James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home Tour

The James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home is running tours on Thursday, November 5, as part of its regular schedule. The house is at 528 Lockerbie St, in the heart of Lockerbie Square, just a short walk from the Mass Ave Cultural District.

The tour takes you through the preserved 19th-century home of James Whitcomb Riley, the poet known as the 'Hoosier Poet.' Completed in 1872, it's one of the finest surviving Victorian Italianate homes in the United States, and the tour lets you see it as it was. The house sits in Lockerbie Square, one of the city's oldest residential neighborhoods, so it's an easy trip to combine with a walk around the area.

It's worth knowing how the museum operates. It's open Thursday through Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM, and it closes Sunday through Wednesday, on major holidays, and from Christmas Eve through the first week of January. Tours are by reservation only, so you'll want to book your spot ahead of time rather than just showing up. If you're coming with a group of ten or more, those tours are available Monday through Saturday by advance arrangement. For something a bit more personal, you can request a Director's tour with Chris Mize, the museum's director, by phone, and they also offer live virtual tours if you can't make it in person.

Tickets are $12 for adults, $2 for students ages 7 to 17, and free for children age 6 and younger. With the museum open Thursday through Saturday, November 5 falls right in the middle of its weekly window.