Fraunces Tavern: Colonial New York You Can Still Walk Into

The Fraunces Tavern Museum is a colonial attraction in New York. It sits right in Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, the area where the settlement of modern New York began.

This building housed the tavern where George Washington, the first president of the United States, met with patriot soldiers during the fight for Independence.

One detail I'm sure you'll love: it's the tavern where the patriots meet up in the musical Hamilton 🙂

What to see at the museum

The museum building gives its name to the block it stands on: Fraunces Tavern Block, the only block with colonial buildings still standing in Manhattan, surrounded by the modern towers of the Financial District.

The rooms you'll visit are a replica of how the place looked back then, since it took heavy damage during the battles of the Independence.

The museum is on the 2nd floor. It has 9 galleries with more than 3,000 objects, paintings and documents related to colonial New York, the American Revolution and the early years of the United States as an independent republic.

Among the museum's curiosities you'll see a lock of George Washington's hair, the first president of the United States (if you like American history, you absolutely have to visit Washington DC).

Fraunces Tavern Restaurant

The ground floor is home to the Fraunces Tavern Restaurant, decked out like a colonial tavern.

Don't miss a foamy pint of craft beer (they pour 130 varieties) or one of the 200 whiskeys on the menu.

If you're traveling in winter, you can enjoy the fireplaces and the atmosphere of a century long gone.

It's open every day of the week from 11 am to 2 am, serving brunch, lunch and dinner.

History of Fraunces Tavern

The building you'll visit was built in 1719, originally as a private home. Later it became a hotel whose famous tavern drew the revolutionary soldiers.

Because it was a gathering place for the rebels, the establishment was one of the first targets of British cannons in 1775, and it was left in ruins.

In 1904 the building was acquired and restored by the Sons of the Revolution, an organization dedicated to keeping the memory of the American Revolution alive, which has recreated several of its original rooms.

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Address
54 Pearl Street, Manhattan. 2nd floor

Getting there
Closest subway:
R line. Whitehall St/South Ferry station
4 and 5 lines. Bowling Green station
1 line. South Ferry station
J and Z lines. Broad Street station

Hours
Wednesday to Sunday 12 pm to 5 pm

Closed 1/1, Thanksgiving and 12/25

Prices
Adults US$ 7 / ages 6 to 18, students and 65+ US$ 4 / under 5 free

Admission to the museum is included in the New York Pass and the Sightseeing Pass.

While the pandemic isn't over, I recommend checking the museum's official site before your visit to see whether you need to book your ticket in advance, whether hours have changed, and what the special entry conditions are.

Map

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