OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:
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Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is open to the public
7 days a week from Memorial Day weekend to the end of October.
The Site is open Saturday and Sundays in November through the
first week in December. The grounds are open year-round from dawn
to dusk. Call 518-758-9689 for specific dates. In season visitation
remains constant, with peaks on holiday weekends.
Please go to the visitor center across Old Post Road from the
visitor parking lot for information on tours and fees. The visitor
center is staffed from 9:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. on days that
the park is open. Access to the historic house is by guided tour
only. Sign up for tours at the visitor center. Tours begin at
the mansion.
CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:
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Summers are generally hot and humid. Lindenwald is
not air conditioned, and can get extremely hot. Springs and autumns
can be cold and wet. Layers of clothing, especially in early spring
and late autumn are recommended. Some activities are outdoors. Come
prepared for inclement weather.
DIRECTIONS:
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Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is on New York State
Route 9H in Kinderhook, New York.
Approaching from the east on Interstate 90: take exit
B1 onto US Route 9 southbound. Bear right onto Route 9H approximately
five miles south of Interstate 90. The Site will be on your right
in five miles.
Approaching from the west on Interstate 90: take exit
12 onto US Route 9 southbound. Bear right onto Route 9H approximately
five miles south of Interstate 90. The Site will be on your right
in five miles.
Approaching from the south on Interstate 87 (New York State
Thruway): take exit 21 onto NY State Route 23 eastbound across
the Rip Van Winkle Bridge (toll). Follow Route 23 for approximately
10 miles. Turn left onto NY State Route 9H northbound. The Site
will be on your left in approximately 15 miles.
Be careful not to confuse Routes 9, 9J, 9G, and 9W, all of which
are in the vicinity of the Site, with Route 9H. The Site is on
Route 9H .
TRANSPORTATION:
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Free parking is available at the Site. There is no public transportation
access to the Site. The Site is a popular bicycling destination.
A bicycle rack is in the parking lot.
FEES, COSTS, RATES:
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Adults, (17 years or older), $3.00 per person. Children, (younger
than 17), free. Holders of Golden Eagle, Age or Access Passports,
free.
FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:
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Information/ Bookstore/ Public Restrooms:
General information and brochures are available in the visitor
center. A bookstore, video presentation, and public restrooms
are available there. There are wayside exhibits throughout the
grounds.
Programs/Activities:
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Park rangers give guided tour programs of the President's home,
Lindenwald Please note that baby strollers or video cameras
are not permitted on tours. Still photography without flash is allowed.
A tour of Lindenwald takes 45 minutes, and includes
the Van Buren home and furnishings, which The National Park Service
has restored to the period when Van Buren lived there.
The Site schedules a variety of other interpretive activities
throughout the visitor season. They range from short interpretive
talks, bicycle tours, hikes, living history programs, concerts,
craft demonstrations, etc.
Accessibility:
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There is handicap parking behind the mansion. A wheelchair lift
is located at the main visitor entrance to the historic house. The
first floor of the mansion is accessible to wheelchairs. The second
floor and the basement are not wheelchair accessible.
Special Needs:
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For the hearing impaired, the video presentation is closed captioned
and a written tour script is available.
RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:
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The Site requires reservations for groups containing more than 10
persons. Organized groups may make reservations through the Site
by calling the Chief Ranger at 518-758-9689. Anyone wishing to do
research, motion picture filming, or make other special use of the
site, should call 518-758-9689, to discuss film or special use permits.
BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:
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Allow 1.5 hours to tour Lindenwald , the grounds and visitor
center.
SPECIAL EVENTS, PROGRAMS:
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The site offers special event programs throughout the open season.
Please call 518-758-9689 for current information.
This park is featured in a lesson plan created by
Teaching with Historic Places , a program of the National
Park Service that helps teachers and students understand how parks
and other historic places embody America's historical experiences
and cultural expressions.
WEATHER ADVISORY'S:
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In adverse weather or emergency conditions call 518-758-9689 to
verify that the Site is open.
ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:
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Olana State Historic Site, The Shaker Museum, Columbia County Historical
Society Museum and Sites (the Lyukas Van Alen House and the James
Vanderpoel House), the Mount Lebanon Shaker Village, and the American
Museum of Firefighting are nearby. The Norman Rockwell Museum and
Chesterwood, Home of Daniel Chester French, in Stockbridge, MA,
are within thirty miles.
Saratoga
National Historical Park is within fifty miles of the
site. Home of Franklin D.
Roosevelt National Historic Site , the
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site
, and Eleanor Roosevelt National
Historic Site are clustered approximately 50 miles south
of Lindenwald .
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
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Please write: Superintendent, Martin Van Buren National Historic
Site, 1013 Old Post Road, Kinderhook, NY 12106 or telephone, 518-758-9689,
or E-mail
Information, Martin
Van Buren National Historic Site (MAVA_Info@nps.gov).
Last Update
6/24/2003
/mava/InfoPark.htm
Version: 4.0 Questions/Comments E-Mail
mava_info@nps.gov
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