Events: Tour

Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day

A view of the Black Maple’s branches and bright green leaves.

Join the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum on Saturday, April 18 from 10am – 12pm for a special April Nature Series extravaganza, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day!” This new, two-hour event features programs for all ages, including a nature Storytime and craft for kids, a tree dedication for America250, and an “all about trees” education program and tree walk of the Tanger Arboretum with Lancaster County Senior Naturalist Lisa Sanchez!

A more detailed schedule to come!

HOW TO REGISTER
The event, “Leaf & Learn: A Celebration of Arbor Day” will take place on Saturday, April 18 from 10am-12pm at the LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Registration opening soon! Please check back later.

This event is hosted by the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum. The Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary organization of LancasterHistory, helps foster public interest in, and support for, the maintenance and development of the Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. To learn more about the Arboretum or to become a member, please visit the Arboretum’s webpage.

 

“Leaf & Learn:” A Celebration of Arbor Day is sponsored by Pine Brook Farm, Inc. and Ever Green Tree & Lawn Care.
Their support enables us to offer this new program to the community for free! Thank you for your generosity!

Children's Program Dedication/Memorial Family-Friendly In-Person Event Nature Series Outdoor Program Tour

April 18, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster 10am-12pm FREE | Registration Requested

There Is No Candidate Named James Buchanan

An illustration of a crowd gathered around James Buchanan on the front porch of Wheatland. Men are tipping their hats and shaking Buchanan's hand.
An illustration of Buchanan accepting the presidential nomination. From Frank Leslie’s Illustrated News, March 14, 1857

In 1856, James Buchanan became the Democratic Party’s candidate for president, running his campaign from his Lancaster home. In response to the nomination, Buchanan’s colleague and fellow Lancastrian, Thaddeus Stevens, said, “There is no candidate named James Buchanan… Nothing remains but a platform and a bloated mass of political putridity.”

On April 25, join us at President James Buchanan’s Wheatland for a Special Subject Tour on these two famous Lancastrians. During your guided tour, you’ll learn how James Buchanan used Wheatland as his campaign headquarters to promote his candidacy in an age before modern media. The campaign not only secured Buchanan’s election, but secured local support of Buchanan as Lancaster’s president.

There Is No Candidate Named James Buchanan, a special guided tour of Wheatland, will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026. This special tour will be available at 1:30pm and 2:30pm. Please Note: These tours are not our regular General Admission tours and may be more focused on a particular topic than a general history of Buchanan and the home.

Tickets are available for purchase online or over the phone by calling 717.392.4633. Advance reservations are highly recommended as tours may sell out and walk-in tickets may not be available. Members receive complimentary admission, but should reserve their tickets in advance to secure the tour time of their choice.

Register for A Tour

In-Person Event Tour

April 25, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster Tours at 1:30pm & 2:30pm FREE for LancasterHistory Members | $17 Adult (18+) | $15 Seniors (65+) | $10 Students (11-17 or College ID) | FREE for Children Under 10
Get Tickets

Harriet Lane: America’s Fair First Lady of the Land

Harriet Lane was the first hostess of the White House to be publicly referred to as the “First Lady.” Although she was not the wife of the president, she flourished in the role and helped to define it for future First Ladies. On Harriet Lane’s 196th birthday, visitors to Wheatland will explore Harriet Lane’s life–from her childhood with Uncle Buchanan and her role in the White House, to the personal losses she endured and the legacy she left behind.

Harriet Lane: America’s Fair First Lady of the Land, a special guided tour of Wheatland, will be held on Saturday, May 9, 2026. This special tour will be available on the hour from 10am until 3pm. Please Note: These tours are not our regular General Admission tours and may be more focused on a particular topic than a general history of Buchanan and the home.

Tickets are available for purchase online or over the phone by calling 717.392.4633. Advance reservations are highly recommended as tours may sell out and walk-in tickets may not be available. Members receive complimentary admission, but should reserve their tickets in advance to secure the tour time of their choice.

Register for A Tour

In-Person Event Tour

May 9, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster Tours from 10am-3pm FREE for LancasterHistory Members | $17 Adult (18+) | $15 Seniors (65+) | $10 Students (11-17 or College ID) | FREE for Children Under 10
Get Tickets

Wheatland “At Your Own Pace”

McMaster’s portrait of Buchanan hanging above the mantle in Wheatland’s parlor. (Courtesy of Larry Lefever Photography)

Explore President James Buchanan’s Wheatland at your own pace. On this self-guided tour, you can explore the President’s home and see what you want for as long as you want. Tour guides will be stationed around the mansion to provide visitors with information about the spaces, objects, and people who once called Wheatland home.

At-Your-Own-Pace tours are great for families (pick up a scavenger hunt from reception on your way in!) and those who want to take their time viewing the mansion in contrast to our regular ‘guided tour’ experience. Spend as little or as much time (within operating hours!) as you’d like in President Buchanan’s beloved home.

“Go-At-Your-Own-Pace” Tours are only available on Saturday, June 13. Entry times are every 30 minutes from 10am (first tour entry) until 12pm (last tour entry). Ticket purchase also includes self-guided access to LancasterHistory’s museum exhibitions. Tickets are $17/Adult (14+), $15/Senior (65+), $10/Youth (6-13), and free for children 5 and under. LancasterHistory Members receive complimentary admission. This tour is eligible for our Museums for All rate!

To purchase tickets in advance, please go online or call (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets are strongly recommended.

Purchase Tickets for A Tour

At Your Own Pace Tour Family-Friendly In-Person Event Tour

June 13, 2026 LancasterHistory Museum & Research Center, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA Tour Entry Every 30 Minutes, 10am-12pm FREE/LancasterHistory Members | $17/Adults (18+) | $15/Seniors (65+) | $10 (11-College ID)
Get Tickets