Patrick Henry's Scotchtown in
Beaverdam (VA)

Add this to your list of awesome to-dos in VA!! Our visit to Scotchtown was incredible!! The House Tour: Our tour guide, Miller, was extremely knowledgeable. I don’t want to spoil the tour for anyone, but he really did a great job showing us the passion Patrick Henry had for independence and liberty. I even teared up!! Miller answered all of our questions in a way that Wikipedia/ChatGPT/YouTube never could! I heard excellent things about the other tour guide as well! ? Grounds: The grounds featured an audio tour. It was so easy to dial the audio tour phone number, and I felt like that aspect of the tour was very senior-friendly. Very straightforward and not complicated. Value: The value of the ticket is incredible— we are so grateful that Preservation Virginia made this tour so affordable.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit . Tom was our tour guide and has expert knowledge of Patrick Henry, the Revolutionary War period in Virginia, and delivered an excellent recitation by memory of Patrick Henry’s famous “give me liberty or give me death” speech he gave in Richmond.

Definitely worth visiting. Patrick did an amazing job as a tour guide!

Visited with my son and daughter and we took a tour. The tour guide was great and very patient with my kids under 10. We learned a lot and the kids had a great time. This place is also beautiful with rich history .

What a wonderful place to visit! The site is extremely well-preserved and the tour was very informative. I highly recommend it!

Very interesting tour that is totally worth it if you are interested in Virginia/US history. Learned some things I didn't know about Patrick Henry and Scotchtown in general.

Miller did a good job on the tour but everything kept coming back to enslaved people. Didn't learn much about Patrick Henry but a revisionist historical view is pushed pretty heavily. Would have liked to learn more about the man but guess I will have to buy a book before the Woke period hit the museums. If people want those tours why not have separate tours?

My wife and I drove to Scotchtown after touring Monticello in Charlottesville. The house is a fascinating glimpse of 18th century life and our guide, Dawn, was superb. She explained the history of house and Henry’s career and peppered her presentation with interesting stories about Henry’s life.

From the moment we stepped into the gift shop, it was clear this wasn’t just a visit—it was an experience. Miller greeted us with warmth, wit, and a clear understanding of the offerings, helping us save a few dollars with a senior discount (thanks, Mom!). He set the tone early, guiding us through the logistics while encouraging us to explore the grounds and soak in the history before the tour began. The grounds themselves told stories in silence, allowing us to engage with the space in a reflective, personal way. But when the official tour began, Miller seamlessly picked up the narrative thread and wove it into something vibrant and alive. His energy was perfectly pitched…respectful of the weight of the history, but infused with a spark that made each room feel like a doorway to the past. Miller’s Q&A sessions after each room added an engaging rhythm to the tour, and his deep knowledge—especially about Patrick Henry…gave us fresh insight and a newfound appreciation for this chapter of American history. The tour ended with our group visibly and audibly impressed. I came for a casual visit but left with a desire to become a historic member of the society…solely because of Miller. His joyful presence, infectious enthusiasm, and natural storytelling abilities elevated this tour to something truly memorable. If you go, hope you get Miller. He’s not just a guide…he’s the soul of the story.

The kids loved this place and learning it's history. The guides had lots of activities to keep the kids occupied as well.

A wonderful and informative day at Patrick Henry's Scotchtown. Our guide was witty and we learned great facts. Our Newcomers of Greater Richmond woman's club really enjoyed our outing.

Scotchtown was a great experience. We arrived early on a Sunday at 11am. We met Miller at the welcome center. He was our tour guide. Even though that early we were the only 2 people there, myself and my son, he was quite enthusiastic. He gave us an impassioned , historic and entertaining tour of the house. While there check out the goats, the kitchen and the grounds. It’s quite rural there so you feel like stepping back in time. Great family trip. Thanks Miller for an awesome experience.

Great tour with Tom, a man who clearly has a passion for American history. The Scotchtown house is well preserved / restored and the grounds are beautiful. Lovely little gift shop. They run tours on the hour, and in May they have an attic to cellar version, which I plan to come back for.

You must add this stop to any trip in the Ashland, Richmond, Hanover area. The property is amazing, the house is original and has some original Patrick Henry pieces inside, and the docents are magnificent. My daughter and I toured the property and home as well studied scholars of American History and still learned a great deal. Tom was an exceptional story teller who brought history to life!

