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    Farnsworth House Visitor Center

    4.3 (40 reviews)
    Closed 9:30 am - 4:00 pm

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    Emily R.

    My friend Angie and I loved our visit to Farnsworth. Luckily, we came when the house is decorated as Edith had it, with her (style of) furniture, with midcentury modern table settings, etc. The interior was just as photogenic as the exterior. Fall is a lovely time to visit. Even on a grey, overcast day the autumn leaves lit up the frames of my photos. If you come for the house tour in chilly weather you'll definitely want to bundle up, because there is a lot of time spent outside the house (on the porch, under the overhang) listening to the guide before he/she takes you in. Be sure to wear/bring socks, as you need to remove your shoes before entering the house. I also recommend watching the introductory video about Edith, her life, and about the home's construction before visiting. The house is quite far from Chicago but definitely worth the drive if you're into architecture, design, or MCM.

    Visitor center
    Ashley A.

    Over the 4th of July week my aunt and cousin were coming to town for a visit. My aunt is an architect and I've been wanting to take her to the Farnsworth House for a few years now (yes I've been wanting to go too). We finally had a day so I was going to set up a tour for myself, my dad, my aunt, and my cousin. I checked online and found I should call to make a reservation. I did so, easily, and $91 later we were booked. Two minutes later I see a Groupon deal that would've gotten all four of us in for $42. I called back and no, they wouldn't give me a refund. I was stuck paying double all because I didn't happen to see the Groupon deal 5 minutes earlier. So, moral of the story, always check Groupon first. I am still a little miffed that they wouldn't honor it for me. On our tour day we arrived at the visitor center, our GPS got us there a few blocks away from the actual entrance. Just follow the signs they have up. We arrived and the tour check in person really needs better personal skills. He was not friendly, asked me very condescendingly if I had printed off our tickets. No - my email specifically stated I didn't need to print them. He rolled his eyes at me and took care of it. I walked away a little annoyed. Another group of tour takers talked to me saying he did the same thing to them. I'm not crazy, he was rude and they felt the same way. FYI - BRING SOCKS. If you forget, don't buy the $5 pair of socks. They offer shoe covers for $0.50. Get those if you forget your socks. The sock requirement was hidden in my email and I feel they should be better about warning people. There were several people who overlooked this detail on our tour. I only read it when we were putting the info into our GPS, so we stopped at Walmart to buy socks. They have you watch an 8 minute video prior to the tour. After the video we headed out for the short walk to the house. It was a lovely walk on a mulch path - bring bug spray or use the ones they offer. We were SWARMED (mind you this was July right after a rain storm). They offer rides for people who can't or don't want to walk the whole way, but it was maybe a 5-10 minute walk. Stay on the path, there is poison ivy. The house itself was gorgeous and really quite interesting to see in person. Our tour guide was talking outside the house but alas, many on our tour were too busy shooing mosquitoes to listen to what he was saying. I loved hearing the history and details of the house and the property. Our tour guide really seemed to have a passion for his job and had a wealth of knowledge. He was friendly, answered questions, was polite, and was the nicest person I dealt with regarding our visit. You can buy a photo permit for inside the house for $10. I wouldn't suggest it unless you really want to. You can take photos of the outside all you want and since the house is glass, you can see the inside of the house from the outdoor pictures. Overall it was a great 2 hours on the property. - Wear/bring bug spray, sunscreen, & protective clothing - you know, be prepared - Bring socks - Be prepared to deal with a snooty check-in person - Buy on Groupon - Read all the plaques on the wall in the visitor center, super interesting info that they won't necessarily have time to cover in the tour - Enjoy this architectural gem in Plano

    The Farnsworth home
    Art J.

    Worth Seeing if you are into Modern 20th Century Architecture. Mies Van Der Rohe is a must see or bucket list since most people think or associate 20th Century Modern Architecture to Frank Lloyd Wright being so popular in College Art and Architecture class I remember but few ever go see Mies Van Der Rohes Architectural structures that he too contributed in Chicago and around the far countryside or suburbs of Illinois. One of them is the Farnsworth House in Plano, IL. This was called International Style. Similar to how FLW has Prairie Style Architecture. It is the stripping away of ornamental design and just the idea of Form Follows Function. Anyways, the best part now is that they allow you to also take pictures inside with the Furniture unlike when I went to FLW Falling Water house in Millsboro, PA where only the outside you can take pictures but NOT inside. Also if you got the money do check the gift shop too. Got a lot of unique and interesting souvenirs

    Farnsworth House front porch
    Greg J.

