Roseland Cottage
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We enjoyed a lovely hour-long tour of the house that begins outdoors in the garden and continues once inside. We were the first tour on a hot July day and the house was cool inside with plenty of fans in each room. As other reviews mention, be prepared to put disposable shoe covers on in the entry way, and be prepared for standing and walking up stairs. From the website------ Accessibility Tour involves standing, walking, and stairs. Visitors with limited mobility may be able to enjoy a first floor tour of the house and grounds. Visitors can access a virtual tour of the museum from their own digital device onsite. Folding chairs are provided for visitors who would like to use them while on tour. The site is not equipped with ramps, elevators, or lifts. Service animals are welcome. We are happy to work with you to make your visit an enjoyable one and we encourage visitors with questions or requests to call ahead. ----------- We finished the day with a delicious lunch on the patio of The Vanilla Bean, right down the road on the corner of Route 169 and Route 44. Their menu never disappoints!
ThelmaThelma
40
We stopped in because entry was free and it's a reasonably short drive. Normally entrance fees are 10 bucks per person. IMO I don't think it's worth the entrance fee although I did not see the interior of the house. Pros: the grounds and exterior of the house were in good shape and had some nice photo ops. You can access everything for free except for the interior of the house. Cons: they do not allow self guided tours of the main attraction that being the interior of the house. They have a tour once per hour so that means you may have to wait a long time just to get a look at the interior. The tour group we observed was small maybe 15 people so you may have to wait a few hours if the place is busy. We asked why they didn't allow self guided tours. The reasoning we received from the staff was they had valuable artifacts to protect. We asked why they don't use methods like roping off and sensors so people can self guide. They had no answer. Apparently they did say we only have 1 property where self guided tours are allowed. So we have noted the company's name and website showing all the properties they have for touring and we will avoid them in the future due to our experience here.
Kris KKris K
20
Beautiful grounds, great place with lots of history..The town is so quaint and I love it's vibe.Our tour guide Sandy was so enthusiastic, knowledgeable and thorough...She answered all of our questions.Half way thru our tour my daughter didn't feel well so she went outside to get fresh air .She missed 90% of the tour but Sandy was concerned every step of the way which was so nice..we will most likely have to come again so my daughter can see the upstairs of the house and the other rooms she didn't get to...It was only $27 for us to get in so that isn't bad but we are 1.5 hours away..nice road trip..we ate at the little restaurant The Vanilla Bean about 8 minutes from the house..All in all it was a nice day!
Stacey GordonStacey Gordon
00
Beautiful house and grounds! The family history and a great guide (thanks Dave) make the tour experience really fun! The house is period 1840s with an update in the 1880s and since the family lived there until the 1960s some additions to modernize. The furniture is all period and it has loads of history. A really easy drive from the Boston area make this a great afternoon! We combined this with a stop by the Taylor Brook Winery just 5 minutes away to complete the trip. Everyone who enjoys touring historic homes needs to join Historic New England and come see these local treasures!
David TomczakDavid Tomczak
00
A wonderfully preserved piece of history from the mid 1800s. This is a mansion not a cottage but wealthy businessmen called their summer home a "cottage" regardless of the size. It looks like Henry Chandler Bowen and his wife left yesterday and will return home today as all the furniture is in place. H.C. Bowen was our GGG Uncle. Lt. Henry Bowen was our direct ancestor and one of the original founders of Woodstock in 1686. If you have any interest in old houses don't miss this one. The original bowling alley in the barn is quite a sight also.
Thomas BowenThomas Bowen
50
We braved Hurricane Elsa to come take a tour. The house is very interesting and the tour guide knowledgeable. We had hope the gardens would have been more "in bloom," but that's in the hands of the "weather gods," I guess. The tours are limited to a very small number. We met up with a two friends and they got the last tickets for our tour. That is, there were four on our tour and that appeared to be all they allowed. One suggestion: because it was a dreary day, the house was quite dark inside. Touring on a brighter day might be better.
Wayne GeiserWayne Geiser
20
Nearby Attractions Of Roseland Cottage
Woodstock Orchards and Bakery Barn
The Rusty Relic

Woodstock Orchards and Bakery Barn
4.7
(185)Click for details

The Rusty Relic
4.6
(36)Click for details
Nearby Restaurants Of Roseland Cottage
Woodstock Trading Post

Woodstock Trading Post
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Basic Info
Address
556 CT-169, Woodstock, CT 06281
Map
Phone
(860) 928-4074
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Website
historicnewengland.org
Visit
Reviews
Overview
4.7
(153 reviews)
Ratings & Description
cultural
family friendly
Description
Roseland Cottage, also known as Henry C. Bowen House or as Bowen Cottage, is a historic house located on Route 169 in Woodstock, Connecticut, United States. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
attractions: Woodstock Orchards and Bakery Barn, The Rusty Relic, restaurants: Woodstock Trading Post
