Ford's Theatre National Historic Site
District of Columbia
Tonight
🌗 46% moon
6.6 h fully dark
Crowds
low
Open today
Open
Theatre Hours: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Theatre Hours: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25
Entrance
$5
Ford's Theatre closed for Facility Upgrades June 3 - August 31, 2026
Ford's Theater and the Museum will temporarily close to public access on June 3, 2026, beginning at 9:00 a.m. The Theater will remain closed until July 31, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The museum will remain closed until August 15, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. The Petersen House, the Center of Experiential Learning, and the Atlantic Lobby will remain open to the public. National Park Service staff will be available at these locations to provide site tours and visitor information.
Official NPS alert →On April 14, 1865, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre. Discover how everyday people experienced a national tragedy and how we have remembered a fallen leader. Today, in partnership with Ford’s Theatre Society, live dramatic productions highlight Lincoln’s love of the theatre and the power of stories to connect us to ourselves and our history.
Entrance fees
$5.00 — Timed Entry Reservation - Location
Hours & seasons
Ford's Theatre National Historic Site is generally open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The box office opens daily at 8:30 a.m. for tickets and reservations. As Ford's is a working theatre, parts of the site, especially the theatre, may be closed or operating with modified hours. For the daily schedule of what is open, what can be included in your visit, and what tickets are available, please visit the Ford's Theatre Society calendar webpage.
⚠ Theatre Hours: closed Nov 26 – Nov 26; Theatre Hours: closed Dec 25 – Dec 25
Generally open:
winterspringsummerfallHours are reported by the park — verify before you go.
📞 202-426-6841
✉ fords_theatre@nps.govConditions
Quietest months (fewer crowds): Jan, Feb, Aug, Sep
Typical crowds: low
Weather now: ⛅ Partly cloudy, 90°F
☁️ 94°/77°
🌧️ 95°/75°
🌦️ 97°/73°
Typical monthly recreation visits · NPS avg 2023–2025 — orange months are the quietest by crowds.
Quietest months
Relative crowds by month — lighter is quieter; ringed months are the calmest by crowds.
Jan
20%
Feb
32%
Mar
89%
Apr
100%
May
99%
Jun
68%
Jul
60%
Aug
32%
Sep
29%
Oct
39%
Nov
37%
Dec
57%
Log a sky reading
Measured the sky with an SQM meter or app? Add your reading (16 = city glow … 22 = pristine). Opt in under “Travelers like you” to share it on the community leaderboard.
Things to do
Red Line - DC Metro · 1 mi
Orange Line - DC Metro · 1 mi
Explore Ford's Theater
Accessibility
2 audio-described place(s)
Reported by the park — verify before you go.
Not an official safety source — always defer to NPS.gov and rangers for life-safety decisions.
By the numbers
A visual read on Ford's Theatre National Historic Site — its character, trails, sky, and weather.
Park fingerprint
How this park scores across the dimensions travelers care about.
Trail difficulty
Difficulty mix across this park's trails.
3-day forecast
Daily high and low temperatures (°F).
People & stories
Figures tied to Ford's Theatre National Historic Site — each spans a cross-park journey.
Abraham Lincoln
— Civil War, Politicians Government Officials, UnionAlexander Stephens
— Georgia, American Civil War, Civil War Prisoner Of War CampsJohn Wilkes Booth
— Civil WarLew Wallace
— MilitarySamuel Mudd
— Civil War, Medical History, Lincoln AssassinationWilliam H Seward
— Maryland Campaign, Harriet Tubman, Harriet Tubman National Historical ParkPlaces to see
Ford's Theatre
audio
Petersen House
audioAudio & media
🎧
🎬
🖼
Learn more
In his Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865, a re-elected President Abraham Lincoln wanted to unify a broken nation. With the end of the Civil War within sight, many people on both sides felt anger and frustration toward their fellow Americans. Lincoln attempted to rise above the divisiveness and start the process of healing. Heralded as one of the most significant presidential speeches in American history, its meaning and eloquence still resonate with people today.
The beige women’s wardrobe is one of the most misunderstood National Park Service (NPS) uniforms. It’s also the uniform that usually gets the most attention—despite being worn for only three years. Many incorrectly believe it dates to the 1960s and featured miniskirts and go-go boots. The fact that it is the one least like the standard green ranger uniform wasn’t an accident.
No president up to that point in American history was called on to be commander-in-chief like Abraham Lincoln. From monitoring the War Department telegraph office to selecting of commanding generals and developing military strategy, Lincoln guided the nation through its darkest hour.
Andrew Johnson Inauguration
In the hearts of Washingtonians, April 16 is Emancipation Day, a landmark date in the city's history. In a gruesome irony, the nation's capital, symbol of a nation founded on liberty and equality, also became home to a thriving trade in enslaved people. It was not until 1862 that Congress passed a law ending slavery in the District of Columbia. That law, signed by President Abraham Lincoln, has become an integral part of the city’s heritage.
Colonel Almon Rockwell and James A. Garfield were lifelong friends who met at the Western Reserve Eclectic Institute. They were in the Civil War together and Almon was at President Garfield's bed side after he was shot by an assassin. Learn more about Colonel Rockwell and the friendship he had with President Garfield.
This finding aid describes the Harry T. Thompson Collection, part of the National Capital Regional Office Museum Collection.
This finding aid describes the Vera B. Craig Papers, part of the NPS History Collection.
How Ford's Theatre National Historic Site connects
This park's activities, topics, location, and on-the-ground places — one hop in the graph. Drag to explore; click an activity, topic, or related park to follow it.
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