McKinley's Inauguration Dinner Reprise

This experience starts, appropriately, in a mansion built during the Gilded Age. It is where William McKinley, our 25th President, and his wife, Ida Saxton, resided. Many elements of the family residence are still intact. Today it is preserved as the National First Ladies Library & Museum. From 6:00 p.m. to 6:40 p.m., tour two buildings and walk the grounds at your leisure. Exhibits will be set up in various areas. At 6:45 p.m., convene in the park garden, where you'll meet the staff and learn how this national treasure was saved and would become this one-of-a-kind organization. Museum staff will present a program connecting the Gilded Age our National First Ladies. A delicious dinner at historic Bender's Tavern will follow. The dinner will focus exclusively on the original menu from William McKinley's Inaugural Dinner. During dinner, you'll hear from guest speakers about Gilded Age themes associated with dining, etiquette, dress, menus, service, and more. For the Inaugural Dinner, our guest speakers will focus on William McKinley's presidential election and, specifically, the grand details of the Inaugural Ball, which took place in March 1897.