Tavern Preservation Society, Inc. does not accept any responsibility for non-compliance.