virginia executive mansion tour

Virginia Capitol and Executive Mansion

Information

• Entrance at 10th and Bank streets.
• Richmond, VA 23219
• (804) 698-1788 (804) 371-8687
• Attraction Fee: Free.
• Distance to Airport: 9.1 miles
• Hours (General Information): 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Call for tour information and reservations.
• Reception Capacity 150
• Theatre Capacity 125
• Banquet Capacity 130
• Number of Rooms 5

Senate Room 3

• Theater Capacity: 125
• Classroom Capacity: 100
• Banquet Capacity: 130
• Reception Capacity: 150

House Room 3

• Reception Capacity: 100

Old Senate Chamber

• Banquet Capacity: 40
• Reception Capacity: 75

Jefferson Room

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Encyclopedia Virginia, Virginia Humanities

Virtual Tour of the Virginia Executive Mansion (2021)

This is a 2021 virtual tour of the Executive Mansion in Richmond, the official home for the sitting Virginia governor since 1813. The mansion was renovated and expanded several times during the twentieth century.

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Indigenous Acknowledgment

Virginia Humanities acknowledges the Monacan Nation , the original people of the land and waters of our home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

We invite you to learn more about Indians in Virginia in our Encyclopedia Virginia .

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The Art Experience

Welcome to the art experience.

The second installment of the dynamic Art Experience at the Executive Mansion, titled “Do What You Love in Virginia,” highlights the pastimes, places and people that are enjoyed and adored by Virginians and visitors alike. The Art Experience at the Executive Mansion was designed in collaboration with artists, museums, and curators throughout the Commonwealth to educate, excite and inspire those who visit. The exhibition highlights works from a mix of genres and mediums with particular focus on Virginia artists and themes. It is a living display which will evolve and change over time as additional works of art become available and as different parts of the Virginia story become the focus.

An archive of the inaugural exhibit, “The Spirit of Virginia,” is available here .

Use the dropdown menu to view a full list of artworks by room. Click on the name of a piece to view the art and read more about its origin, or use the menu navigation above the search bar to explore each room. 

The first installment of the Art Experience at the Executive Mansion nearly doubled the number of works of art from 26 pieces to over 48 pieces of hanging art, sculpture and artifacts. Expanding on the initial exhibit, “Do What You Love in Virginia” boasts over 75 works from 37 institutions and independent artists. The Art Experience will continue to grow, with more pieces slated for installation in the coming months.

The Mansion’s Art Experience has quadrupled the percentage of artwork and artifacts that celebrate minority subjects, Virginians, and culture.

We are proud that every single piece in the Art Experience represents some aspect of   Virginia’s vast geography, peoples, places, history and/or culture. Virtually all the pieces   were created by a Virginian, someone who was born in Virginia, lived in Virginia, studied in Virginia, or donated by a Virginian.

Art Partners

A special thank you to our Commonwealth of Virginia art partners and ‘The Art Experience Committee’ of the Citizen’s Advisory Council. Co-chairs: Ann Goettman and Judy Boland.

Living Artists

Eldridge Bagley

Andras Bality

Elaine Bankston

Sukenya Best

Loryn Brazier

Vinnie Bumatay

Sharon Campbell

William Clarke

Debbie Jo Evans

Michael Francis

Margaret Gregg

Edward Alan Gross

Catherine (Cate) Kauffman

Kirsten Kindler

Peggy Wilton Larmore

Kathleen Markowitz

Charlie McConnell

Morgan McKinney

Miwako Nishizawa

Suzanne Stryk

Susan Stuller

Museums, Festivals, and other Virginia Institutions

ADDRESS Capitol Sq. Richmond, VA 23219

PHONE (804) 371-2642

useful links

Virginia Executive Mansion: Gardens, greenhouse tour offered one day a year for free

'i had the pleasure to tour the gillette garden last year. it's absolutely beautiful' — virginia senator amanda chase.

RICHMOND — In celebration of the 90th Historic Garden Week, the public is invited to the Executive Mansion this Friday to take a tour organized by the Garden Club of Virginia [GCV].

"This is a truncated version of our regular tour," Rosa Woodring, Assistant Director of Virginia’s Executive Mansion, said. "Tours of the garden and greenhouse are only offered once a year, during Historic Garden Week. The Gillette Garden will look as beautiful as it will the entire year."

The designs throughout the mansion will be made by members of Virginia garden clubs. The fresh cut flowers will be harvested from all around Capitol Square. The tour on April 21 from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. does not require tickets or reservations.

"I had the pleasure to tour the newly renovated Gillette Garden last year," Virginia Senator Amanda Chase said. "It's absolutely beautiful."

