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Fallingwater

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Guide To Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Masterpiece

“No house should ever be on a hill or on anything. It should be of the hill. Belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for it.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

Here’s my complete guide to visiting Fallingwater, a new Frank Lloyd Wright UNESCO site in Pennsylvania. Fallingwater is nestled in a bucolic setting, atop a cascading waterfall It’s the apotheosis of Wright’s long lasting obsession with nature and a must see architectural site in the US.

Fallingwater is likely the most significant building of the 20th century. Ask most people to name an American architect, and Wright’s the name you’ll get. And I give you an overview of the life of this architectural visionary.

On July 7, 2019, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee officially inscribed The 20th Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright , to its UNESCO World Heritage List. The designation includes Fallingwater and seven other Frank Lloyd Wright sites.

With a spanking new UNESCO site not far from my home in Pittsburgh, I booked a ticket online and jumped in the car.

Iconoclast Frank LLoyd Wright didn’t come quietly to the architectural world. He conquered it almost overnight.

Within a decade of practice, he had transformed American residential design. Over a 70 year career, he became our most treasured architect. Wright never retired; he called it a “murderous custom.” He led a long and colorful life, dying at age 91 in 1959.

A Short Biography of Frank LLoyd Wright

To understand the architecture, you have to understand the artist. I give you an overview of Wright’s life, career, and the Fallingwater commission.

1. Early Life

Wright was born in on June 8, 1867 in Richland Center Wisconsin of Welsh stock. He was the product of an overbearing mother, Anna LLoyd-Jones, who determined from the cradle that he’d be an architect. She decorated his nursery with prints of Gothic cathedrals.

His father William was no better a parent. He was a charming and proselytizing minister and musician who was disastrous with financial matters, a habit that Wright would inherit. William abandoned the family in 1884, another habit that Wright would inherit.

In 1886, Wright enrolled in the University of Wisconsin, Madison to study civil engineering. He lasted less than two years. Bored, Wright dropped out in 1887 and moved to Chicago. He became a draftsman, eventually landing at a prominent Chicago architectural firm, Adler & Sullivan.

In 1889, Wright married Catherine (“Kitty”) Tobin. In 1893,Wright was fired from Adler & Sullivan for moonlighting. He launched his private practice with 25 designs under his belt.

He built their family home in the Chicago suburb of Oak Park with borrowed funds. The Wrights became notorious for running up bills that they either wouldn’t, or couldn’t, pay. Like his father, Wright tried to survive on charm.

Wright received instant attention and success in his 20s and 30s for his original architecture and radical innovations. He was a prominent Chicago figure by 1900.

2. Invention of the Prairie House

Wright’s fame was kickstarted by a magazine article that announced the invention of the “prairie house.” It was hailed as a new form of family living, a “functional and aesthetic breakthrough.”

Wright grandiloquently dubbed his new aesthetic “Organic Architecture.” By this, Wright meant that his buildings adhered not to the laws of man, but to the laws of nature. The ideal building used indigenous materials and was tied to the native landscape. Wright proclaimed, “I believe in God, only I spell it Nature.”

His prairie homes from 1900 to the 1920s were distinctive. They “hugged the earth” and featured low lying horizontal planes, walls of glass (called “light screens”), cantilevered roofs and terraces, and free flowing interior spaces.

The prairie house had a heightened sense of space and light. Wright essentially wanted to abolish the cookie cutter “box” and replace it with an open “transcendental” design.

3. Wright’s Rocky Mid Life Crisis

I hate to tell you this folks, but, like many artists , Frank Lloyd Wright had a dark side. I’ve written about him at length here . Clad in a wide brimmed hat and red-lined cape, he was premeditatedly flamboyant and an unlikeable character. He had a narcissistic temperament and a massive ego.

Wright was an architectural wunderkind, but a rather wretched person. Architect Philip Johnson once complained that Wright thought he was “born full-blown from the head of Zeus.” I have a special allergy to this type of fabulist.

In 1907, tiring of domestic life, Wright began a torrid affair with a client’s wife, Mamah Borthwick Cheney (pronounced “May-mah”). Mamah was a highly educated intellectual, fluent in several languages, and a feminist — an appealing trifecta for Wright who seemed to need a challenging woman by his side. Mamah, in turn, became obsessed with a vibrant man who was reinventing architecture.

In 1909, Wright claimed that his conventional life situation in Oak Park was “discordant” and that his wife Kitty was a dreadful “bore.” One biographer speculates that he was having a nervous breakdown. At a minimum, it was a serious mid-life crisis.

At the height of success at age 42, Wright left it all behind. He abandoned Kitty, six children, and a thriving Chicago architectural practice. He fled to Europe with Mamah, tabloid style.

Wright later claimed that open adultery was somehow more “honest and true” than a clandestine affair. He thought his children were better off abandoned, so they could find their authentic path in life without his influence. In any event, Wright called his buildings his “real children.”

It all sounds very Ayn Rand-ish, to me — converting caddish behavior into a metaphysical ideal, to justify’s one’s selfish life choices.

In fact, Rand’s bestseller, the Fountainhead , was inspired by Wright’s florid 1932 autobiography. (An autobiography that was roundly criticized as full of “prodigious lies” and self mythologizing.) Rand’s protagonist Howard Roark is based on Wright, although Wright refused Rand’s requests for an interview.

4. Taliesin: Cursed Love Nest and Architecture School

In 1911, after almost two years abroad, Wright returned from Europe with Mamah. He began to build a new home, called Taliesin (“shining brow” in Welsh), in Spring Green Wisconsin. It was his love nest, his “hope and haven,” and a refuge from romantic scandal. Now it’s also a UNESCO site.

