The facility was quite impressive. However the docent in charge of the tour was brusk and abrasive. We were a few minutes late for our appointment due to parking confusion, and everything went downhill from there. We visited in 2022 after the Midland dam collapse. The docent seemed to resent the tour when she could be working on her property. It's a shame because the property is amaing. The visit could have made a lasting positive impression. read more

Absolutely love this place! Reserve tic I've visited 3 times over the years and each time I discover something new from the amazing knowledgeable docents. If you enjoy architecture & design of Frank Lloyd Wright: Alden B Dow was one of his students & it shows. A cool room of the studio is the archive room which his wife organized after his death & contains pristinely maintained original blueprints & models. Mid Century modern interior design gives me butterflies! Highlights for me is everthing... especially the theater room! The outdoor landscape design is the only place you can take photos. The gift shop has lots of great treasures. Small group sizes: people per tour gives ample opportunity to feel intimate with exploring, asking questions. read more

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My wife and I signed up for a tour and ended up with a small group of approx. 10 people. It was an intimate experience, and the guides were friendly and engaging. If you're a fan of architecture and especially mid-century modern architecture, this is a very worthwhile experience. There are so many design touches to appreciate and be inspired by. Highly recommended. read more

Fantastic house, grounds, and tour! A must see experience! It's like a time capsule for mid-century modern design!

After touring many mid-century modern structures, this is by far my very favorite! I would journey up to Midland, Michigan just to see this home alone. Now I want to go back to tour the gardens and see Dahlia Hill in full bloom in September and I would definitely schedule it with the additional homes that are open for tours at that time. I needed a quiet room for a zoom meeting and the Mary Grace Dow library arranged a conference room for me to use, free of charge! I wish I had time to explore this amazing library, so many cool and innovative things happening in one building. But here's even more in this magical town that Dow built, so plan ahead and see it all! Side note...tickets for adults are now $20 and be sure to buy anything you'd like from the shop while you're there because shipping was as much as the book when purchased online! Allow for a good half hour after the tour to enjoy the historical library with photos and letters from FLW. read more

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Our tour guide was so delightful to listen to. She answered questions, told stories, and pointed out truly interesting features of the home and the Dow family. We loved our time there. It made a unique and happy memory in our week full of good memories! We're so glad we decided to take the tour! read more

Alden B. Dow Home & Studio - Even the lily pond surrounding the home invites exploration. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Midland, Michigan

We have wanted to visit for a long time. Itvwas every bit as interesting and enjoyable a tour as we hoped. We drove from SE Michigan. It was definitely worth the trip. The docent, Sarah, was kind, knowledgeable, and very pleasant. read more

My kids took the summer Architecture Camp here for grades 4-6. Incredible experience. They had access to things (canoeing the exterior, seeing the underground tunnel) that the general public does not, and they were able to create their own builds and work in the studio. The camp was so well run and organized by Mr. Woods, and the kids felt so welcomed - overall just such an amazing setting and experience. They can't wait to go back again next summer. Touring the home is something my husband and I love to do too. read more

Worst people skills. Rude. Clearly a Midland/sparkle city attitude. Stories felt "made up" or contrived and added nothing of fact. And, don't worry about NOT being able to take pictures....there are a plethora of them all over the internet. Or, watch the MLive video tour. You don't have to buy their book to get them, either. Don't risk the humiliation by the tour guide. Fun fact: Alden Dow was an avid photographer and frequently took pictures of things he was not supposed to (some are displayed on this tour). Talk about irony, right? He also took pictures of architecture that inspired him....further irony since no pictures are allowed for your own inspiration. They state that it is because someone took the tour and published a book...thus taking profit from the family. Just have everyone sign a waiver that pictures taken will not be published for profit. Simple. Oh...and do not...do not...pay for the tunnel tour. It is a small white hallway filled with paint cans and a few pipes that leads to a garage. Nothing special or interesting for that extra fee...but they sell it like you are missing out. Be prepared for the musty smell throughout the whole house. Smells like a bad mildew problem....really bad! read more

Nice place, and interesting history of the house and gardens. I have enjoyed many of Alden Dow's buildings, and now I have seen his home and studio. read more

This was one of the best mid-century modern homes that we have ever toured. It was spectacular. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the home. read more

We moved to Midland in 2021 from the Chicago area. I had never heard of Alden B Dow, but had toured Frank Lloyd Wright houses. The spaces were captivating and the family stories fascinating. I am in awe of the prolific talent of AB Dow, his ability to merge nature with living spaces, and his philosophy on life and the creative process. Our tour guide, Nancy, made the experience of the family living there come alive. Don't miss this tour. read more

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Mid-Mod Treasure! We treated holiday guests to the Christmas tour of the AB Dow Home & Studio in 11/2019, & what a treat it was! Our small group was taken all through the structure, with fascinating & knowledgeable narration by our docent, Travis. Plan of spending a magical 90+ minutes learning about the life and times of the Dow family, and how Alden B. Dow's work helped shape and influence architecture not only in the mid-Michigan area, but worldwide. When the tour ends, you won't want to leave! Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful! read more

Our tour guide, Regina, was extremely knowledgeable. The house is amazing. We loved every minute of it! Highly recommend!