The Virginia Executive Mansion has been home to Virginia's governors since 1813. It is the oldest occupied governor's residence in the U.S. still used for its original purpose. It is both a Virginia and a National Historic Landmark. Governor Glenn Youngkin and First Lady Suzanne S. Youngkin are the 57th residents of the mansion.

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According to the GCV's Historic Garden Week 2023 guidebook, the mansion, a classic example of Federal-style architecture, was designed by Boston architect Alexander Parris. In 2022, First Lady Youngkin originated “The Art Experience” at the mansion, a changing exhibit of artwork from museums around Virginia highlighting the varied landscapes, themes and people of the Commonwealth.

Outside the house, the historic Gillette Garden is a spot not to be missed. In the 1950s, First Lady Anne Bassett Stanley employed Charles Gillette to design and install a formal garden suitable for entertaining on the south side of the mansion. This restoration project of the GCV was funded with proceeds from Historic Garden Week tours.

In 2016, the Valentine-Jackson Memorial Garden was established and dedicated to several enslaved families who worked at the mansion in the 1800s. The GCV also worked collaboratively on this effort. First Lady Youngkin is currently leading a project to open the entrance to this garden so it can be shared with mansion visitors.

On Tuesday, April 18, First Lady Youngkin spoke on "Strengthening the Spirit of Virginia's Women and Girls" at the Flowerdew Pavilion at Flowerdew Hundred on the Petersburg-Prince George tour. Virginia Garden Week began Saturday, April 15 and continues through Saturday, April 22.

"Happy Birthday to Virginia's Historic Garden Week — 90 years. What an incredible accomplishment that we are all here celebrating together. We know that that was born out of the love of God's creation, and it continues to steward our Mother Earth," First Lady Youngkin said. "Visit the Executive Mansion this Friday to see what's blooming in Capitol Square."

The Virginia Executive Mansion is located at 1111 East Broad Street in Richmond. Visit executivemansion.virginia.gov and vagardenweek.org for more information. Email questions to [email protected].

Virginia's 90th Historic Garden Week Petersburg Garden Club hosts Historic Garden Week event: Tour beautiful homes, gardens

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— Kristi K. Higgins aka The Social Butterfly columnist is the trending topics and food Q&A reporter at The Progress-Index voted the 2022 Tri-Cities Best of the Best Social Media Personality. Have a news tip on local trends or businesses? Contact Kristi (she, her) at [email protected], follow @KHiggins_PI on Twitter @socialbutterflykristi on Instagram.

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Virginia Executive Mansion set to resume public tours Friday

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - Virginia’s First Lady is welcoming the public back into the Executive Mansion as public tours are set to resume Friday.

“We are so excited to welcome Virginians back into their home,” said Suzanne Youngkin, Virginia First Lady.

The building has served as the home of Virginia governors and their families since 1813.

“Tours began here in the mansion in the 70s, and so, for 50 years, people from not only the commonwealth but the country have gathered here to learn more about what Virginia has to offer,” said Youngkin.

Ahead of the opening, Youngkin gave NBC12 a sneak peek. The Governor and First Lady have worked with the mansion’s Citizen Advisory Council and staff for the reopening.

Forty-seven unique pieces of art can be found all across the first floor, including this painting by Queena Stovall. It’s called Baptism at The Peddler River. Youngkin says the Virginia artist started painting in her 60s.

“What I love about it this is the optimism and the hope and sense of community that is demonstrated here,” said Youngkin.

Visitors will also enjoy a curated museum-quality art experience featuring artwork from museums across the Commonwealth.

“One of the fun things I’ve been able to do is go visit many of these museum partners and get to pick and choose the things that we want here,” said Youngkin.

The Executive Mansion will remain open on Fridays from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. for public tours. No reservations are needed for a visit.

Copyright 2022 WWBT. All rights reserved.

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Va. Mansion History Is Incomplete Without Stories Of Enslaved People

Ben Paviour

Descendants of those enslaved by Virginia's governors at the executive mansion are working to revive the history of their ancestors and refocus the mansion's tours and literature around those stories.

Copyright © 2020 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.

NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.

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Virginia Governor’s Executive Mansion

On a tour of the mansion, groups will see the original woodwork, ornamental ceilings, and plaster cornices of the Federal-style mansion. Reservations are required for groups of more than 10 people.

supports classroom learning in: Social Studies.

topics covered: American History, Government, Architecture.

contact info Phone: 804-371-2642 Email: [email protected]

Virginia Governor's Executive Mansion is the oldest continually inhabited governor's residence in America. The mansion has served as a home, office, and place of entertainment for Virginia governors and their families since 1813. Designed by Alexander Parris, the Virginia Governor’s Executive Mansion features antique furnishings from the 20th century.

contact info

Hrs: Tues.-Thurs. 10AM-12PM & 2PM-4PM.