Unfortunately, the locals ostracized the pair. They didn’t approve of Wright’s open adultery. Tongues clicked and fingers wagged. Wright was peeved. He tried to justify his actions, saying “It is infinitely more difficult to live without rules. But that is what the really honest, sincere thinking man is compelled to do.”

Taliesin, like Wright, has its own sordid tale of woe, one which involves murder and mayhem . It’s a topic for another blog post. Suffice it to say, domestic bliss was short-lived. In 1914, Mamah and six others were murdered by a deranged ex-servant and Taliesin burned to the ground.

Wright was devastated, lamenting the loss after his five year “struggle for freedom.” And perhaps something in him died with Mamah. Wright set about rebuilding Taliesin, more elaborately than ever, to “wipe the scar from the hill.”

5. Love Life Detours

But Wright didn’t stay single long. He took up with a wealthy divorcee, Miriam Noel, after she sent steamy sympathy letters to him.

The artistic and cleverly styled Miriam was a wild departure from Wright’s first wife Kitty. Miriam was a fantasist and a clairvoyant. She called Wright the “Lord of my waking dreams.” After they married in 1923, Wright discovered she was also a morphine addict.

The marriage was short, brutal, and tumultuous. They separated after five months and agonizing divorce proceedings commenced. Miriam tormented and stalked Wright for years afterward.

Wife #3 was Olga Ivanova Lazovich, a dancer 30 years Wright’s junior. She moved into Taliesin in 1925 and they married in 1928. They got on famously, but had no money. Wright was a chronic spendthrift, perennially indifferent to money, and always lived above his means.

In 1932, Wright incorporated himself and launched a school of architecture at Taliesin, called the Taliesin Fellowship Foundation, to help pay the bills. 30 apprentices would pay tuition and follow Wright’s holistic daily routine. They not only took classes; they farmed Wright’s land for free. Wright called them “the fingers of my hand.”

It was here that Wright met Edgar Kaufman Jr., the son of Edgar and Liliane Kaufman.

6. The History of the Fallingwater Commission

Edgar Kaufman was the patriarch of a prominent Pittsburgh family. He owned an upscale department store downtown. He was nicknamed the “merchant prince.”

Kaufman’s son, Edgar Jr., had read Wright’s autobiography and was inspired. He went to study at Taliesin from 1933-34. In 1935, when his parents decided to build a weekend retreat away from Pittsburgh, he introduced them to Wright.

Wright didn’t build homes for just anybody, of course. No, he interviewed his clients to see if they were worthy of living in a Frank Lloyd Wright original design. The Kaufmans passed the test.

They commissioned Wright to build a summer home in Bear Run Pennsylvania. The family had long loved the verdant natural setting and surrounding waterfalls. Wright agreed to do what he loved best — build a house that celebrated the landscape.

Legend holds that, after procrastinating for nine months, he drew Fallingwater’s design in two hours. The idea of the three floor cantilever from a central core was inspired by pine branches. Wright’s design pushed the envelope, to say the least.

Not surprisingly, there were conflicts between Wright, the Kaufmans and the engineers on the project. The engineers were skeptical of the stability of Wright’s high risk design. They thought more steel was needed to support the poured concrete cantilevers. Wright insisted that architecture was “art” and “to hell” with the engineers’ advice.

Clients must have loathed Wright’s single minded taste for aesthetic purity over practicality. But Wright had a seductive ability to sweep others up in his vision. He also became adept at duping clients into paying more than they wanted.

The Kaufmans budgeted $20-30,000 for the Fallingwater project. It ended up costing $155,000, which converts to $2.7 million today. When queried about budget overruns, Wright cajolingly responded that, with a “few more thousand,” you’ll get what you “need.”

7. Fallingwater Revivifies Wright’s Career

The commission was a boon for Wright. Wright had fallen into obscurity in the preceding decades. This was due to a combination of factors: negative publicity from his personal scandals, the depression, and the rise of the international style championed by another egomaniac, Le Corbusier .

In 1938, a splashy Time magazine cover made Fallingwater instantly famous. Fallingwater put Wright back on the “who’s who of architecture” map and ensured his legacy.

After Fallingwater, Wright was prolific. In nine years, he completed more than one third of his total executed work, including the world famous Guggenheim Museum in New York with its time-continuum white spiraling staircase.

In 1955, Kaufman died and his son inherited the estate. In 1963, Edgar Jr. bequeathed Fallingwater to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in honor of his parents. In 1964, Fallingwater opened for public tours.

In 1966, Fallingwater was designated a National Historic Landmark. It’s been listed among the Smithsonian’s 28 Places To See Before You Die. In 1991, the American Institute of Architecture, voted Fallingwater the “best all time work of American Architecture” and Wright the “greatest American architect of all time.” In 2000, the AIA named Fallingwater “the Building of the Century.”

Now, Fallingwater is a UNESCO site.

A Tour of Fallingwater, A UNESCO Gem in Pennsylvania

Let’s take a tour of Fallingwater. Here’s what you need to know and see at Fallingwater.

1. Overview

Fallingwater is eye-grabbing and visually stunning. It’s a marriage of modern architecture and a wild landscape that blurs the line between the indoor and outdoor.

The Kaufmans expected their home to have a view of the 30 foot waterfall. Instead, Wright brilliantly sited Fallingwater on top of the waterfall and anchored it to a boulder, so it would emerge “like a plant from the earth.” From any room in the house, the Kaufmans could hear the falling water.