    I had never heard of the Farnsworth House until a recent trip to Chicagoland, when I picked up a travel catalog for the Aurora area at a hotel in which we were guests. We were looking for something 'different' to do on our way back home to Iowa, and settled on seeing something in the area. Farnworth House caught my eye, so we decided to make a visit. The cost seemed somewhat prohibitive, especially to someone who does not have much interest in architecture, save for the fact that I enjoy living with a roof over my head. My wife when looking up Farnsworth on her phone, spied a Groupon deal, which allowed 2 adults to enter for $21.00. She made reservations on her phone for the tour that was to begin in about 90 minutes, so after dining in Plano, we headed back out FH. (be aware that GPS directions will have you arriving at a location that is a few hundred yards west of the actual parking lot. Look for the larger roadside sign) The small visitor center/gift shop has a small theatre, with a short 8 minute introduction video. You will also be informed that shoes must be removed to walk inside the house, and that socks are the preferred method of foot covering. Make sure you sign and browse the Guest Book before you leave. The roster of guests during the week we visited included so many visitors from around the world - very impressive. A docent will then lead you down a winding path to the house. At the beginning of the trail there is a tree-mounted can of Mosquito repellent: use it. If you miss out, there is another one further ahead. Along the way your docent will give short talks with more information. The house itself, as you can see by photos is quite interesting. After a short talk, we followed our docent into the wonderfully air conditioned house. The history of the house will be discussed, and a thorough tour will be conducted. Time is allowed to take photos of the outside of the house. No actual interior photography is permitted. What a wonderful building with a very interesting history, well told by staff. I'd be interested in visiting again during autumn, or winter. They also have Moonlight Tours which sound very alluring. I would recommend FH as a nice stop when visiting the Chicagoland area. But I would not bring young children, they would not appreciate the site, and might be disruptive to the tour.

    confusing bc it says reg tour hours resume April 2nd, not closed until APRIL 2nd, then it lists hours making one think those are open hours.
    Celia T.

    To start we didn't actually get to see the house. This is a review based on the customer service. The day we wanted to go I called several times with no answer. On the website it listed the hours and then said "normal tour schedule begins April 2nd" , or something to that affect. It DID NOT say the house was closed. The website is extremely confusing. Hence why I called. There was no answer. We drove out only to arrive to an extremely rude front desk person. I don't know his name but he was a blond guy with glasses. He said it was closed and I politely told him that they may want to clarify that on the website because the website made it seem like it was open. He literally said "Well you just walked by a sign that said regular tours resume April 2nd", I told him yes but we just drove an hour to get here. He was very rude. Unprofessional.

    from the official website
    lauren p.

    How are there no other reviews of the Farnsworth House? I've lived in Chicago for 8 years and finally made the trip out to Plano yesterday. The husband is an architect, I have an art degree, so we both should have been there long before. For shame! The Farnsworth House is an architectural gem and a piece of history. Designed by Mies van der Rohe, this house in the woods is an icon of modern architecture. Even if you're not a fan of Mies's "black box" skyscrapers (as I am not), this gorgeous house will make you appreciate the technique and talent behind the buildings. Tours are around $20 per person, and your money goes to help with the preservation effort, which is considerable due to the house's placement on the banks of the Fox River, which apparently floods every 15 seconds. Tour guides are knowledgeable and passionate. While you are not allowed to take pictures inside the house, you're given time after the tour to take all the exterior photos you want. Also, you have to take your shoes off before entering the house, but clean socks are provided in case you didn't wear any.

    Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House IMG_2576
    Jeff S.