HELPFUL LESSON PLAN(S)

Prepared by fieldtripdirectory.com.

Historic Site Lesson Plan

Philadelphia’s Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed; Boston’s Old State House, where the Boston Massacre and the American Revolution began; Washington D.C.’s National Mall, where Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech; Virginia’s Jamestown settlement, the country’s first colony; Charleston’s Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired; New York’s Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, where millions of immigrants were introduced to their new home. All of these sites, significant to America’s history, can be visited, toured, and admired. While visiting one of the many historical sites around the country, consider the importance in preserving these sites.

supports scout badges in: Social Studies.

• svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900"> 826K
• svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900"> 622K
• svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900"> 246K
• svg]:fill-accent-900 [&>svg]:stroke-accent-900"> 45K

Tour of the Restored Interior

Clip summary, clips in more.

Excavation and Foundation Work

Tour of the victorian interior, reviewing plans for updating the victorian.

Demolition and Reconstruction of Victorian Foundation

Clips in mansion final tour.

Tour of Historic Virginia Governor’s Office

Tour of the restored living quarters, tour of the restored exterior and interior decor.

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Installing High-Performance French Doors

Removing horsehair plaster and door framing.

Matching Original Victorian Frieze Board

Spraying in closed-cell insulation, clips in executive mansion.

Making and Hanging Silk Drapes

Tour of colonial williamsburg, tour of the mansion’s exterior and landscaping.

Hand-Stitching Carpets

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• Stalking George Washington

The Virginia Executive Mansion

I had read that getting into the Virginia Executive Mansion , official home to Virginia’s governor, was a little tricky. It is, ostensibly, open on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 to 2. But that schedule is subject to mansion events.  More than one tourist review complained about how difficult it was to pin anyone down about whether it was open, and what it took to get in.

The process we went through was rather painless. We asked the Capitol building receptionist – she of the Virginia dirt story – what we needed to do to take a tour of the house. She confirmed for us that it was open for tours that day (a Wednesday) and said to just show up at the mansion gates at 10:00.

We showed up at the gates at about 9:45. At exactly 10, a guard came out and asked if we wanted a tour and when we said yes and he let us in. Almost immediately, a tour guide came out of the house, and off we went. Kathie and I were the only ones on the tour.

The house was finished in 1813 and is the oldest building in the US built and continuously used as a governor’s residence. James Barbour, of the Barboursville ruins, was the first governor to live there. The current governor, Bob McDonnell, lives on the second floor with his family. The tour covers the official rooms on the first floor.

There were two small(ish – it’s all relative) rooms when we first entered – a First Ladies Parlor and the Old Governor’s Office.  Both the rooms have been restored to the way they could have looked in 1813.

The 16 th century portrait of Elizabeth I in the First Ladies Parlor was a gift from Nancy, Viscountess Astor (nee Nancy Langhorne of Danville, Virginia), the first female member of Britain’s Parliament.  They cleaned and restored it 12 years ago and found that changes had been made to the painting through the years, such as adding a chair and changing the position of the queen’s hand.  The restoration took the portrait back to the original.

The governors worked in the Old Governors Office until Governor Andrew Jackson Montague decided to move his office to the capitol in 1902.  There was a sad story attached to the painting of the three Native Americans in the portrait above the fireplace.  I don’t remember it completely, but the gist of the story was that the man in the center was a defeated Algonquin chief, and they made him wear European style clothes and pose for the portrait to humiliate him.

Beyond the front rooms is the ballroom, spanning both sides of the center hall.  There are two serviceable staircases on each side of the central hall, between the front rooms and the ballroom.  No impressive central staircase.  Architect Alexander Parris must have gone to the Thomas Jefferson school of design.

At the end back of the house is an oval state dining room.  The picture above the sideboard is a portrait of James Monroe by (they think) Rembrandt Peale.  It’s on a two year loan from the James Monroe Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia, in commemoration of the mansion’s 200 th anniversary.  Monroe was the one who, as Governor of Virginia in 1811, signed the legislation that authorized construction of the residence.  The portrait of Elizabeth I – the one that’s now in the First Ladies Parlor – usually hangs there.