Listening to the sound of the crashing waterfall as you tour the house is an immersive, almost surreal experience. You can’t help but be enchanted and lulled into a relaxed state of mind. The experience was honestly better than I anticipated.

Fallingwater is 5330 square feet. Half of that footage is allotted to seven stacked concrete terraces, which jut out dramatically from the house’s core. The terraces are ochre colored, corresponding to the color of spent rhododendron leaves.

2. The First Floor

The interior feels like a forest, or possibly a treehouse. You begin on the first floor. It has an open floor plan that combines a living room, dining area, and kitchen. Walls of windows lead to broad decks.

The ceilings are low to put the emphasis on coziness and direct your gaze back to nature via the copious ribbon windows. But the ceiling levels change to give you the sensation that there are separate rooms. In the center, is a recessed skylight framed with beautiful woodwork.

The floors here and throughout the house are made of large slabs of local Pottsville sandstone. They’re polished to shine like the stones in the creek below.

There’s a fireplace, with a chimney that’s the highest point on the house’s exterior. The fireplace surround consists of boulder that was left intact to form the hearth. There’s a built in kettle, in Wright’s signature color Cherokee Red, that can swing over the fireplace to heat up liquids.

Unlike modern kitchens, the dining area and kitchen are surprisingly small and utilitarian. You can’t go in the kitchen, but you have a cordoned off glimpse. The Kaufmans likely didn’t care much about the kitchen, since they had a chef on site.

Wright designed virtually all of the Fallingwater furniture. He was “relentlessly dictatorial” about including furniture in his own design.

Much of the seating is built in. Wright called this style “client proof,” which meant that the clients couldn’t tinker with his decor or rearrange it. The furniture has simple clean lines, reflecting a Japanese aesthetic.

My favorite feature was the “hatch.” It consists of a sliding glass panel that opens to a staircase leading down to the stream below. It visually connects the living room to nature, echoing the flow of water over the falls.

You can’t descend the stairs, but you take a gander and admire the ingenuity of the design. The Kaufmans were initially skeptical about the feasibility and operability of the hatch. But, for Wright, it was a non-negotiable feature of the house.

There’s no air conditioning in the house. I imagined how refreshing it must have been for the Kaufmans to walks down the steps and dangle their feet in the water to cool off.

3. The Second and Third Floors

The second floor consists of the master bedroom, a dressing room/den for Mr. Kaufman, and a guest bedroom. There’s a Picasso in the master bedroom and a Diego Rivera painting in the guest bedroom.

The dressing room features outward swinging “cornerless” windows. The windows help break the “box” of the house and open it up to nature. The room’s woodwork is built directly into the stone walls. Wright was preoccupied with even the smallest of details.

Elongated terraces are daringly cantilevered off both bedrooms. The terraces are one of the most stunning features of the house. They’re supported by steel reinforced concrete.

The bathrooms are surprisingly modern. They don’t really look dated by today’s standards. But the toilets are only 10.5 inches high, another Wright eccentricity. The bathrooms walls and floors are tiled with cork, a soft warm material.

I took note of this feature. We’re currently embarking on a kitchen renovation in our arts and crafts (but not “prairie” style) home. Our architect, Jerry Morosco, a Taliesin student himself, recommended cork for the kitchen floor. Now I know why.

Fallingwater’s hallways are purposefully narrow. Wright wanted them to funnel you into the next room, which would then feel comparatively large. He liked to “compress and expand” a space. I think this tactic was, in part, psychological revenge against tall people.

The third floor was the warren of the Kaufmans’ son. It consists of a stairwell library, small den, which Edgar Jr. used as a drafting studio, and bedroom. The den also features the cornerless windows.

4. The Guest House

In 1940, the Kaufmans commissioned Wright to design a guest house to complement the existing structure.

A covered tiered passageway gently takes you from the main house to the guest house. En route, you’ll see a massive Buddha statue from 750 just casually nestled against a wall. And another Diego Rivera painting.

The guest house consists of a small living room, one bedroom, and a bathroom. Two twin beds are pushed together to form a queen bed, as was the fashion in those days. Apparently, guests never brought their children, who were conveniently “left home with the nanny.”

The guest house boasts an odd swimming pool. Liliane Wright had requested a lap pool. But Wright apparently wasn’t keen on a pool.

They compromised on something that today would be called a plunge pool. The pool is fed by a mountain stream. The temperature never exceeds a very brisk 55 degrees.

5. The Carport

Wright was the Marie Kondo of his time. He didn’t believe in “debilitating” clutter and basically only permitted things that “sparked joy.” In his world, garages, storages rooms, and garages were banished. He told his clients to throw their stuff away.

So the Kaufmans didn’t have a garage. (Or a basement.) Instead, Wright invented and coined the term “carport.” The trellises outside the carport are now covered with — oh the horror — non-native wisteria vines that must be constantly pruned back.

6. Preservation & Rescue of Fallingwater

Like many of Wright’s buildings, Fallingwater has required major intervention and preservation .

The frequent leaks, sags, and flaws of his buildings didn’t matter much to Wright. He thought they were the price you paid for the perfection of a cutting edge design. Buildings, like their architects, couldn’t escape “the mortgage of time.”

Wright also didn’t believe in “unnatural” devices in his homes, like window screens or blinds. But the Kaufmans themselves eventually had to install screens. It wasn’t just mosquitos they feared. They had a bat problem.

In 1980, Fallingwater’s windows were replaced. Originally, they were single paned and the glass provided the perfect optics. But to conserve the art collection, double paned windows with ultraviolet protection were installed.

