As soon as we heard we would be traveling to Pittsburgh for a family event, Rich and I knew we wanted to visit FallingWater, the spectacular Frank Lloyd Wright home in rural Western Pennsylvania. But did we dare bring our 8YO along to look at a house—even a house that is considered a masterpiece?
Our 8YO was a pretty good kid, and is generally willing to go along with things, even if they didn’t thrill her. So we booked our tickets and went for it.
It was worth it! The house is as amazing as it’s reputed to be. The tour is very well done, and our kid made it through pretty easily, even if it wasn’t her favorite activity that weekend.
Here’s what to expect and what I recommend if you want to visit the house with your family.
Tip: You can visit FallingWater and another Wright home, Kentucky Knob, as a side trip from Nemacolin Resort in the Laurel Highlands, too.
• Gettysburg, PA is an ideal stop for breaking up a drive through Pennsylvania.
A Guide To Visiting FallingWater With Kids
Here’s What Our Kid Thought
And Tiny Traveler liked FallingWater more than we thought she would. Houses are places where people live. Kids can relate to the idea of a home and have some context for evaluating one versus another.
A lot of the tour deals with how Wright made use of shapes and space and light, which she was able to understand a little from her art classes at school. She was also interested in what the different rooms looked like and why.
She had opinions about what she saw, and she liked the views from the house’s many terraces.
What to Expect On The Tour
The tour was longer than we expected, nearly two hours, and we were standing throughout. Despite the large size of the house, the rooms and passageways are compact.
Teens with any interest in architecture, design or engineering would get a lot out of the tour. Other kids 8YO and up should like the same aspects that appealed to our child.
Not surprisingly, they don’t allow kids younger than 6 —including babies in carriers. They offer private exterior-only tours for families with kids under 6 for a slightly discounted price. I’m sure they’re well done, but I think if you drive a long way to get there you’ll want to see the inside of the house.
They used to set aside some of their weekend tours as abbreviated family tours. But the house has just reopened after being closed for preservation work that is winding down, and they don’t offer them currently. Hopefully they’ll bring them back when the house is fully back to normal.
Before You Start Your Tour
Before leaving Pittsburgh for FallingWater we let Tiny Traveler run around a playground for an hour. Getting some ya-yas out definitely helped her to behave during the tour.
When we got there, we discovered the property has a lot of woods and hiking trails. If you have kids who are too young to see the inside of the house or who will want to run off their own extra energy before your tour starts, consider arriving early enough to explore the woods a bit.
It goes without saying that you can’t eat in the house. Having a snack while waiting for your tour to start will also help kids to keep it together during the tour.
Know Your Kids
All that said, the regular tours are almost $40 per person over 6YO. And if a child were to start getting fidgety or boisterous, I’m almost certain they would ask you to step outside with him or her and you’d miss part of the tour.
So, as with many things, you have to know your kid. If you really doubt their ability to behave for the length of even a shorter family tour, wait until they’re older. Or make it a couple-weekend activity.
You can buy a grounds pass without the house tour. It provides access to the hiking trails, shop and café. And you’ll find nice, photo-ready views of FallingWater from the outside. So that’s an option, too.
Lunch Options at Falling Water
Our tour finished in time for us to be hungry for lunch. The Café onsite was surprisingly good, which is handy since there’s nothing else around.
Tiny Traveler got a kids’ meal that included a hot dog, apple and fountain drink. Rich and shared an order of pork tacos that were made to order and well-seasoned. They came with a side of crunchy coleslaw. The small outdoor tables have a nice woodsy setting.
I didn’t look into picnicking because it wasn’t an option for us. But I think if you chose to BYO you could find a place to sit and eat.
If you are continuing to Kentucky Knob, the town of Ohiopyle is on the way and has a handful of eateries. But the highway back to New York is in the opposite direction.
Getting There & Exploring The Area
FallingWater is about 90 minutes southeast of Pittsburgh. Heading from that city back to New York, Baltimore or Washington, DC, it will add about an hour of driving to your trip; not a bad detour.
Kentucky Knob is only ten minutes away. OhioPyle State Park lies between them with hiking and biking trails, fishing, kayaking and other river activities. You can bring bikes or rent them nearby to cycle the portion of the Great Allegheny Passageway that goes through the park.
It’s a 20-minute drive from Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, which is a treat to stay at. There are inns and small hotels in the area, too, if you want to spend a full day or so exploring the area.
A winding road: Be aware that there is no way to reach the house without driving on a very, very windy road. If your kids get car- sick, leave enough time to take this road slowly and pull over if you need go. Tiny Traveler, whose ears were clogged with allergies, was nauseous in both directions.
You don’t want to make your way to FallingWater and not be able to get on a tour. At any time of year, but especially in summer, make a reservation online six-to-eight weeks ahead of your trip to be sure of getting tickets.
Tip: If you book a guided tour from where you staying, be aware that they usually don’t include admission to the house.
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All photos by Eileen Gunn!© except where noted.