Gibson House Museum

Quick tip:
Tickets are $ 9 for adults, $ 6 for students/​seniors 62 +, and $ 3 for kids 12 and under. You can purchase advanced tickets online with Paypal via
or pay cash (only, no credit cards!) at the door. Tours start on the hour, and no later! They DO NOT like to interrupt a tour in progress and will likely turn you away as there is only 1 tour guide. Arrive early and wait outside until tour time, then ring the bell for assistance. Take public transportation as parking in the area is very difficult. 12 min walk or so from the Charles MGH T stop.
For Locals:
Special events are held throughout the year — Check their site regularly!
Boston is all about it’s history and if you’re interested in it at all in the slightest, this is a great destination to see life as it once was.
In short, the Gibson House is mid 19^th-​early 20^th century home turned time-​capsule, that is almost completely original from the time it was turned into a museum in 1957. For me, that was the most impressive part of the visit. You can see the wear on the rugs, the wear of the wood on the black walnut banister, paintings of the family members… it really is incredible to peek into this family’s opulent life and see the past outside of a history book (ironically I never did read those!). I recently visited The Lower East Side Tenement museum in New York and while it was fantastic to see, most of the items of the period were completely staged with belongings that weren’t necessarily owned by the inhabitants, so this was a treat to see. The entire Gibson home/​museum is 6 floors. As a visitor you’ll see 4 of them as the top 2 are currently used as office space, for the archive I believe, etc. Even so, you’ll travel between the floors via the staircase and realize what hell it was for servants to work in a multi-​level home without elevators and see the dichotomy between the servants and the Gibsons. It really does make you appreciate the amenities of modern life.
That being said, aside from being an observer, you will really get the most out of this tour if you ask questions. And don’t be afraid to ask questions. It’s easy to see that this house has layers of history to it as the family and some of it’s members were a little complicated. It’s a less interactive tour in that the guide isn’t asking you what you think a room was used for, won’t be quizzing you on signs as to why the family might want 2 staircases, etc. Personally I love that style of a tour as they help break the ice with visitors, but this was enjoyable regardless. If there was one detail I could change about the tour it would be to do exactly that — engage the visitors and get them talking about the space. They’ll appreciate the property and tour even more. I understand that the museum operates tours on limited resources and is under a time crunch for each tour, so the style of education may be more CliffsNotes than some would like. I would recommend a visit for the interiors alone regardless because they’re gorgeous, well preserved, and need to be shared.
The Gibson home did evolve during the time that it was occupied, so you will come across a few pieces pointed out by the tour guide that have been altered — a sofa reupholstered to be more characteristic of the Victorian era, hot and cold water plumbing, a lavish pet bed added for effect, gas burning lamps now turned electric, etc. Regardless, the rooms are loaded with family belongings. Keep your eyes open and observe the details. My personal favorite detail of the home were the Japanese Leather Wallpaper on the ground floor. Really stunning and interesting to hear about how they were made — just ask!
I’d call this museum a real «must-​see» for visitor to the area, granted I’m still making my way through more house museums in Boston and can’t compare this to them just yet. Even so, this is a wonderful opportunity to discover old older version of Boston right before your eyes. Pay them a visit and support one of the city’s hidden historical treasures!

This is an incredibly well-​preserved example of Victorian-​era furnishings & interior elements. We have toured many of Historic New England’s properties (separate organization), but few have as dense a collection of original artifacts and details as the Gibson House. Being a photo/​video nerd, the amazingly preserved pictograph and early electric projector were fascinating, as was the victrola. Very informative, thorough tour with great focus on the Gibson family lineage. Thank you!

THE HOUSE:
I visited Boston for the first time and I did this tour with my friend and I really enjoyed this House Tour! It gives you a deep insight as to how the houses used to look and what kind of life the residents (The Gibsons) had. You get to see about 3 different stories of the house and you can actually see how old the house is. Very cool! Also, I LOVED our tour guide-​Kelsey! She was so knowledgable and was able to answer everyone’s questions. I am not much into history but she really made me want to learn more about the Victorian house.
SERVICE:
Loved Kelsey!
TIPS:
Cash only for admission! Also, don’t be late to the tour. Its on the hour. And frankly, coming late was disruptive to the people who were already there.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT? Yes!!!

Wonderful, informative tour on Victorian era Boston. House is gorgeous and is very authentic to the time period. Cash only and parking was a bit of a hassle but there’s really no way around that in Boston.

I love historic house tours. This one ranks up there with my favorites.
The house is so beautiful and has been really well preserved. The architecture inside is amazing. I was shocked that it was built when it was with central heat. The wood finishings were so great.
I like that you can walk around all the rooms you see and really get close to all the objects.
My tour guide was very knowledgeable and nice. She had the answer to all the questions I asked. It was just me on the tour which has happened to me a lot on this trip and unlike some tours where I’m the only person this one didn’t feel awkward.
I wish you could see all 6 floors, but I’ll take what I can get.
Love it.

Came here with the boyfriend. You have to wait outside until almost the hour, since there is only once volunteer giving tours and they lock the door so as to protect the antiques. But, we got a private tour, and were able to ask questions to our hearts content.
The house has a lovely Victorian set up. There was a beautiful tea service set when we came. I liked seeing the servants areas, the washroom, and the kitchen the best.
To address other reviewers’ comments: I would say that the Gibson house tours are more «staged» than others. It did feel a little like a recording, and the person giving the tour wasn’t an expert. But I felt our questions were 98% answered. It certainly paled in comparison to the Otis House or the Phillips House tours, but I had a great time and would go again.

