Linden Place

Linden Place is an 1810 Federal-period mansion at 500 Hope Street in Bristol, now a historic house museum and arts center that tells one family's 200-year story, from the slave trade to industry to Hollywood. The mansion is open for self-guided tours Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., all year, with seasonal Saturday and Sunday hours. Standard admission is $12 for adults.

What It Is

Linden Place describes itself as a historic estate museum and arts center. The 1810 mansion, its ballroom, sculpture garden and outbuildings were built by one of America's wealthiest and most influential families, and descendants lived there for the next two centuries. The museum is direct about who they were: slave traders, merchants, tycoons and artists. Its tours weave together the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, the meeting of the merchant and ruling classes, the Industrial Revolution and Hollywood, which is the subject of its "Barrymore and Bristol" exhibit.

The Link to Colt State Park

RI DEM's history of Colt State Park tells the story of Bristol's merchant families from the park's side: Samuel P. Colt, who built the farm that became the park, was a grandson of the DeWolf family, who continued in the slave trade after Rhode Island outlawed it. Right next door to Linden Place stands the marble Colt School; DEM names Colt Memorial High School among the civic projects Samuel P. Colt supported. Seeing Linden Place and Colt State Park on the same day puts that history on both sides of town. The park history has the Colt side.

2026 Hours

As posted by Linden Place:

• Tuesday to Friday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., year round
• Saturdays: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from January 1 to May 15 and from October 31 to December 31; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. from May 26 to October 24
• Sundays: noon to 4 p.m. from May 24 to August 23; closed the rest of the year
• Closed on federal and state holidays

The gift shop keeps the same hours. Call ahead on holidays or in bad weather, and check the museum's calendar for special events that change the schedule.

Admission

Standard museum admission, as posted:

• Adults: $12
• Seniors and students: $10
• Children 7–12: $5
• Children under 6: free
• Members: free
• Military: active-duty and retired military get free standard tour admission for up to five family members through the Blue Star program

Specialty tours and programs are priced separately.

Parking and Getting There

Linden Place is at 500 Hope Street (Route 114), next door to the Colt School, the large marble schoolhouse. On non-school days you can park behind Colt Memorial School: turn east on Bradford Street, right on Central Street, then into the lot from Wardwell Street. On school days, the museum points to free on-street parking on Hope Street and nearby side streets, and to public parking behind the Rogers Free Library across the street. By bus, it is across from the State Street stop on RIPTA route 60.

The Grounds

Before or after a tour, visitors are welcome to walk the two-acre estate, including the ballroom and the summer house. Linden Place runs guided Gardens and Grounds tours in summer and fall. Strollers are fine on the grounds but stay outside the mansion during the tour.

Good to Know

• Food: none for sale apart from candy in the gift shop; picnics on the grounds are welcome.
• Animals: service animals are welcome; pets and emotional support animals are not.
• Photos: non-flash personal photos are fine. Professional equipment and portrait sessions, such as engagement photos, need an appointment and a fee.
• Groups: any size, by appointment; call 401-253-0390 or email info@lindenplace.org.

Nearby

• Herreshoff Marine Museum, further south on Hope Street
• Bristol Fourth of July parade, which runs along Hope Street through the centre of town
• Colt State Park, for a free walk by the bay
• Things to do in Bristol