Murder at the Mansion

Select Friday and Saturday nights 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm

February 20 - Sold Out

March 7 - Sold out

March 20 - SOLD out

April 11 - sold out

April 24 - Sold out

May 9 - sold out

NEW date added - May 23!!

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. Additional evenings may be scheduled as prior events sell out.

• 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

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

April 15 2:00 pm

April 16 6:00 pm

April 18 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

May 1, June 12, July 10 (special 1920s edition), August 7

FROM 5:30 - 7:30 PM

Relax in late Victorian splendor while you stroll the veranda and first floor at Hearthstone, our beautifully restored 1882 Queen Anne Style residence. Immerse yourself in the period, listening to performances on our 1875 square grand piano with a cool drink in hand served by maids and butlers in livery.

Do you revel in HBO’s The Gilded Age? Have you ever wanted to feel like a part of The Forsythe Saga or Murdock Mysteries? Or maybe that you just stepped off the pages of a Sherlock Holmes short story or Bram Stoker’s Dracula? You can, at Summer on the Veranda.

Our docents will be dressed up as well playing the roles of hostess or the Rogers’ servants as they welcome you into the home while serving complementary lemonade, iced tea, white wine, or mint juleps.

Everyone is encouraged to dress up in their best late Victorian attire. Don’t worry if “you have nothing to wear,” anything that makes will feel elegant and pampered will more than suffice. (Hey, don’t you still have that bride’s maid dress? That will be perfect. Seriously.)

Even just adding a hat will more than do. Ladies are encouraged to wear their best Victorian hats (or any lovely hat) as beautiful hats were de rigueur for Victorian ladies. Gents can sport their own top hat, boater, or bowler. In fact, if you do not have a ladies’ or gentlemen’s hat, we will gladly lend you one from our recreation collection.

But don’t feel like you have to dress up. The evening is really about slowing down the pace of life 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.

Celebrate Mother's Day with Free Admission for Moms

SUNDAY, MAY 10 from 1:00 PM TO 3:30 PM

Doesn’t Mom deserve a little special treatment? Of course, she does! On Mother’s Day, each mom receives free admission to Hearthstone with a paid admission (because of course you want to go with her). What better way to celebrate Mom’s special day than in the special surroundings of Hearthstone. Plus, our docents will be sharing stories of Hearthstone’s first women - Cremora Rogers, Florence Rogers, Fredricka Crane, Theresa Moder, and Mary Deimer.

It’s a Mother’s Day celebration of historic proportions!

Advanced ticket sales are encouraged but not required. Moms do not need a ticket if accompanied by paid admission.