A woman stands in the Ford’s Theatre balcony near the Presidential Box leading a guided tour for seven people who are seated.
Photo by Scott Suchman.

Historic Site Visit Guidelines

Open Daily; Advance Tickets Recommended

We have daily timed-entry every half hour from 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Monday – Sunday. The Theatre is not included in every ticket.

Advance tickets are recommended: We charge a $3.50 convenience fee ($3 for groups of 20 or more) to reserve tickets in advance. All patrons regardless of age must have a ticket.

Same-Day Tickets: A limited number of free same-day tickets are available at the Ford’s Theatre Box Office beginning at 8:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. Individuals are limited to six tickets per person for same-day tickets. During the busy tourist season (March-June), we often run out of same-day tickets by 9:00 a.m.

Arrival Time: Entry lines for ticket holders begin outside. We suggest arriving no more than 10 minutes in advance.

Audio Guides: Acoustiguide audio tours are available for the museum and theatre. $5.00. If you reserved an audio tour, please pick up your device at the box office before joining your line for entry.

Dress for the weather: Our entry lines begin outdoors year-round, so be sure to check the weather before you arrive.

Travel light: Ford’s Theatre does not have a coat check. For safety reasons, we do not permit luggage and oversized bags on site, nor do we offer storage locations.

Food and Drink: Ford’s Theatre permits only bottled water to be carried and consumed in our museum, theatre and exhibit spaces.

Strollers: Strollers have access to the museum, theatre and Aftermath Exhibits, but are not permitted inside the Petersen House.

Visitors in Costume: Ford’s Theatre does not permit third-party representation of historic figures in period clothing on site.

Weapons of any type are banned from the premises. The following items are also NOT PERMITTED at Ford’s Theatre.

  • tripods
  • monopods
  • guns
  • weapons
  • toy weapons
  • laser pointers
  • knives
  • pen knives
  • pets
  • food and drinks (bottled water is allowed)
  • scissors
  • aerosol cans, including pepper spray and Mace
  • tools
  • smoking
  • placards, signs or banners