In 2002, a major disaster loomed. The living room’s cantilever, on which the second floor terrace rests, was drooping due to gravity. Over time, it had dropped almost 7 inches from its original position. Turns out, the skeptical engineers were right about flaws in Wright’s original design.

Fallingwater was a folly in danger of falling down. The sagging masterpiece needed a boost.

It took two years to raise the $11.5 million needed for structural modifications. A post-tensioning cable system was employed, where high strength steel cables were first anchored into the concrete skeleton beneath the house and then tightened. Fallingwater’s terraces are now monitored on a semi-annual basis.

Practical Information & Tips for Visiting Fallingwater

Fallingwater is located in rural Pennsylvania, about 1.5 hours from Pittsburgh. Be forewarned, our GPS took us down a bumpy gravel road enroute. You can only visit by purchasing tickets in advance and visiting on a guided tour.

When you arrive, you give your name to the parking attendant, who will confirm your reservation. That person will let you through the gate. Park and walk up to the Visitors’ Center. You need to check in at the Information Desk in the center.

You’ll be given a number for your tour, which will last approximately one hour. Wait for your tour number to be called. If you’re early, there’s a museum cafe and a delightful museum shop at the visitors’ center.

As the website will tell you, you can’t take photos of the interior on the general tour for $30. You can only take photos on the more expensive tour at 8:00 and 8:45 am that costs $80. I must admit this price discrimination irked me, and I cheated just a little.

Many museums ban photos to enhance the museum experience or to ward off flash photography. Others don’t, of course. But to make photography dependent on relative wealth seemed wrong to me. Either ban it universally or allow it universally.

No drones or aerial photography are allowed on the grounds either.

One other thing for your mental checklist. The site is extremely strict about the size of your bag. Understandably, they don’t want you to accidentally bump into a priceless Tiffany vase or lamp accidentally.

No backpacks, large handbags, or tripods are permitted. I had a medium size handbag, but it ever so slightly exceeded the maximum 10 x 10 x 3 size, which I only learned about upon arrival.

So bring a small handbag or leave your bag in the car. I had to schlep mine back to my car. There are also lockers on the premises to store your things.

When the tour is over, head to the “Viewing Point” for your Instagram photos. A trail leads you to a bird’s eye view of the house across from Bear Run. This is the iconic shot you’re accustomed to seeing in photos of Fallingwater.

You can’t help but fall for Fallingwater. It’s a primal physical and spiritual experience. A staggeringly beautiful and reckless architectural jewel, perfectly at ease with its rhododendron dappled landscape.

It’s easy to enjoy. All you have to do is listen to “the music of the stream.”

Address : 1491 Mill Run Road, Mill Run, PA 15464

Hours : Tours run from March 9 through December 31, except Wednesdays

Entry Fee/Tickets : Tickets may be purchased in advance online or by calling Visitor Services at 724-329-8501.

Online tickets

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Last Updated on November 3, 2021 by Aamir Faiz

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Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpiece of organic architecture, is a place where human habitation and the natural world harmonize through art and design. During a Guided Architectural Tour led by a Fallingwater educator, walk the forested grounds and examine Fallingwater’s intimate relationship with the mountainous landscape that inspired its design. Then, explore the house from both the interior spaces and outdoor cantilevered terraces. Inside the living room, one of modern architecture’s most iconic spaces, experience Wright’s pioneering idea of “breaking the box” and see an exceptional collection of fine and decorative art as well as custom-made furniture designed by Wright specifically for Fallingwater. In addition to the guided architectural tour, specialty tours and self-guided or guided exterior tours, explore the beautiful forested landscape and extensive trails of the 5,100-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve. Enjoy chef-prepared lunch items and pastries made from locally sourced ingredients in the Fallingwater Café, then browse the Speyer Gallery and Fallingwater Museum Store. Guided tours are offered daily – except on Wednesdays – from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, March through November. Reservations are essential.

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*Do not pay for self-guided tour* - Fallingwater

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*Do not pay for self-guided tour*

Very disappointed with my experience at Fallingwater. Purchased “self-guided” tour tickets due to guided tour being being booked out 5+ weeks in advance. The main house and guest house interiors are not open to those on a self-guided tour, which was unfortunate but expected. There are no placards describing points of interest about the family or architecture. There is no option for a self-guided audio tour as is offered at other house museums (such as the cottages in Newport, RI). There is space to glance inside the house interiors, but no description of what guests are looking at. Came away from this experience feeling cheated out of $20, learning very little about the Kaufmann family and the architecture. Advice to guests: The guided tours are booked out 5+ weeks in advance, and are a non-negotiable for enjoying the experience at Fallingwater. Do yourself a favor and only come for a guided tour, which would be well worth the price. Advice to management: Do not sell self-guided “tours” that do not inform guests about the house, family, and grounds. Either eliminate this option or choose audio devices/placards to give guests an educational experience.

Second Frank Lloyd Wright home we saw today. It is truly a wonder. The views are amazing and the staff is very friendly and helpful. A must see if in the area.

I have wanted to see Fallingwater for many years, but until recently, have never had the opportunity. We were in Pittsburgh for a wedding, and I convinced my husband we should go see Fallingwater on our way home. He was a little reluctant, but I think he understood how important this was to me. The tour is about an hour, and headphones are included so that you can hear the guide even if they are farther away. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly, and answered a lot of our questions. The exteior of the home is very iconic, but seeing the interior put a completely new perspective on the property. The home is breathtaking and the interior and furnishings were beautiful. Two warnings - make sure you book your reservations early, and there is a lot of walking. My husband recently had hip surgery, and was a little slow walking, but we had plenty of time to catch up to the group. The stairs in the house are a little steep, but he was able to navigate them fairly well. He was also able to take a shuttle van back down from the top of the house to the visitors center. But if you are anywhere near Mill Run, Pennsylvania, make sure you see this masterpiece!

