Alden B. Dow Home & Studio — Attraction in Midland

Overall, a good experience worth doing once but overregulated. The place is gorgeous! I was impressed by how clean everything is kept. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. She answered any questions that we had and told many cool stories about the house, the Dow's, and even certain items in the house. I loved the story of Dow and all of his puzzles, toys, and trinkets just as much as the house itself! While I understand why things may be this way from their perspective, from a visitor perspective the experience is a bit stifled by all of the rules that they have. No pictures/photography is a lame rule, especially in today's day and age. At the very least they should have one area setup that you can take selfies at. Apparently, you are not allowed to use the public restrooms until the end of the tour so you better make sure that you don't have to pee for 2+ hours (Of course you will probably arrive a bit early to park and settle, then the tour is an hour and a half!) Coats aren't allowed and they use this as an excuse to not view the outside on cold, windy, or rainy days. Call me crazy but if you are paying full price then you should get the full experience, regardless of a little bit of wind. It was a bit rude that the tour guide grabbed water for herself to drink in the middle of the tour yet of course the visitors aren't allowed to bring a drink in. The gift shop was filled with cool items at pretty fair prices (for...

Beautiful home and studio. I highly recommend this tour if you're interested in art, architecture, furniture, and design. There's a lot of information about how the home was built, including years and information about the unique blocks used to build the whole complex. The house and studio have all original furniture and design. There's a lot of color everywhere and unique features. Details from the carpet to the trains running throughout the house are exciting and surprising.

Everything exemplifies Alden B. Dow's and Mid century Midwestern style. Much of the furniture was designed by Dow and manufactures by Herman Miller. This is a real sneak peak into his life and talent. You can even sit on the furniture.

The tour guide was knowledgeable of Dow, his family, Frank Lloyd Weight, Dow's connection to Wright, his influence on style and architecture, and Dow's connection to the city of Midland.

In December, there's a Christmas tour and the house is decorated for Christmas. We even got Christmas cookies and cider during a break. However, during the winter months you can't see the pond! If you go dieing spring/summer, you'll get a great view of the pond and Dow Gardens.

This is worth the trip and great for locals! A must for...

It is a great place to get in touch with part of the Dow family history and appreciate the unique creations of Alden Dow, preserved for us initially by his wife, Vada Bennett Dow. The ongoing educational programs are a tribute to the legacy. Regina, our tour guide, was fantastic, bringing up many interesting topics along the way, having the answer to every question, and even dropping choice comments by other visitors!! Thanks again very much!!

Also, Craig M was a great tour guide for the home of Alden's sister, Dorothy Dow Arbury, only several miles out of town. There are so many features that resonate with the Alden Dow Home & Studio, especially bridging the gap between indoors and out of doors. It's a very expressive example of mid-century design, with it's own unique features, e.g., a 6'8" x 6'10" thick wood door, or maybe, 'hinged wall with a door knob', which opens and closes effortlessly! It is all situated on an immense estate in a very secluded setting, revealing the owners' reverence for 'family-first' and for nature. Thanks again to Craig for his insight...