I am not big on tours but went because my husband wanted to see this home. I was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome! The tour lasted a little over 1-1/2 hours, and was very interesting. The house itself is just unbelievable, and it is huge! It doesn't look like much on the outside, but once inside, it seems it just goes on and on. Our tour guide was great. He gave us lots of interesting info on the house and the Dow family. Nice little gift shop at the end of the tour. I highly recommend this tour. read more

A fabulous tour of a one of a kind home and studio. A must see in Midland, MI.

20 members from Alpha Delta Kappa Women Teachers Sorority attended a tour of the Dow Home and Studio as part of our Spring Conference Activities. The volunteer tour guides were excellent, they took their time and shared their expertise, history and personal stories that all of our members enjoyed The view of the Dow Gardens from the home left us wanting to schedule our next tour to the Gardens. We highly suggest scheduling your tour of this beautiful, unique home and studio. read more

Had a great tour! Mrs. Lee really made the house come alive for us! We did not bring our bags or purses in. We did bring our phones and were allowed pictures outside. I was not able to purchase anything in gift shop because I left everything in car. My grandson really enjoyed this so much! read more

Super informational and a really worth while stop. We learned a lot, and enjoyed the opportunity to explore such a unique place! Our tour guide was awesome! read more

First of all I will say the obvious, the house, studio and grounds are simply amazing. I am a mid century modern architecture buff or should I say fanatic who grew up locally and am extremely proud of the amazing architectural legacy left by Alden Dow. This tour is an amazing opportunity to see one of the finest works of mid century architecture anywhere in the world. It is wonderful that the trust not only preserves the building and grounds beautifully but that it offers so many activities to people of all ages to experience the property in so many ways. Second, our tour guide was amazing. I have toured buildings all over the world and our guide was one of the most charming and knowledgeable I have ever experienced. Not just facts about the house but a treasure trove of information about the family and the city of Midland. Great time!! read more

A must see if you are in Midland! Our tour guide, Regina, was so knowledgeable and fun. This was our second tour and we look forward to going back again. Chris and Fred read more

We had a fantastic tour of the Alden B. Dow home with the best guide Jayne. I highly recommend it.

My only regret was not doing this sooner. I love my experience, i discovered more then an amazing house but also an architect worth knowing. Our docent was very knowledgeable and exciting to have us. I know i will be back. read more

This was a great way to learn more about the Dow family as well as viewing some amazing architecture! Alden B. Dow (son of H.H. Dow) studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and you can see his influences throughout the house. When walking up to the house to start the tour you don't realize how large it is (20,000 sq ft!). The house is amazing with the various lines and level changes. If you appreciate or are interested in architecture I definitely recommend this tour. Kids 8 and older are welcome. Pricing was $12 for an hour and a half tour. read more

We had seen the back of the Alden Dow home and studio during a previous trip to Dow Gardens. We were curious enough to take the tour of the house and studio on this trip to Midland. We were impressed in the design and innovation in this beautiful home and studio. Our docent was very knowledgeable about not only Alden Dow but the Midland area as well. The only negative critique I would offer is this: due to Covid we were not allowed to sit on the upholstered furniture. While I understand this, standing or sitting on a window ledge for 25 minutes while Julie gave us an overview of the studio and home history was a bit uncomfortable. I would suggest trimming the introduction and filling in the information along the tour to keep us moving. This is definitely a must see for any fans of mid century modern design! read more

AMAZING house. I think I heard it was about 22,000 sq feet. I didn't realize how large this house was. The tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. They request you don't take pictures inside but be sure you don't make the same mistake I did and lock your camera/phone up because I missed some great outdoor photo ops. The view from every room was spectacular, about 3/4 of the house is surrounded with the pond. I will probably take friends back to experience this! read more

I have been wanting to go to the Alden Dow house since I heard about it 3 years. The house and gardens exceeded my expectations. Our tour guide was informative, interesting and knowledgeable. The house was fascinating and Alden's Dows use of color, light and whimsy was Amazing for its time. Enjoyed it throughly read more

Lovely tour--if you're at all interested in MCM architecture, you need to see this home. Lisa did a great job and we learned so much! Beautiful home and will be returning in the future read more