    I have wanted to go to Farnsworth House for years. It took my 8 year old son and his LEGO model of Farnsworth House to finally get me there this April on our spring beak. As for a rating, if you are an architecture buff, and you don't give this place a rating of a 5, you are nuts. But for non architects or someone who doesn't know Mies van der Rohe, it might seem like a lot of money to pay ($25 for adults) to visit and explore such a simple weekend cottage. And I can see this place getting anywhere from a 3 to a 5 rating depending on the knowledge the visitor brings to this place ahead of their tour. Its simplicity is its brilliance, its point, its absolute wonder. And if you have a guide as good as ours was, even those who are non architecture students / enthusiasts will come away understanding its significance and its elegant beauty. On this tour you will also learn about its faults, floods and the romantic interludes between the single female doctor who commissioned it and Mies van der Rohe. If you can, arrive at least 30 minutes early, and watch the film in the Visitors Center BEFORE heading down to the cottage. Also, if they will let you, check out the wardrobe that they have in its own building next to the Visitors Center, because seeing it BEFORE the tour will help you understand better how this weekend cottage was functionally used by Doctor Farnsworth after it was built. As I mentioned, I brought my 8 year old boy, who admittedly has developed a passion for architecture through his LEGO Architecture Series models. He loved this tour. He brought his LEGO model, and we took photos of it outside the house, and though it wasn't something we had arranged to happen, our guide was so impressed with his interest in the house that she let me take a photo of him with his model INSIDE the house. This is not something we expected at all. There is no photography on weekends in the house, and during the weekdays, only with a pre-arranged permit. Outdoor photos are enthusiastically encouraged on all tours. My 12 year old daughter found it fascinating enough too, so don't think of this as an adult trip only. If your children have been raised to appreciate such things, this is a magnificent day trip from the city. Combine it with a trip to Mies van der Rohe's Federal Plaza in downtown Chicago, and make a day of it. Finally, my only complaint, the east side of the house was being restored when we went on our trip this April, 2014. I would have liked to know that in advance, but they do not post this information on their website. I understand they need the dollars from all the visitors they can, even during restoration work, but not to get a sense of the glass opening to the outside on all four walls definitely took away from the experience, and it is why I have rated our trip a 4 instead of a 5. We hope to go back this fall when the leaves are at their peak and the work is done on that one area. Hopefully, then we can experience The Farnsworth House in all its splendor. This is an undervalued Chicago GEM. At least from those of us here in the area. On our tour, besides ourselves, only three others were locals. The rest of the 14 tour participants were all from abroad... Germany, Austria, China. Fans of van der Rohe REGULARLY come from across the globe to view this masterpiece. If you live in Chicago and have never been out here, you owe it to yourself to add this to your Chicago area cultural literacy with a visit. It really is a stunning bit of architecture that continues to inspire architects around the globe.

    Kymberly J.

    When I looked at the house on line I was wondering why this was so popular and why is this tiny house have its own tour? I came to this house via a Living Social Deal for $10. I would have never paid the $25 regular admission price. The tour was actually pretty cool. The volunteer guide takes the group through the forest to get to the house so the moments leading up to it are enjoyable too especially in the fall. Our guide really knew his stuff. He gave a lecture inside the house and out. There is a nice little history behind the house and its residents. No photography inside unless you pay for the photography permit. The permit only allows you 5-10 minutes of photog time at the end of the tour. After the tour you can go back to the welcome center and watch the PBS documentary.

    Looking North
    Angry A.

    What a wonderful example of modern architecture and right in our backyard. The story is intriguing, the guides are passionate, the site is fantastic and the building is something to behold. The tour are limited to 10 people and the guides go out of the way to make sure you get a great tour and they let you spend enough time in and around the building to really appreciate it. Kids have to be over 12 years old. Take note of the visitor's center. It's nicely done and detailed and compliments the house very well.

    South elevation
    Diane Y.

    MODERN ICON. By far my favorite Mies van der Rohe building in Chicago! Our group of 9 ordered tickets prior to arriving for the tour. The guide asked if anyone is planning to take photos of the interior because it's an additional $10. In my opinion, the interior shots are worth it! The furniture was also designed by Mies so the viewer can get a complete picture of how Mies intended for the home to feel. I learned so much about the history of the house, our tour guide was professional and approachable. We only walked through the South side, which is the most photographed elevation because the North side was wet and muddy. Be advised that each guest must wear socks because the guide will ask each person to remove her shoes prior to entering the interior. Bug wipes are sold for $1 at the visitor center because the location of the Farnsworth House attracts a lot of little crawly creatures. Buy the wipes! I did not because I was wearing pants and a long sleeve, but that was a mistake. I got bites on my ankles and fingers! Hydrocortisone has cost me more than the $1 bug wipes.

    Wardrobe room
    Sandy K.

    Enjoyed our visit today. Honestly we were skeptical that this was one ind the top attractions in Illinois. We were presently surprised. Suffice it to say we are talking about a visit in fall and then another trip in snowy winter.

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    Ask the Community - Farnsworth House Visitor Center

    Review Highlights - Farnsworth House Visitor Center

    This attraction would probably mean little to those who are not architects nor design geeks/fans of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

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    Farnsworth House Visitor Center - visitorcenters - Updated June 2026

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