In addition to the iconic views of FLW’s masterpiece, the interiors were the outstanding surprise. I highly recommend taking the tour as that is the only way to see inside which is fully decorated in the period and has many of the original owners collection of original paintings, murals, and sculptures including artists such as Diego Rivera, Louis Tiffany, Pablo Picasso, etc. The guide did not point these out, part of the fun was to find them; however, a longer tour with more detailed information would have improved the experience.

In September 2021, we took an architectural day trip to Falling Water, Kentuck Knob, and Polymath Park. Here's our itinerary and hope it helps others! 8:30 AM - Arrive at Falling Water and check in. 9:00 AM - Tour starts of Falling Water with guide inside the house. 10:00 AM - Tour ends and walk outside around the house. 11:00 AM - Depart Falling Water and drive to Kentuck Knob 11:20 AM - Arrive at Kentuck Knob 12:30 PM - Tour starts at Kentuck Knob with guide inside the house 1:30 PM - Tour ends, walk outside around the house, and take shuttle back to visitor center / parking lot. 2:00 PM - Depart Kentuck Knob and drive to Polymath Park. 3:00 PM - Arrive at Polymath Park and tour with guide 3 houses: Duncan, Balter, and Mantyla. 4:00 PM - Tour ends and depart Polymath Park. Note: There was heavy rain at times and a lot of the streets don't have lights, so we tried to give as much time to drive between the 3 locations and didn't want to drive at night. We skipped lunch, had an early dinner, and got back at Starlight Bed and Breakfast (highly recommend) at 5 PM. We also had printed out paper directions with photos of street intersections.

If you’re debating a visit, hear me out. Disclaimer: I’m not much a fan of architecture, especially anything seemingly modern, but I do like history and nature. Still, I went to Fallingwater while visiting my mom and expected to be a bit bored but content. Dang— I was wrong. I was very pleasantly surprised to find the tour framing the home as a place that was lived in, then incorporating the family stories into the broader background of American history. The house gained relevance, rather than just being an interesting piece of art. Speaking of art— the artwork and books in this home are Treasures. The stuff of museums resides in these rooms and has been entrusted to the land’s conservatory. Lastly, our tour guide, Chad, was amazing. Of all the nature park/museum/memorial tours I’ve been on, this was the best guide I’ve had. So shoutout to Chad for his genuine enjoyment, vast knowledge, and good humor.

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• Service Animals at Fallingwater
• Exhibitions in the Speyer Gallery
• Installations at Fallingwater
• Dining: The Fallingwater Café
• Accessibility at Fallingwater
• The Barn at Fallingwater

17th Annual Fallingwater Twilight Tour

The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is now accepting reservations for the 17th annual Fallingwater Twilight Tour and Picnic Dinner. The event, sponsored by Huntington Bank, will be held on Saturday, August 25 at the world-renowned Frank Lloyd Wright house near Mill Run, Pa.

The Twilight Tour provides guests a unique opportunity to experience Fallingwater as the sun sets over the ridges of the Laurel Highlands. Guests will enjoy wine and hors d’oeuvres on the bridge outside the house and a leisurely, self-guided tour of the house. At twilight, a lantern-lit path will lead guests to a meadow, where they will enjoy live jazz featuring Roger Humphries and RH Factor while dining on a gourmet picnic dinner prepared by Fallingwater’s chef.

“The Fallingwater Twilight Tour and Dinner is a unique venue at one of the world’s extraordinary houses,” said Dave Hammer, president of Huntington Bank in the Pittsburgh Region. “Huntington is pleased to provide support for this event, and to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. All of us at Huntington applaud the Conservancy’s tireless efforts to protect our region’s natural places of exceptional value, for planning and maintaining over 140 local community gardens and of course, preserving Fallingwater and its setting.”

The Twilight Tour begins at 6:30 p.m. and the picnic and jazz performance starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by advance purchase only and are priced at $225 per person for non-members and $200 per person for members, $100 of which is tax-deductible.

Proceeds from the event support the ongoing preservation of Fallingwater, one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s most acclaimed works and “one of 12 landmarks that will change the way you see the world,” according to Travel + Leisure magazine.

Tickets may be purchased by calling Fallingwater at 724-329-8501 or by visiting https://fallingwater.org . If purchasing tickets online, please also email Katlyn Andyjohn, event coordinator, at [email protected] and let her know of any dietary restrictions. Lawn chairs and flashlights will be provided, courtesy of Huntington Bank.

About the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy: The Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) enhances the region’s quality of life by protecting and restoring exceptional places. A private nonprofit conservation organization founded in 1932, WPC has helped to establish ten state parks, conserved more than 232,000 acres of natural lands and protected or restored more than 1,500 miles of rivers and streams. The Conservancy owns and operates Fallingwater, which symbolizes people living in harmony with nature. In addition, WPC enriches our region’s cities and towns through 140 community gardens and greenspaces that are planted with the help of 13,000 volunteers. The work of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy is accomplished through the support of more than 11,000 members. For more information, visit WaterLandLife.org .

Media contact: Eric Sloss Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (412) 586-2358 [email protected]

Privacy Overview

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob

After visiting Frank Lloyd Wright’s home and studio in Chicago years ago, my husband and I had always planned to visit Fallingwater in Mill Run, Pennsylvania.  