Taking a step back in time while exploring and learning about Alden B Dow, who was ahead of his time in design and architecture. Definitely a piece of Midland to take time to learn about! read more

If you want to learn about Mid-Michigan Modern, take the tour of Alden B. Dow's home and studio. Built in several stages over 1934 and 1940, this is an architectural master piece that you don't want to miss. Affluent people at the time probably were more into Colonial Revival or Neoclassical style, so it is wonderful to see the infusion of new ideas for a new society in this combined family home and studio. We booked the tour online, but you can apparently also drop in if the group is not filled up. read more

Margie was our Docent and she was excellent. We really enjoyed seeing the home, hearing the history behind the design and the family that lived there. The home is immaculately preserved, the colors and textures of the furnishings and original furniture, carpeting, and walls were beautifully maintained. it is obvious the individuals working at the Alden B. Dow home love their environment and treat it with great care. We highly recommend the tour of the building and the grounds. We even ran into an old family friend I hadn't seen in almost 60 years. Amazing. read more

Wonderful tour with a lot of information about Alden B Dow, his designs, and family. This tour gives an inside peak into the home and design studios. Take the tour in December, and the home is decorated for Christmas! In the spring/summer/fall, you can see the pond! read more

Worth the 2 hour drive!!!!!! We took some friends from Florida here and had never been here ourselves. Our friends, who were skeptical, loved it! And so did we. Amazing architecture, amazing woodwork, amazing landscape. Our docent was enthusiastic and knowledgeable without being "too" in any category. We'll definitely be back! read more

It is about an hour and a half tour and the guide was informative and interesting. If you like touring interesting homes and people, I would definitely recommend that you visit the Alden B. Dow home. read more

This neat home is located in the midst of the Dow Gardens in Midland, MI. Alden Dow was the son of the founder of Dow Chemical. He went on to become famous in his own right as a noted architect of his time. He was also a contemporary of Frank Lloyd Wright (him you may have heard of). Alden Dow's home is a fun tour, maybe not for really young children but older children, young adults and adults with an interest in art/design/architecture/landscape/gardening etc would enjoy the tour. The home has a very unique layout and style, along with an awesome model train system (it spans multiple levels, if I remember correctly). Anyways, the tours are 10$ for adults and 5$ for children (worth it as it all goes into the house's preservation), but maybe not if you are not jazzed by architecture. Tours are M-F at 2pm, also F-Sat (at 10am). Also , the website says reservations are required for all tours and it is only open to children 8 and older. More information and history can be found on the website: http://www.abdow.org/t2-tour-information.aspx Btw, when my mother and i visited we were the only people on our tour so it was as if we were having a private tour. Very cool. I do not know if they have a peak season, but it is possible (summer etc). read more

Stunning home and grounds, great tour guide. We came in from NC and it was worth the trip!

This home and its docent tours is indeed a Michigan hidden gem. We had a simply wonderful visit and experience that also included a dinner in downtown Midland and stroll through the Dow Gardens, which are near the Alden Dow Home and Studio. If you enjoy architecture, design and history, you will be thrilled. The docents were extremely knowledgeable and friendly. May be a bit much for small children. Because a lot of the tour is outside, I recommend choosing a fair weather day. Advance reservations are a must. read more

Amazing place to visit. Such wonderful furniture and architecture. Tours only but worth the price if you love mid-century modern and we do. Definitely go see this. read more

My daughter and I went there last summer and loved it so much we've been back twice and will be going again this week. She was 10 at the time. It really sparked her interest and appreciation of architecture. Since then we've traveled to see Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, Kentuck Knob, Affleck House in Michigan and Robie House in Chicago. Her favorite building is by far is Alden B. Dow's Home and Studio! It is her favorite place in the world (so far)! It is an amazing architectural masterpiece full of innovations, color, artwork, creativity and beauty. We will be going back every year. There are so many homes and other buildings in Midland designed by Alden B. Dow too. You can buy a map of their locations at the studio's gift shop. I would also highly recommend taking the tour offered in the fall of the Alden B. Dow Home & Studio that includes going on a shuttle bus in Midland to tour a few other homes designed by him. We went last year and saw two homes, both modest in size but well-designed and beautiful. They ask Alden B. Dow homeowners every year about opening their homes for the tour. It features different homes every year. When we went, the owners were were very gracious hosts, providing information on their homes and what it's like to live in them. We also toured a home that was up for sale designed by Alden B. Dow. Midland is a wonderful city for architecture! read more

Wow, this was a great tour! The guide was very friendly, knowledgeable and made us feel right at home! We learned a lot about the Dow family and what it must have been like growing up in that huge house. There is a sizable pond surrounding a lot of the home and beautiful views from the side and back of the house. I would highly recommend this tour, especially for anyone that lives in the Mid Michigan area! read more