The Hampton Mansion Tour at Hampton National Historic Site
Hampton Mansion was built between 1783 and 1790 for Captain Charles Ridgely and his wife Rebecca Dorsey. It is one of the best surviving examples of Georgian architecture in the United States, a style that requires complete symmetry. This means that one half of the house is essentially a mirror image of the other half, and that visually there is no front or back—both sides are the same. The architecture is so impressive that Hampton National Historical Site was the first and only National Park created to preserve a structure solely for its architectural merit.
Guided tours, which are the only way to get inside the mansion, are typically given Thursdays through Sundays at multiple times each day. Space is limited to fifteen people per tour. Tickets can be obtained in advance at Recreation.gov from 90 days in advance up until 10 PM the night before the tour. While technically free, there is a $1 service charge per ticket. Any tickets not reserved via Recreation.gov will be available at the Visitor Center on a first come, first served basis on the day of the tour. There is no charge for these tickets. For a current schedule, check the official Hampton National Historic Site’s Ranger Programs web page.
The only exception to the first come, first served rule is for groups of ten or more people. Such groups must call ahead to schedule a tour at least two weeks in advance. To make a reservation call (410) 962-4290.
Tours last roughly 45 minutes. Those taking the 10 AM tour will have time to catch the tour of the Home Farm given by park Rangers at 11 AM.
Hampton Mansion has four levels: a basement and three floors of living space. As of 2025, only the first floor is covered on the tour, plus there is a visit to the kitchen located in the east wing that requires going down some stairs. The second floor is where the main bedrooms are located, and the third floor contains eight small bedrooms used by servants and children and two large storage rooms, but these are all empty.
Hampton Mansion at Hampton National Historic Site
After Captain Ridgely’s death, the estate passed through five more generations of Ridgelys before being acquired by the National Park Service in 1947. The sale included the mansion and grounds, plus any furnishings that remained in the house. While the last owner often sold off valuable items to pay bills, much of this was donated back to the park or bought at auction over the years by the National Park Service. Many items that passed to family members were also returned once the house was opened as a museum. As a result, 90 percent of the furnishings in the house once belonged to the Ridgely family. With so much to choose from, and with furnishings representing over two hundred years of history, the National Park Service decided to decorate each room per a different time period instead of sticking to one period for the entire house.
Paintings of Ridgely family members on display in the main hall of Hampton Mansion, Hampton National Historic Site
For more information and photos of each room on the tour, visit one of the following web pages here on National Park Planner. However, keep in mind that Hampton National Historic Site has nearly 50,000 artifacts pertaining to the Ridgely Family and the mansion, but only 20,000 are on display at any given time. Room decor is changed every so often, so the rooms may not appear as in my photos by the time you visit.
FIRST FLOOR
The first floor of Hampton Mansion contains four large rooms used for entertaining and dining, plus the main hall. All rooms are visited on the tour. There is also a stop at the kitchen located in the east wing extension.
Main hall of Hampton Mansion, Hampton National Historic Site
SECOND FLOOR (not part of the tour as of 2025)
Prior to the COVID epidemic, the tour of Hampton Mansion also included the second floor. However, because the second floor is not accessible to disabled visitors due to stairs, and because the banister on the staircase needs repair, as of this web page update in March 2025, the second floor is still not covered. This may have changed by the time you take the tour, but just be aware of the situation. I have, however, left up my second floor web pages with photos so you can see what they look like. There are six bedrooms in total, but only three are furnished. A fourth room is used as an exhibit area. The exhibits change every so often.
With a few exceptions, use of any photograph on the National Park Planner website requires a paid Royalty Free Editorial Use License or Commercial Use License. See the Photo Usage page for details.
Last updated on March 20, 2025
