All guided tours must be booked a MINIMUM of 48 hours in advance of arrival
Walk in the Footsteps of History
Walk in the Footsteps of History
Travel back in time by taking a tour of Wisconsin's only certified Underground Railroad site open to the public!
On a tour, guests learn about the founding of Milton, the many purposes of the historic Milton House structure, the history of America in the tumultuous years leading up to the Civil War, the importance of the Underground Railroad in the United States, and how the Underground Railroad operated in Milton.
Each tour lasts approximately 1 hour in length and is fully guided. On the tour, the group will visit two levels of both the original block and hexagonal portion of the building, along with visiting the cellar of the hexagon, the tunnel connecting the hexagon to the pioneer cabin, and the pioneer cabin located behind the Milton House.
All areas of the museum are handicap accessible except for the tunnel. Our guides are experienced in handling the needs of our guests, so please discuss any mobility concerns with staff when you arrive for your tour.
Tour Hours
Tour Information and Availability
The Milton House Museum welcomes general tours year round. We do operate in a winter season and a summer season, and our tour offerings are different depending on the season. Please note which season we are operating in while planning your visit.
Winter Hours: September 1st, 2024 - June 12, 2025
Please call 608-868-7772 to schedule a tour
Mondays: Closed
Tuesdays: No Tours offered
Wednesday: 10 am -2 pm *Guided tour by appointment only
Thursday: 10 am - 2 pm *Guided tour by appointment only
Friday 10 am - 1 pm *Guided tour by appointment only
Please note: We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate guided tours that arrive during our winter hours without an advanced registration
Summer Hours: June 12, 2024 - August 31st, 2024 WALK IN TOURS WELCOME
*Museum is closed Father's Day and July 4th and 5th, 2024
last tour BEGINS at 3 pm
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 am - 4 pm
Wednesday 10 am -4 pm
Thursday: 10 am - 4 pm
Friday: 10 am - 4 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 4 pm
Sunday: 10 am - 4 pm
Guided General Tour
Our Most Popular Tour
Guided Tour of Milton House Museum
Explore the Milton House Museum with a passionate and knowledgeable tour guide as they share the museum's history including:
- Joseph and Nancy Goodrich
- Founding of the Milton, WI community
- Milton House Museum as a 1800s stage coach inn
- Milton House's role on the Underground Railroad before the American Civil War
- Life of Andrew Pratt, only Freedom Seeker known by name to seek shelter at the Milton House
- Walk the underground passage used by freedom seekers to move between the MIlton House structure and a pioneer cabin located behind it
Self Guided Audio Tour
New in fall of 2024: Self Guided Audio General Tour
New for fall of 2024 the Milton House Museum will be offering our first ever self guided audio tour.
Instead of moving through the museum with a guide, guests will be able to listen to the audio tour through their mobile device, as they move through the museum at their own pace. The audio tour covers the same information as the general guided tour.
Before taking the audio tour, please read:
- All members in a group must pay to take the audio tour, even if only one device is being used to listen
- Guests will be required to download an app at access the audio tour
- Guest will use their own mobile device to listen to the tour; the Milton House Museum will not offer devices for use on the audio tour
School Tours
School Tour Information for Teachers
Students are $5 each and adults (in addition to chaperones) are $8 each. We accept credit card, checks, cash or invoicing is available upon request
The museum enjoys welcoming thousands of school age children to the museum each year. Students include those who attend public schools, private schools or are attending home schools. There is no minimum to the number of students needed to qualify as a school tour.
School tours are invited to visit the museum whenever it works best in the class curriculum, but we see are largest numbers of school tours March - early June each year. If you are looking to schedule a tour during those months, we recommend scheduling as early as possible as those months fill up quickly.
It is museum policy to require a minimum of 1 chaperone for every 10 students. These chaperones can be a teacher, an aid, or a parent. The chaperone is responsible for the behavior of the students while on the tour. You will receive 1 complimentary ticket for every ten children on the tour.
Due to capacity of our building and volunteer docents, we break large groups into smaller groups of 10 students + 1 chaperone per volunteer docent. We can start at most 3 small groups at one time, and start additional small groups approximately every 15 minutes. Please keep this in mind when deciding on how much time you will need at the museum. A staff member will be happy to workout the proper amount of time needed for your group sizes when you call to schedule your tour.
There is a large room located on the second floor of our building that schools are welcome to use for lunch and/or a place for students to wait before or after their tours. There is currently no fee for the use of this room, but the Milton House Museum reserves the right to charge a usage fee if the room is left dirty or in disrepair after your school uses the room.
There is also a great park located right across the street from the museum that has picnic tables and play ground equipment that schools are welcome to use if the weather allows.
Teachers and chaperones are responsible for all students and their behavior for the duration of their time at the museum. Students may not be left unsupervised while at the museum for any reason.
Please call the museum at 608.868.7772 to schedule your tour with a staff member. If you have any concerns about group size or additional questions, the Milton House staff will do all they can to work with you to ensure your students can enjoy the museum.
Group Tours
Tour Information and Availability
Whether you come by bus, or by car, we welcome group tours to the museum all year long!
Group Tours are designed for groups of 10+ people, and offer a unique experience and discounted admission rate. Depending on the size of your group, museum staff will break your large group into smaller groups of 10 people each, which will then be taken through the museum by one of our knowledgeable guides. We recommend expecting to be onsite for a minimum of an 1 and a 1/2 for a group tour, depending on the size of your group. Museum staff can help determine the length of your stay when you schedule your tour.
All group tours must be scheduled at least a week in advance to ensure we have time to secure the volunteer docents needed to move your group through the museum.
There is a large room located on the second floor of our building that can be rented for an additional cost for your group to use for a meeting or lunch. If you are interested in this option, please talk to a museum staff member when scheduling your tour.
