Volunteers guide you through the house and tell the history of Modesto’s McHenry family. The volunteers are lovely, and admission is through donations.

An interesting old house, with a lot of local history attached. You go to the visitor centre first, just two houses down on 15th Street, where they show you a short video with some of the basic history. Then a volunteer guide takes you to the house and walks you through, highlighting the history of the McHenry family and how it is so intertwined with the history of Modesto. There are no set tour times - they just take you as soon as you've watched the video, so we effectively got a personal tour just for us. We went with Judy and she was very personable and knowledgable, and we really enjoyed her tour. And we had a lovely chat with volunteer Alva back at the visitor centre after the tour. There is no charge for the visit or the tour, so be sure to leave a decent donation.

Lovingly (expensively) restored late 19thc mansion. Modest by city standards perhaps, it would have been the grandest thing west of the immediate Bay area at the time, save perhaps for a few places in Stockton. Had a fire 12+ years ago - Gallo money brought it back and then some. Holy wallpaer Batman! This is an event venue, so mind the hours, but it's FREE (supported by event revenue) to tour. Do't miss the gift shop display of Christmas ornaments - much better than average selection of actually interesting pieces. Pretty much done to a fare the well in the main rooms, and you do get to see upstairs. Very friendly docents, happy to converse and answer any / all questions. As is often the case with these lesser known gems - a solo and very complete tour. Learned a thing or two, always nice.

Worth taking the time to see. It stands out in the neighborhood of Modesto. Better to visit in the Morning.

A coworker and I are in town on business and we’re looking for something to do on an afternoon off. The hotel staff directed us to Modesto so we really wanted to see the mansion. We arrived 20 minutes before closing, after the las tour time. The docent could have turned us away, but she was pleasant, informative, and efficient. The mansion is beautiful and the stories made me want to research this family more. I love to encounter a bit of history any time I can.