The tour gives a bit of the history of the house, along with stories about the families who lived there. The story I remember best was the one about William, son of Governor Elbert Lee Trinkle, who held a sparkler too close to a tree in the ballroom during Christmas of 1926.  The resulting fire decimated much of the first floor, so most of the furnishings in the official rooms have been acquired since the fire.  Everyone in the house survived, though William’s mother was severly injuried when she and his brother jumped out of a second floor window.  When there was a reunion of the children of former governors at the mansion not too long ago, William was the only invitee who didn’t attend. “Too embarrassed,” said the guide.

We walk out of the house after about 40 minutes.  There are gardens and dependencies, but how much of those the tour guide would have shown us, we don’t know, because we had to leave the tour at that point.  We needed to check out of the hotel at 11:00, and it was as a 15 minute walk back.

It’s a beautiful house and we had a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide.  And — happy, happy, joy, joy — photographs are allowed inside!

Early in the tour, when we were just inside the front door, we heard a commotion outside. “The Governor is here,” said the guide. “We’re not allowed to speak to him.” So we pretended to be very interested in the Old Governor’s Office as Governor McDonnell came in.  That reminded me of another Elizabeth II story from the receptionist at the Capitol.  Capitol staff were instructed not to speak to the Queen unless she spoke to them.  When Elizabeth came through the reception area, she said “Good morning,” to the receptionist, so the receptionist got to say “Good morning” back.  The Governor didn’t even glance our way as he strode down the hall and disappeared up the staircase.

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5 responses to the virginia executive mansion.

Great tour. You’ve just made me look up Virginia on wiki as I realised how little (ie nothing) I knew about it. How opulent. And yet the outside, for once, is nicely understated.

We British are so polite you know, nice one LIz.

Only a very small portico…

I did notice that, but thought for once I would curb my obsession for commenting on them 😀

I LOVE private tours! We were so lucky to get into this house. And the tour guide was just to in love with her subject and brimming with stories, it was a real joy. Doesn’t hurt that I found every part of it gorgeous – the architecture, textiles, furniture and artwork. Though I have to admit, when the governor came walking thru taking on his cell phone about the great Republican victory in Wisconsin the night before, I was briefly tempted to trip him.

Lol. I guess I wasn’t paying attention to what he was doing.

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  This newscast is updated weekdays at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, and 6pm.  

The revamped tour of Virginia's executive mansion doesn't mention slavery

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

In Virginia, historians and descendants of enslaved people have spent years reworking the tours of the governor's mansion, the executive mansion. They want it to focus on slavery that was practiced in that house in its early decades. Then Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin moved in, and the tour has changed. VPM's Ben Paviour took it.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Welcome.

GLENN YOUNGKIN: Good morning, everybody.

BEN PAVIOUR, BYLINE: It's been eight months since Glenn Youngkin traded his famous red fleece vest for a black suit and moved into Virginia's executive mansion. On a recent Friday, he invited the public to tour what he calls the people's house for the first time since the pandemic shut it down.

G YOUNGKIN: We continue to be so humbled when we wake up in the morning and we think about this home that we have the great privilege to live in.

PAVIOUR: The mansion, built in 1813, is the oldest continuously occupied governor's residence in the country. The first lady, Suzanne Youngkin, says she selected artwork designed to get visitors to think about the state's history.

SUZANNE YOUNGKIN: What was really exciting, what was really not as pleasant - we really wanted to inspire people to think.

PAVIOUR: But there's one big omission on this tour - slavery. Enslaved people worked and lived here through the end of the Civil War, when Richmond was the capital of the Confederacy. With the Youngkins, though, slavery only comes up after the tour when I bring it up with the first lady. She says a future online tour will get into that, and she said she plans to make the former slave quarters and a garden that honors them handicapped-accessible so more people can see them.

S YOUNGKIN: It is a place of reflection and reverence that I humbly think has been ignored.

PAVIOUR: Outside the mansion's gates, Youngkin supporters say he's shown up for Black Virginians. He's pushed for more funding for historically Black colleges and launched a new partnership with the mostly Black city of Petersburg. He announced the project last month.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

G YOUNGKIN: Whether it's increased access to health care facilities, increased opportunities for mobility, expanded education options - you all spoke, and we listened.

PAVIOUR: But Don Scott, the top Democrat in Virginia's House of Delegates, isn't buying it.

DON SCOTT: If it's a mostly white conservative audience, he'll try to raise white grievance towards Black people. When he's with Black audiences, he'll say, we're going to teach all of the history.

PAVIOUR: Still, Youngkin is a coveted speaker for GOP candidates across the country this fall. That's fueled speculation that he may have his eyes on a new home, the White House.

For NPR News, I'm Ben Paviour in Richmond. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.