Long line to enter Ford’s Theatre during the peak season, Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site

Free timed-entry tickets are required for admittance to any of the four venues at Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site: Ford’s Theatre, Ford’s Theatre Museum, the Peterson House, and the Aftermath Museum Gallery at the Ford’s Theatre Center for Education and Leadership. The theater and the Ford’s Theatre Museum are in one building, while the Peterson House and the Education Center are located across the street. You must show your ticket when entering the Ford’s Theatre Museum (first stop on the tour) and again at the Peterson House, so don’t toss it in the garbage just because you got into the theater.

The timed-entry ticket system is in place to control the number of people in the venues at one time. Groups are let in every 30 minutes. However, tours of Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site are self-guided, so once you enter, you move at your own pace, and you can stay at any one venue for as long as you like.

While all tours are self-guided, there are a few time slots when a National Park Service Ranger is scheduled to give a talk in the theater. Otherwise, Rangers are stationed at the various venues and can answer any questions you might have, but they will not be giving any type of formal lecture.

Ranger gives a lecture about the history of Ford’s Theatre, Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site

Advance tickets are available online at the Ford’s Theatre Society’s Historic Site Visit web page. While deemed free, there is a service charge for online orders ($5 per ticket at the time of this writing). Completely free tickets can be obtained while supplies last at the theater box office on the day of your visit. Twenty percent of the tickets are held for walk-up visitors, plus any online tickets that did not sell will be available. The box office opens at 8:30 AM, and on busy days the walk-up tickets are gone within 30 minutes, so you better get there early. There may be a few tickets available later than this, but they tend to be onesies and twosies. Those with families will most likely be out of luck after 9 AM. You can get up to six tickets per person at the box office.

The peak season is from March through June due to school groups. You’ll see so many kids running around that if you didn’t know better, you’d think that every kid in town was skipping school that day. During these months most of the online tickets will be sold out well in advance, and I’m talking months, not weeks. I checked the website in early October, and half the tour times were already sold out for March the following year. The rest of the summer through Labor Day can be equally busy, particularly on weekends. Even after Labor Day there will be a few time slots sold out each day, but you can get a ticket at the box office as long as you have some leeway in your schedule. Unless you simply have no choice, just pay the $5 and get your tickets online in advance.

On any given day, certain tour times may be blocked out completely, or certain venues may be closed due to performances, rehearsals, or other scheduled events. When purchasing tickets online, it is very clear what venues will be open for each time slot. Even if you plan to get a ticket at the box office, it is still advisable to check the website to see what venues will be open on the day you plan to visit.

Instead of walking through the venues completely on your own, you have the option of renting an Acoustiguide for a small fee ($5 at the time of this writing). This is an audio device that takes the place of an actual tour guide, and it has a separate tour for adults and children. Stops are located at key exhibits throughout Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site. Instead of reading the information about the exhibits, you can listen to information about them, and most people find listening to be more interesting than reading. I highly suggest renting an Acoutiguide, and this can be done while obtaining tickets online or at the box office.

Sasha listening to her Acoustigude at Ford’s Theatre National Historic Site

Another add-on is the performance of a 40-minute one-act play entitled One Destiny. Shows are held from mid-March through early July. I was not able to see the play during either of my three visits due to scheduling and thus cannot comment on it, but it has been running for years, and most reviews are positive. As with the Acoustiguide, there is a small charge for a ticket, and you can pay for it online.

On a busy day there will be a line—often a very long line—formed outside at the entrance to the box office. A theater employee or park Ranger will be on duty to handle crowd control. This line is for ticket holders, so do not get in it if you need to obtain a ticket at the box office. Also, before getting in line, ask the attendant what tour time is about to be let in. There is no need to stand in line for the 10 AM tour if you have a 10:30 AM ticket because you won’t get in. Being first or last in line makes no difference, as this is a museum, not a general admission concert where you must be first to get a good seat.

Start of the line to enter Ford’s Theatre in Washington, D. C.

If you need to buy a ticket at the box office, the attendant will let you in. You can also get inside to use the restroom and to get your Acoustiguide, though you must return back outside and stand in line once you pick it up.

During the off-season or on days when there is no crowd, there will not be a line or an attendant outside, so you can just walk into the box office lobby, ticket or no ticket. In fact, if you bought a ticket online for noon and find yourself at the theater at 10 AM, you most likely will be able to begin your tour, though this is up to the theater management. The exception is for those who have a ticket that includes a National Park Ranger Talk. Obviously, you must show up at the scheduled time to hear the talk.

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