This year we decided to take our daughters.  Fallingwater is exactly a 3-hour drive from our home in suburban Maryland .  My husband loves nature and hiking and I love art. 

Fallingwater would be the perfect marriage of our two passions.

Table of Contents

The History of Fallingwater

Fallingwater was the weekend home of Edgar Kaufmann, his wife Liliane, and their son Edgar Jr.  Edgar Sr. owned Kaufmann’s, a Pittsburgh department store.

Edgar Jr. was a student of Frank Lloyd Wright’s and his parents soon became friends with their son’s teacher. 

They commissioned the architect to set their home near a waterfall.  Imagine their surprise when the house was planned above the waterfall rather than facing it. 

Fallingwater would become Wright’s masterpiece and is the only major Wright residence on view with its original furnishings and artwork.  It was designed in 1936 and completed in 1939.  In 1963, Edgar Jr. entrusted the house to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Fallingwater Guided Tours

You can only view the house by taking a guided tour.  Fallingwater gets busy, especially on weekends, so it’s best to buy your tickets online in advance. 

We chose the regular one hour guided tour since our daughters are 11 and 15. Kids under 6 are not allowed on tours.

There is also a more in-depth two hour tour and a few other special tours including a family field trip. 

Self-Guided Tour

You can explore just the grounds for $16 a person but you won’t be able to see the house interior. 

This Grounds Pass gives you access the grounds of Fallingwater and exterior access.

If you do have kids under 6, they can come with you and they are free.

Make sure to download or pick-up a copy of the visitor guide which gives suggestions for where to walk and explore.

Note :  Children 6 and over are welcome on the regular tour and children 9 and over are allowed on special tours.  No large bags or purses are allowed inside the house and interior photography is prohibited on regular tours.

Family Field Trip Tours

If you have kids under 6 and still want a guided tour, you’ll want to sign-up for the family field trip.

This tour is geared towards children and incorporates science, technology, art and history of Fallwater. This tour also hs more activities to keep the kids engaged and they will leave with a sourvenir bag as well.

When You Arrive

As you enter the Fallingwater complex, you will show your tickets at the gatehouse. 

From there, park the car and head over to the Visitor Center.  Arrive for your tour at least 15 minutes early.  Your group number will be called.  A tour guide will direct your group to walk a quarter of a mile past two cutting gardens to the bridge right before Fallingwater where you will be met by another tour guide.

What to Expect

It was love at first sight for my younger daughter. Upon entering the house she exclaimed “I can’t even imagine living in a house like this” and “I’d love to live here.” 

The first room is the living room, which has panoramic windows, a built-in couch, and even a hatch with steps so that the Kaufmanns could dip their feet in the stream below. 

The ingenious dining room table could expand to serve 20 and a fireplace with a built-in red kettle was there for warming cider and wine. Fans are thoughtfully provided for visitors to cool off with as the house gets hotter with every level.

We proceeded upstairs to the second floor to see the guest bedroom and the two master bedrooms.  Every bedroom in the house has its own expansive terrace.  Edgar Jr. lived on the third floor of the house and had his own bedroom, den, and bathroom.  The third floor terrace features an herb garden.

Next, we walked up to the guest house through a canopy.  Apparently, when it rains, the canopy creates curtains of rain.  The swimming pool at the guest terrace was Mrs. Kaufman’s favorite spot. 

The final stop on the tour is the carport, where you watch a short video about the house and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 

The Tour Guide

Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and kid-friendly.  She gave information about Wright’s design principles and the materials used in building the house. 

When she noticed that my older daughter was wearing an Audubon T-shirt, she made sure to point out each of the five original Audubons. 

After The Tour

After the tour, we walked a quarter mile to “the view,” a fabulous vantage point where you can see how the house sits atop of the waterfall.  I would love to visit again and see this view in another season. 

This spot is the perfect photo opportunity but you have to go down steps to reach it. 

A handicapped accessible view is unfortunately not nearly as good. We would like to return when the rhododendrons are in bloom around July Fourth or when the wisteria  are in bloom around Mother’s Day .

Fallingwater is located on Bear Run Nature Preserve.  Nature trails connect to Fallingwater’s upper parking lot.  We did not have time to explore the preserve but information about its twenty miles of hiking trails is available online .

After the tour, we stayed and had lunch at the Café.  The food was a little pricey but surprisingly good and nutritious.  You are afterall paying for a mix of convenience and food quality. Fresh herbs from the terrace are used to season the food. 

If you don’t want to spend as much on the kid’s meals, order a soup, hot dog or pepperoni roll for them. If your children like mine are slow eaters, you can read the substantial signage about the Kaufmann family, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Fallingwater.

The Gift Shop

The gift shop has an extensive selection of children’s books, games, and crafts, as well as wide range of books and gifts for adults. 

The helpful Visitor Center has a number of brochures on local attractions, a binder with menus from area restaurants, and giveaway directions to other attractions including Kentuck Knob.

Visiting Kentuck Knob

If you are short on time, just visit Fallingwater.  However, Kentuck Knob , another Frank Lloyd Wright house, is a mere seven miles away in Chalk Hill, PA and well worth a visit. 

This smaller one-story Usonian (affordable) home, built from 1954-56 is actually a more typical Wright-designed residence.

I.N. and Bernardine Hagan owned a dairy and were friends with the Kaufmanns.  The Hagans fell in love with Fallingwater and commissioned their own house by Wright.  Kentuck Knob looks like a ship’s prow emerging from a hill.

