harry s truman national historic site

First, purchase your $5 admission ticket at the NPS office a few blocks away in downtown Independence. Parking at the house is on-street only. Tour groups are kept to a small number, i believe 6 to 8 per group. An NPS guide meets you at the home to begin your tour. You begin the tour through the back of the house, entering via the porch and kitchen. (a few steps up) The house and all of its belongings were owned by the Truman's and for the most part in place as to where the Truman's would have put them. They lived at this property both pre and post presidential service. The tour continues into the foyer area where you can view the living room and piano room. The upper level of the home is not open to tourists. You exit via the front of the house. There are a few steps down.The NPS guide had a wealth of Truman information as well as a lot of presidential historical knowledge in his head. This is a great tour and an interesting walk through a president's home. No photography allowed inside the house. The tour was about 30 minutes. There are no washrooms on site but the NPS owns a building across the street that has washrooms and historical displays. Check with NPS as to whether or not this property is wheelchair accessible.

This is a great tour of President Harry S Truman and his wife Bess's family home. The house was their home away from the White House and the home they came back to after Truman's time as President of the United States. In the house there are the items that actually belonged to the president and his wife. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave a good amount of history about the house, grounds and the family. It is only $5.00 to take the tour and well worth it. You have to purchase the tickets at the NPS office a few blocks away from the home, so be sure to do that before the tour begins. While going through the home it truly feels like a walk through time and history. If you enjoy history or just a look at how life used to be, it is well worth the stop. You will not be disappointed. There are several other Harry S Truman historical sites very close to this home in Independence Mo. If you have a few hours or a full day it would be well worth your time to visit them and enjoy a bit of American history and the history of an American President.

A nice tour of Harry and Bess Truman's house pre and post White House. The NPS tour guide was excellent (buy your ticket at the NPS office in town). The house is exactly as it was when the Trumans lived there. There are no replicas or reproductions here. It was nice to see how Harry Truman was just one of the people and did not let the Presidency change who he was. The tour lasted about a half hour.

Very nice tour. The guide was knowledgeable and very helpful. The history surrounding this place was relayed to us by our guide. Period furniture in the rooms really make you feel how it was when the Truman's lived there,

This was a great stop and a wealth of knowledge from the park rangers. The site is completely the way it was when Truman died. It is definitely worth the stop.

This is an excellent attraction for just a few dollars. You can see how Presidents lived in the not so distant past!!

The tour is well worth it, especially if you are into history. Nothing fancy, but you'll really get a good feel for how this humble man. He definitely was not a rich politician. Note, you must have a ticket for the house tour. Tickets are available at the National Park visitor center down the road from the house. Also visit the Noland House across the street from the Truman Home. Both the Noland House and the Visitor Center have displays. Don't be confused, this site is not connected to the Truman Library.

This site is in fact several structures. The main building is the Truman family home, actually originally the home of his wife's family, where he lived before and after his presidency. Bess Truman lived ten years after Harry, and the house is preserved much as it was the day she dies. Across the street is the Noland family home; Truman's cousins lived there and he met his future wife while visiting them. Some distance away is the farm on which Truman lived and worked as a young man; there's not much there but the house and it is only open during the summer months; skip it otherwise. These two homes help tell the story of the private life, courtship and marriage of an American president.

You don't even get to go upstairs. You follow each other in a line around the bottom floor. Historic yes, entertaining no.

Tour only costs $5. Wish we could have gone upstairs. Tour guide (ranger) was very knowledgeable about the Trumans and we enjoyed seeing the house exactly as it was the day Bess Truman died. (Harry died about 10 years before her.). Tour only lasts 30 minutes. Get your tickets at the National Park visitor center down the road from the house. Must have a ticket for the tour. You can watch a short video about the Trumans at the visitors center. If you need to kill some more time before the tour visit the Noland House across the street from the Truman home. There are more displays set up there.

The knowledge of our tour guide was tremendous but disappointed that we couldn't go into many of the rooms to get a closer look at pictures/murals on the walls and other historic items located in each room. Tour could have been so much more!

This was a very interesting look at what the Trumans home life was like. The guide said the home and furnishings are as it would have been when Harry and Bess lived here after the White House years. You can see Harrys last auto in the garage that he purchased the last year of his life green 1972 Chrysler

plain, simple, comfortable, no pretentions what-so-ever. I heard another visitor say it was like visiting the house of your grandparents and not that of the 33rd president. Despite the fact that Bess Truman lived there for many years after Harry died very little was changed to the point where you almost expect him to walk in the back door, hang up his cane, hat & coat (which are still on hooks by the back door), shout to Bess that he is home, ask what is for dinner, and want to discuss the current state of the world as he found out fr/ the five newspapers he read daily. Our NPS ranger, Norman, delighted in telling stories of the Trumans and has been at the house long enough he has tales fr/ many who knew them well. Start at the visitors' center just off the square d/t for a short film on Truman's life in Independence and to see some of the mementoes not at the library and to make reservations to tour the home. (A suggestion: if you have time before you go read David McCullough's excellent biography "Truman".)

We were so impressed with the simple home Truman lived out his last years in and how he just wanted to return to his hometown and be a normal citizen, not realizing this could never be. He soon discovered he couldn’t even go out for a short walk without attracting an adoring crowd demanding autographs and his attention. Harry Truman, although he had plenty of money, never wanted to change the house or his simple life-style, even though he was so famous and a recognized world leader. He was a humble man to the end and the home shows it.

First of all go to the Visitor Center to get tickets for the house. The visitor center is about a half mile from the house. At the visitor center you can enjoy a movie on the Truman's life, and see some fun memorabilia such as the ties and bow ties he is famous for wearing. The house tour was very interesting even though it is limited to just the first floor. I wish we had time for the Library and Museum but off we go tomorrow to see everything Eisenhower in Abilene.