Hearthstone's Nooks and Crannies: A Behind the Scenes 40th Anniversary Tour

August 12 at 2:00 pm

August 13 at 6:00 pm

August 22 at 11:00 am

In this behind the scenes, special limited tour, Hearthstone’s Curation Director Lynne Phillips will take you through the museum to peer, literally, into the nooks and crannies that make Hearthstone so special. Guests will visit the spaces normally not open to the public and hear stories about the restoration of the house as well as the interesting revelations that have been found in the process.

Lynne will open drawers, closets, whole rooms, and complete floors to reveal items not normally on display. Over the past 40 years, museum restoration teams have looked under moldings, peeled away canvas, torn down plaster, and stripped layers of paint to reveal the past. Lynne will relate how restoration is done professionally and, most importantly, how it helps provide an authentic view of the Victorian Era.

Wednesday tours start at 2:00 pm.

Thursday tours start at 6:00 pm. Thursdays are an extraordinary evening edition that lets guests experience the museum as dusk falls. Flashlights will be provided.

Saturday tours start at 11:00 am

Please note:

• Tickets for the Nooks and Crannies Tour are $15 and are available on-line only using the button below.

• Tours are limited to just 12 guests per tour.

• Please allow for two hours for completion of the tour.

• Guests will be climbing four stories of stairs. 

Summer on the Veranda

NEW NIGHT JUST ADDED! The roaring twenties are back!

September 11

FROM 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Back by popular demand, put on that fabulous flapper dress or wide chalk stripped suit and step into a world of gangsters and molls, jazz singers and bootleggers while enjoying ice tea, lemonade, white wine, and mint juleps all served by Hearthstone volunteers dressed in period attire or as maids and butlers.

But don’t feel like you have to dress up. The evening is really about having fun while experiencing the lavish surroundings of Hearthstone.

Tickets are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Proceeds support all of the museum’s operations, including its educational programming. Tickets include beverages. Please note: Tickets are strictly limited. Advanced ticket purchase is strongly recommended as the evenings sell out quickly.

Of course, if you haven’t taken part in this year’s Murder at the Mansion set in 1920s Chicago, please check out the final offering of the year detailed below!

Murder at the Mansion

NEW date just added!

September 26

From 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm

Hearthstone’s favorite premier event is back and more mysterious than ever! Test your sleuthing skills as you join other guests - all in character and in costume - to solve a murder that happens almost right before your very eyes. It is an Agatha Christie novel come to life in the sumptuous surroundings of Hearthstone’s beautiful Victorian interiors (what could be more Agatha Christie than that).

This year’s mystery will take you back to 1920s Chicago, a world where Hearthstone is a speakeasy, one dominated by rival northside and southside gangs. You will play bootleggers, their molls, and a variety of hangers-on from silent film stars to baseball heroes, all with axes to grind. This year’s plot will keep you guessing with plenty of twists and turns.

The night features heavy hors d'oeuvres and wine and soft drinks served by the museum’s volunteers dressed as maids and butlers while guests interact (in character, of course) to figure out who had motive and opportunity to do the dastardly deed. It is a night dedicated to mayhem, murder, and fun!

Please note the following:

• Tickets are limited and sell out quickly. However, if they do not sell out a minimum of 20 tickets need to be sold to host the evening.

• Please have all of your party’s email addresses ready when purchasing tickets. This is the only way for everyone to receive their character information.

• Unfortunately, because of the nature of the event, there can be NO REFUNDS for tickets. Guests who are unable to attend are responsible for finding a replacement to play their role and use their ticket. This is required as all characters are essential for the mystery to be played.

• Guests must make museum staff aware of any food allergies at least two weeks prior to the date of the event. Every effort will be made to comply with guest requirements but the caterer cannot guarantee allergen-free ingredients.

• This is 21 year old and older event.

• Murder at the Grand Gatsby Speakeasy is a MyMysteryParty.com game