Scotchtown is the home of Patrick Henry who famously declared at the second Virginia Convention, “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death. He went on to serve as the first Governor of Virginia from 1775-1779 and again from 1784-1786. Patrick Henry Lived at Scotchtown from 1771 thru 1778 and it was her that he practiced law and became known as the Orator of the Revolution. He crafted his Liberty or Death Speech. While I arrived and purchased my tour ticket in person at the gift shop, you can book your tour on line through the Scotchtown Website. I arrived at Scotchtown and took the first guided tour of the morning. We met our guide Dawn in front of Mr. Henry’s Home. As we entered the large home our Guide gave us a lot of information on the life of Patrick Henry during his time here along with pointing out original Henry artifacts that were in each room. The home is quite large, and our tour lasted a full hour and was filled with history and information. Our Guide Dawn was excellent. Her knowledge of the Henry Family and the history of Scotchtown and Hanover County was extensive. Scotchtown is a hidden gem of not only Virginia History but also of our Nations History. It is located in rural Hanover County about 10-miles or so west of Ashland, Virginia. I so enjoy my visit and tour and would highly recommend making the effort to visit this amazing piece of American History.

My daughter and I went on a rainy Friday and there was no one else on the guided tour with us. Our guide was AMAZING! Very knowledgeable and super nice. We both learned a lot of things about Patrick Henry we had not previously heard. The house and the kitchen were both fabulous. I look forward to going again when the weather is cooperating with my schedule.

This place is awesome. Our tour guide Miller was amazing. Learned so much about patrick Henry from him.

Visited Scotchtown on my daughter's field trip. So I'm not quite sure if they have daily tour guides, although I did see you can do a self guided audio tour. The guides we had were fantastic. Very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. We had one walk us through Patrick Henry's home, one guide the grounds and the last talk about traveling and difference between the Militia and Continental armies. Little bit of a history buff, especially the Revolutionary War, so I might have found it a bit more entertaining than the kids, lol. Learned quite a bit about Patrick Henry and the workings of his plantation. Farming ice for the Ice House in the winter was cool to learn and see. The property is very well maintained. They have some sheep you can go check out as well. If you have a little bit of time to kill or want to bring your kids, Scotchtown a little interesting.

We visited the site recently and were thoroughly impressed with the tour. "Miller" was extremely informative and made the experience memorable. Give me liberty or at least a good tour guide!

A wonderful venture into the Revolutionary War period of one of America's founding fathers. This is a must stop for the history buff. The guided tour is well worth the ten bucks.

This is such a great stop if your in the area! The actual house was closed when I went but I was still able to enjoy the grounds and very informative audio tour. The tour gives great insight into the life of Patrick Henrey and life at Scotchtow. Seriously even if its closed, make the stop and take some time to take the audio tour... So glad I did, Highly recommended!

Our visit to Patric Henry’s Scotchtown home was excellent! Our guide Emily was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The tour included the eight room house and even a peek inside the door leading to the cellar where Sarah was confined. The outside self guided tour was also very informative. I was thrilled to see that the Hanover Master Gardeners maintained the garden plots!

You are sorta in the middle of nowhere. Make sure you've used the restroom and eaten lunch before arriving (if you're there during off hours). There are restrooms open during regular hours. I really appreciated that they encourage you to tour the grounds even when the inside tours are closed. They have a nice phone guided tour. Beautiful gardens. Nice signage. Shaded parking. Would love to return to tour the inside when it's opened.

Beautiful grounds and a nice staff! There are several pieces of history here from when Patrick Henry lived here until it was purchased as a historical site in the 1950's. There are many options throughout the week and weekends to get involved with the society to participate in events for the family. I recommend doing a family picnic here. It peaceful and the pavilion is free. The tour of the house is helpful with learning more about Patrick Henry's role in Scotchtown. They have a gift shop for those who want to take a memory with them. They have recently added a self guided cell phone tour. In my opinion it is awesome as you can do it alone or with your family at your own pace. Essentially you dial a number and there are # prompts thorough out the property and the cell guide will explain more concerning that piece of the property. Best part about it is that free!

Beautifully restored historic country estate of Patrick Henry with a wonderful self-guided tour of the grounds and out-buildings. Great docents who are very knowledgeable about the history of the home and its owner, (as well as it's expansion and restoration), who share many detailed stories and anecdotes. Great gift shop.

What a lovely place, filled with history! I stopped by Patrick Henry’s Scotchtown one Friday afternoon. The tour around the house was phenomenal. The your guide was engaging and super knowledgeable about the history. The experience was very interactive and educational. Quite inspiring that you can walk on the same soil that Patrick Henry once walked! I enthusiastically recommend a visit here to anyone in Virginia!

My daughter and I toured this home. Inside is some of Patrick Henry original items including his cradle. The cradle is said to be haunted. Outside is the old carriage stop so it was not a long drop to the ground. The entrance is to the rear of the house not the front door. When you go in to the right is the ticket office and gift shop. If you get the during special occasions they had free icecream and glasses of soda. Donations only. Plenty of parking and small groups of tourists.