Kentuck Knob Tours

Regular tours (30-40 minutes) for ages 6 and up can be booked in advance at the Fallingwater website.  For more specialized tours go online .  Plan to arrive 15 minutes in advance. 

First go to the visitor center.  When your tour is called, you will take the shuttle bus up the hill.  Your driver will tell you a little background information about the house. 

After the drive, you will be met by a guide in the house’s courtyard.  She explained that the house plan is based on a hexagon and that shape is repeated throughout the house.

The living room of the house has a large panoramic window and another invisible window that links the outdoors to the indoors.  The living room contains built-in furniture by Wright and a collection of chairs designed by him for other properties.

The dining room is an extension of the long beautiful terrace.  The 1950’s style kitchen has fun flip down burners and a large Westinghouse oven.   The house has three bedrooms.  Viewing both houses reinforces your knowledge of Wright’s design principles such as his love of organic architecture, narrow hallways, expansive living areas, and plenty of windows. 

Please note : no large bags or purses are permitted inside Kentuck Knob and interior photography is prohibited.

Kentuck Knob is privately owned by Peter Palumbo of London, England. The Palumbo family visit Kentuck Knob annually, but do not stay within the house.  Children will be intrigued by the family’s collections on display in the rooms.

The Exterior

A short walk outside gives you a spectacular view of the Youghioghney River Gorge.

We could have taken a 20 minute walk back to the visitor center but we chose to take the shuttle bus back.

The greenhouse, site of the Visitor Center, gift shop, and café, once belonged to Fallingwater.

An outdoor sculpture garden has an eclectic collection with two 1902 British postal boxes, architectural birdhouses, and a giant apple core by Claus Oldenburg., and  other sculptures by contemporary artists. 

Allow at least two hours for Kentuck Knob.  Our older daughter described the day as “very fun and very busy.”  Little did she know that there was much more to come.

The Gift Shop & Café

The gift shop has a large selection of books, some kids stuff, and some fun, quirky housewares and kitchen gadgets.  At the adjoining café you can get a sandwich, drink, and scoop of ice cream. 

The café cleverly features Hagan brand ice cream.  Visitors can put together the 500-piece Kentuck Knob jigsaw puzzle in the café.

Like the Visitor Center at Fallingwater, the café boasts a number of brochures and handy direction cards to nearby attractions.

Other Area Attractions

We returned to Ohiopyle, a town right between Fallingwater and Kentuck Knob just in time for the last half hour of the Music in the Mountains Festival . 

We enjoyed live music and saw exhibits on Native Americans, animal pelts, and dying and spinning.  My younger daughter got to try out walking on stilts. 

The natural slides in the river looked very enticing, but it was almost time for dinner.  Afterwards we headed to Nemacolin for dinner.

Once at Nemacolin, we followed the signs to the animal habitats . We saw a tiger, white lion, some goats, and black bears.  We missed the zebras and buffalo and the petting zoo.

Across from the animal enclosures is a playground for young children.  We then parked near the entrance of the property and then made our long and winding trip through the main building to the Tavern. 

Along the way, we saw the library with its incredible collection of Tiffany lamps, the 1950’s style pizza and ice cream parlor with outfits worn by Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley, a fortune telling machine (doesn’t give you cards), and a fossil and shell museum.

Thanks to the attractions of Nemacolin, we did not get home until 12:30 in the morning.

While my daughters had originally been reluctant to get up early for a long drive after a tiring week of school, they bought into the experience upon entering Fallingwater and all of us had a wonderful and educational day.

Good to Know Before You Go to Falling Water

• Arrive at least 20 minutes before your tour to give enough time for parking and check-in
• The tour includes 110 steps but did not feel vigorous at all. 
• Only at the carport is sitting allowed as all the other furniture is original.
• Both restrooms at the Visitor Center have changing tables. 
• A water fountain is outside. 
• There are no restrooms available on the grounds or in the house so visit the bathroom before any tour.

Good to Know Before You Go to Kentuck Knob

• Kentuck Knob hours are 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except Wednesdays when gates open at noon.

• The house is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day and January and February.
• A free standing building next to the parking lot has restrooms with no changing tables. 

Emma Williams

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18 Best Websites & Apps for Self Guided Tours

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Don’t like traveling in groups? Do you prefer to experience a destination on your own?

Discover the best apps and sites for self-guided tours and enjoy an interactive way to navigate through an attraction or a location while also getting the benefits of a traditional tour guide.

Pick your favorite provider and be your own tour guide for your next holiday. 🙂

Best Apps & Websites for Self Guided Tours

We hope you enjoyed our selection of self guided tours sites & apps. Don’t hesitate to comment below if you wish to recommend other providers.

Wishing you an excellent time and travel safe!! 🙂

Local Strolls: A self-guided walking tour of Georgetown, Washington, DC

Apr 27, 2024 • 4 min read

Follow this writer's favorite walking route through Georgetown, Washington, DC © DenisTangneyJr / Getty Images

Delve into Local Strolls, a series where writers reveal their favorite walks in their hometowns. Each route offers a snapshot of urban life, guiding you to lesser-known attractions and cherished local spots. Here, Alexa Moore takes us on a two-mile-long amble through the historic streets of Georgetown, Washington, DC.

Washington, DC , is not simply cherry blossoms and politics. It's a city with complex and diverse stories, expertly dissected into four quadrants: Northwest, Northeast, Southwest and Southeast, and at the center of it all lies the US Capitol . DC's oldest stories hide amongst the historic streets of Georgetown, in DC's Northwest. US presidents and Hollywood stars like Elizabeth Taylor once called this place home. It was also home to an African-American community. Resident numbers have dwindled, but remnants like the First Baptist Church of Georgetown , founded by a former enslaved man, still stand firm. 