The Gibson House is a real time machine that takes you back instantly to 1860. In the hundreds of times I have walked through the Back Bay, I have rarely been inside one of the houses and never into one that was as true to the period as this one is. Our tour guide had an encyclopedic knowledge of the house, the family, the period and the customs, along with a boundless enthusiasm for his subject. Although he talked quickly to try and get all the information in, I found him very informative and enlightening. We were the last tour of the day. he took us upstairs and downstairs, and knew a lot about how both the family and the servants lived. We so enjoyed listening to him and asked so many questions, that we stayed in the house long past the one-​hour scheduled tour. To Betty’s point, it was disappointing to have to stop shy of the top two floors but our guide explained that it was a matter of funding to bring them to tour quality. NOTE: Tourees are not roped off from furniture or knick-​knacks so the Gibson House is not a great place for small children, who might pull valuable books off shelves or break fragile items. Also, the only way between floors is up a narrow, dim staircase so you have to be mobile to go through it. Having said that, I highly recommend the Gibson House museum to visitors and natives alike.

I really enjoyed this museum! From the outside, it just looks like every other home on Beacon Street, but once you step inside, it’s like walking into a whole different world. There was so much to look at! I was especially intrigued by the «modern» laundry machine and iron-​heating system in the basemen laundry room. The home is entirely lit by the electrical fixtures installed back then, so be prepared for a dimly-​lit tour! My only real complaint is the price — $ 9 is a little steep, but that being said, I would still recommend this museum. All visits are by guided tour only, and tours start promptly at 1:00pm, 2:00pm and 3:00pm. Be advised that there are many fragile, breakable things in the house, so it’s not really kid-​friendly. Also, there are many flights of narrow stairs, so definitely not handicapped accessible.

Well, I have to temper my review. The tour guide (museum director) was very «didactic» and did not engage well with our very small crowd of 5 people. He was like a tape-​recording with staged jokes that were not funny or enlightening. The tour included many «talking points» but it was lacking in historical interpretation (this means explaining why the «factoids» matter or explaining what the daily life of this family reveals about the time period…).
Mostly what irked me was that the tour seems to advertise the TOTAL building, and yet they do not show you where the servants lived (which was 2 entire floors). If the building is 6 stories I want to see ALL 6 stories! This view of history emphasizes the wealthy and dismisses the servants who spent their lives there. It is disheartening and quite out of touch with major trends in public history. SO Gibson Museum– Open up your secret doors and tell the whole story! Enough with the 1% narrative.

One of my favourite things that I did on my trip. This place is literally a time capsule. AND very reasonably priced — I made a donation because I felt like I was taking the museum for a ride. Very original and our tour guide was very nice. The only thing that is unfortunate is the museum is open a limited amount of time and you HAVE to take the tour — you can’t just stroll through. So plan your day accordingly and make sure you get this one it. Right down the street from Cheers and a definite hidden gem.

The Gibson House, from the outside, looks like one of the many Bostonian brownstones. Once you step in, though, you’re immediately transported back to Victorian-​era Boston, circa 1800s. Every part of the house — the bedrooms, study, even the kitchens and the laundry room –is furnished with items that belonged to the original owners of the house.
You can only visit the museum on a scheduled tour, which ran hourly when I visited it in 2008. We came at an obscure time in between tours, but the sweet girl that worked there decided to squeeze us in for an impromptu tour, which was great.
Also, no photographs are allowed, which is a bummer.
The entrance fees are a little steep at $ 9/​person, but if you’re a Boston tourist, I’d recommend getting the Boston Go card, which includes admission to the Gibson House. If you’re a Boston resident, you should still shell out the $ and go! For me, it was so cool to see how some of the brownstones that I pass by every day may have looked like in the 1800s.
This is an awesome off-​the-​beaten-​path place to bring your out-​of-​town friends, or to bring yourself on a free weekend. Along with the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, this has got to be one of my favouritest touristy spots in Boston.

I have to second Jessika D.‘s praise for the Gibson House Museum. My husband surprised me with a tour on my last birthday (part of a day of fun Boston quasi-​ironic misadventures). We both thought it would be neat but a bit cheesy – but it wasn’t at all! I’ve been to my fair share of house-​museums, and while I usually find them interesting, I’m always disappointed that the REAL furniture is at X museum, and the REAL tapestries are at Y museum, etc. But this place is all original, probably the most authentic I’ve ever seen, and while you probably shouldn’t lie down and read a book, there are none of those interruptive red velvet ropes on things.
Worth a trip if you’re at all interested in the Victorian Era, Boston history, everyday opulence, or servant-​served relations. (The basement stories are very ‘Gosford Park.’) Might be a little esoteric for kids, but I guess that depends on your kids. Our tour guide was especially knowledgeable – though her voice made me feel like she was constantly auditioning for Broadway… you’ll see – and really helped to animate the space. One other bit of interest is that it was the family’s son who really designated the house to become a museum, and he seems like he was an interesting character – a bit of a Back Bay dandy. Be sure not to miss the pink dishes in the dining room, the inlaid furniture set in the mother’s room, OR the amazing 4-​story+ swirling staircase.