On the night of April 14, 1865 — just five days after the Civil War effectively ended at Appomattox — President Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford’s Theatre, a short walk from the White House. If you’re planning a Lincoln assassination tour in Washington, DC, you’re in luck: nearly every major site connected to that night still stands, and they’re all within a few blocks of each other downtown. Here’s the story, the stops, and the practical details you need to plan your visit.
The Story Behind the Sites
It was Good Friday, and the capital was still celebrating the news from Appomattox. Lincoln and his wife Mary arrived at Ford’s Theatre around 8:30 p.m. for a comedy called Our American Cousin. At roughly 10:15, the actor John Wilkes Booth slipped into the presidential box, shot the President, and leapt to the stage before escaping out the back door to a waiting horse. Lincoln was carried across the street to a boarding house, where he died at 7:22 the next morning. Within twelve days Booth was cornered and killed in Virginia, and the largest manhunt in American history to that point came to an end.
What makes this story so powerful to walk through in person is how compact it all is. In two hours on foot you can stand in every place that mattered that night.
The Key Stops on the Route
Ford’s Theatre — 511 10th Street NW
Still a working theatre today, Ford’s is the heart of any visit. The site includes the restored theatre itself — where you can see the flag-draped presidential box — and a museum beneath it with original artifacts, including the derringer pistol Booth used. Rangers and staff give short talks in the theatre for most entries.
The Petersen House — “The House Where Lincoln Died”
Directly across 10th Street sits the modest rowhouse where soldiers carried the wounded President. The back bedroom where Lincoln died is preserved, and the adjoining Aftermath Exhibits trace the funeral train, the manhunt for Booth, and the trial of the conspirators.
Baptist Alley and the Escape Route
Behind the theatre runs the alley — nicknamed Baptist Alley because the building began life as a church — where Booth’s getaway horse waited. Standing there at dusk, it’s remarkably easy to picture the chaos of that night.
The Surratt Boarding House — 604 H Street NW
A five-minute walk into today’s Chinatown brings you to the boarding house where the conspirators met. It’s now a restaurant, marked only by a small plaque — one of those hidden-in-plain-sight DC details most visitors walk right past.
What to Expect on a Lincoln Assassination Tour
A good walking tour of the assassination sites covers about a mile at an easy pace and runs roughly two hours. Expect storytelling more than sightseeing: the power of these blocks comes from the narrative that connects them — the plot, the escape, the manhunt, and how a grieving country changed afterward. Comfortable shoes and a bottle of water in summer are all you really need. Evening tours have a special atmosphere, when the crowds thin out and 10th Street looks not so different from how it did in 1865.
Practical Tips for Visiting Ford’s Theatre
- Reserve timed-entry tickets ahead. Entry to the Ford’s Theatre historic site is by timed ticket, with entries every half hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s a small online reservation fee (about $5), and a limited number of free same-day tickets at the box office — but in summer, book ahead. Better yet: when you book a tour with us, we handle this part for you. We reserve Ford’s Theatre tickets far in advance, so your visit is completely hassle-free.
- Check the calendar before you go. Ford’s is an active theatre, so the historic site occasionally closes for rehearsals, matinees, or maintenance. The daily schedule on the Ford’s Theatre website tells you exactly what’s open.
- Getting there is easy. Metro Center (11th Street exit) is two blocks away, and Gallery Place–Chinatown is a short walk. Skip driving — parking near 10th Street is scarce and pricey.
- Go in the morning if you want the quietest experience in the theatre and museum, then walk the outdoor sites afterward.
- Allow 90 minutes to 2 hours for the theatre, museum, and Petersen House combined — more if you linger over the exhibits.
Walking It Yourself vs. Going with a Guide
You can absolutely visit these sites on your own, and we hope this guide helps you do it well. What a guide adds is the connective tissue: the eyewitness accounts, the what-ifs, the stories of the conspirators and the manhunt that don’t fit on a museum placard — told standing in the exact spots where they happened.
If you’d like to experience it that way, join our Lincoln Assassination Tour with Ford’s Theatre. We keep our groups small (never more than 12 guests) so you can hear every word, ask questions, and move at a human pace — and every booking comes with free cancellation, so you can plan your DC trip with confidence. We’d love to walk this story with you.