So, let's begin our walk.

Distance: Approx 2 miles Total walk time: 45 minutes at a leisurely pace

Any good stroll in DC must start with coffee. I'm the kind of gal who needs a little motivation to get my steps in, so I stop into Baked and Wired . The pink window panes beckon me into the split bakery and coffee shop. A dirty chai with house-made horchata is what I order – it's only 9am and I can't justify my usual red velvet cupcake this early in the day.

With long and slow strides, I stroll down picturesque Canal Street briefly. It's adjacent to the currently semi-barren C&O Canal , and the loveliest little brick houses juxtapose its dry, muddy banks. I resist the temptation to search for their property value on Zillow. 

I turn right to head up M St, Georgetown's famous shopping promenade. All the buildings are different hues, yet there's a subtle uniformity. The storefront windows are like portals into wild worlds of fashion I cannot afford. I pass the oldest unchanged structure in the city, the tan-colored relic aptly named the Old Stone House , built in 1765.

Approaching the intersection of M St and Wisconsin Ave, I meet my favorite golden-domed Neoclassical building. I adore how the dome's reflective golden hue brightens up Georgetown's streets. Built in the 1920s, it now operates as a PNC bank branch. My mind can't help but wonder how it shined in its heyday, so to Google I go. Turns out, even a century ago, it was still a bank , a reassuring reminder that while things evolve in the rest of DC and the wider world, things tend to stay the same in Georgetown.

I do a quick heel stretch before turning right and starting my ascent up Wisconsin Ave. If you continue this path, you'll eventually pass green areas like Book Hill Park and the Dumbarton Oaks Museum and Garden . However, on this particularly chilly (and lazy) spring day, I ditch my usual hike and swing left onto N St, gazing at the manicured gardens of homes and the ruby-red-brick sidewalks that lay below.

I find myself at 3260 N St, uncovering a slice of presidential (and very romantic) history. President John F Kennedy rented this home while running for Senate and met Jackie Onassis, the future First Lady, at a nearby Georgetown dinner party in 1952 .

Turning down 35th St, I arrive at Georgetown University's campus. I spot the controversial Transformers -decorated house and can't help but giggle. The burly machines juxtapose the manicured brick facade, and the "Robots in Disguise" are the stars of an ongoing legal battle between the homeowner and the city on whether the statues can stay.

I'm searching for something I haven't seen before – the infamous steps used in the climactic ending of the 1973 film The Exorcist . They're steep. There's something a bit eerie about this tucked-away staircase, so I use the handrails and focus carefully as I descend.

I continue this journey down through the Francis Scott Key Memorial Park , cross the Alexandria Aqueduct Bridge , and eventually find my way back to the C&O Canal Towpath . What a difference a few blocks make, as this side boasts mossy-green grass and pools of water reflecting the fluffy clouds above.

Finally, I head towards the river and my favorite sitting spot at the Georgetown Waterfront Park . I end my nearly two-mile saunter on a bench near the twisting path of the park's Labyrinth , a bit regretful that I didn't buy that red velvet cupcake after all.

Keep planning your trip to Washington, DC:

Explore  these top neighborhoods  after your stroll through Georgetown These experiences  should be on your DC itinerary  Find the  best times to visit Getting around DC is easier than you think –  here's how  

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‘Forbidden Broadway’ Scraps Summer Broadway Run, Citing Crowded Season

The parody show was scheduled to begin performances in July at the Helen Hayes Theater.

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By Michael Paulson

In a sign that there are not enough investors and ticket buyers to sustain all of the Broadway shows now onstage and in the works, the producers of “Forbidden Broadway” said Friday that they were canceling a planned summer run.

The scrapped production, “ Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song ,” was announced in February and was to be the first Broadway venture for the satirical revue, which has been performed periodically since 1982, mostly Off Broadway but also on tour. The show, consisting of comedic sketches that parody Broadway hits (and misses), has been frequently rewritten to remain reasonably timely and topical; the Broadway run was to feature a number of Sondheim spoofs, reflecting the heightened interest in his work since his death.

In a statement, the producers, Ryan Bogner, Victoria Lang and Tracey Stroock McFarland , called the move a postponement, and cited the volume of offerings on Broadway — there are currently 36 shows running, 12 of which opened in a nine-day stretch before the Tony-eligibility season ended Thursday night.

“The Broadway landscape is enormously crowded at this moment,” the producers’ statement said, “and while we adore Forbidden Broadway, we are disappointed that the show will not open at the Hayes on Broadway this summer.”

The show, written by Gerard Alessandrini, was to begin previews July 15 and to open Aug. 5 at the Helen Hayes Theater, and was to be capitalized for $3.2 million, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is not clear if the producers had successfully raised all that money, and ticket sales, which began earlier this month, had been slow.

“Without getting into the details of the financials or sales, it is self evident by looking at the current offerings on Broadway and their sales that in this incredibly crowded environment without recent precedent, the title would not have been served by launching at this time,” the producers said in a written answer to questions about the show’s economics.

This is the second show to cancel a Broadway production this year; in February, the producers of a planned run of Rob Madge’s “My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?)” announced that they were postponing that production less than three weeks before previews were to begin.

As for Madge, the performer is planning to take “My Son’s a Queer” back to the Edinburgh Fringe, this summer . But first, next month Madge is planning a show in London, reflecting on the Broadway disappointment. The title, of course, is “ Regards to Broadway .”

Michael Paulson is the theater reporter for The Times. More about Michael Paulson