The front door is under the overhanging portion of the house on the left.
NPS
How to Enter Glenmont
Getting inside the Edison family home at Glenmont is no easy feat: we have low capacity and high demand for these tours. Please read on to learn more about the mansion tour and how to get inside.
NOTE: Glenmont is not considered accessible to all, as the tour includes several flights of stairs and uninterrupted periods of standing unassisted. Please visit our Accessibility page for more information.
Glenmont Mansion Tour In Five Steps
Reserve ticket online in advance OR pick up same-day ticket. No same-day ticket reservations are available. On certain days, same-day tickets are available at the Laboratory Visitor Center on a first come first served basis; these tickets cannot be reserved or held in advance. In both cases: no ticket, no tour.
Arrive at the Laboratory Complex, 211 Main Street, West Orange, New Jersey, 30 minutes before your scheduled tour on the day of your visit.
Pay your entry fee or present your IA Pass and get your Glenmont Grounds Pass at the Visitor Center. Digital ticket receipts from Recreation.gov are accepted here and must still be presented in person. Same-day tour tickets are issued at the Visitor Center as well.
Leave the Laboratory and travel to Glenmont, using the directions from the Ranger and Glenmont Grounds Pass to do so. You will not be able to get to Glenmont without the Grounds Pass.
Be at the front door of the mansion in time for your tour with your Digital ticket receipt OR your same-day tour ticket available.
Same-day tickets may be available on certain days, but they are limited in number and go on a first come, first served basis. If you are planning your trip around the house tour, please be sure to reserve your tour ticket before arriving at the park to ensure you get into the manision. If you cannot reserve a ticket, arrive early to stand the best chance of picking up a same-day ticket.
Reserving a Tour Ticket
Reserved tour tickets may only be reserved through Recreation.gov and only in advance. Same-day reservations are not available. (While same-day tickets may be available at the Visitor Center, they cannot be held or reserved.) Park staff cannot make tour reservations for you. Every member of your party must have a tour ticket, including children of all ages. Please visit the Glenmont Tour Ticket page to check for future availability and reserve your tickets.
Same Day Tour Tickets
Starting on August 2, 2024, there may be same-day Tour Tickets available at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center. These tickets are free, limited in number, available on a first-come, first-serve basis to park guests, and may not be reserved or held in advance of your arrival at the park. The same-day tickets, when available, will be offered on the same days as regularly scheduled house tours.
To summarize the key difference between the two house tour ticket types: reservations must be made online at least a day in advance, while same-day tickets must be picked up in person on the day of the tour.
Reserving Tickets on Recreation.Gov
Recreation.gov handles all Glenmont advance tour ticket bookings. You may also pay entry fees or obtain an annual pass for Thomas Edison NHP through this site. If it is your first time using this website to reserve tickets, pay fees, or buy an annual pass for this park, detailed instructions are below. Click each panel to expand.
NOTE: You may also pay your entry fee or obtain an Interagency Park Pass at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center on the day of your visit, which will cover your entry fee. However, this does not include your Glenmont tour ticket. Glenmont tour tickets are not the same as entry fees, are not available at the Visitor Center at any time, and must be reserved online in advance at a fee of $1 per ticket. For more information about the Interagency Passes, see our fees page.
Go to Recreation.gov's website. On the Thomas Edison National Historical Park page, under "Thomas Edison National Historical Park Tours", find and select "Glenmont Estate Tours"
Read and review all information, especially the "Need to Know" section located further down on the page. If you have not already done so, create an account on Recreation.gov and log in. You must be logged in to Recreation.gov in order to reserve tour tickets.
At the top of the Glenmont Estate Tour page, select the "Date" field. This will open a window with calendars displaying available tour dates. Select an available tour date to see available tour times and how many tickets remain for that time. Select a tour time with enough tickets for your party.
Indicate how many people are in your party in the "Quantity" field as "General Admission". You must have enough tickets for every person in your party that will be on the tour, including children of all ages. Once you click "Request Tickets" a 15 minute countdown will begin. You must complete the following steps within that time frame to reserve your tickets, although the timer will refresh as you complete each step. If the timer expires, you will have to start again.
Fill in the Ticket Holder details, re-read the Need to Know section and check the box acknowleding your understanding, then click "Proceed to Cart". Review your ticket information, then click "Proceed to Payment" to pay the $1 per ticket processing fee.
Enter your payment method (valid debit/credit card) information, then click "Next", then "Confirm Payment" to secure the tickets. You should receive an email with your ticket information, and you should be able to access the ticket information on Recreation.gov as well. NOTE: Once your payment is received, tickets are non-refundable, non-transferrable, and may not be altered in date or time. You may purchase additional tickets if any remain in that time block.
Print your ticket or download it onto your mobile device. Web access at the park is not guaranteed, and you must have the ticket to take the tour. We cannot print your ticket for you or help you recover your Recreation.gov account information, including digital tickets and passes.
Decide which pass is right for you and how many you will need for your party. Every adult (16 years of age and older) must be covered by an entrance fee or valid park pass.
The "Daily Entrance Fee" costs $15 per person, covers one adult, and is valid for seven days (including days when the park is not open) from the date of activation.
Activation dates will be available for days on which the park is not open to the public. Remember that the pass is valid for seven days from the date of activation.
Fee-free days will be grayed out and unavailable to select as an activation date. The park will be open to the public and free of charge on those days.
The "Annual Park Pass" costs $45 per pass, covers four adults (including the pass holder) and is valid for 12 months from the date of activation.
This pass is ONLY recognized at Thomas Edison National Historical Park. It is not the same as the Interagency Pass, A.K.A. the National Parks pass.
Our park accepts the Interagency Pass, also commonly called the National Parks pass. This includes the Annual, Senior, Lifetime, 4th Grader, Military, and Access passes under the "America The Beautiful - The National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands" pass system. Each pass covers the entrance fee for the passholder and three additional adults.
Children (15 years old and younger) do not need an entrance fee. Passes and fees purchased and paid for in error or excess may not be refunded. Children do need their own tour tickets for the Glenmont mansion tour.
If you are unsure of your group size, you may always pay for additional entry fees at the Visitor Center when you arrive. We accept debit and credit cards only.
Add the proper quantity of products, fill in the information requested, and review the "Need to Know" section below, checking the box to show understanding. Click "Add to Cart" to proceed. Note: You must be logged in to a Recreation.gov account to proceed past this point.
Click "Proceed to Payment" to continue. Enter your payment method (valid debit/credit card only) information, then click "Next", then "Confirm Payment" to proceed. You should receive an email with your purchase confirmation as well as digital copies of your passes and fees, and you should be able to access this on Recreation.gov as well. NOTE: Once your payment is received, passes and fees are non-refundable, non-transferrable, and activated. You may purchase additional tickets either online or at the Visitor Center when you arrive.
Print your passes and fee receipts, or download it onto your mobile device. Web access at the park is not guaranteed, and you must have a valid pass, entry fee, or be covered by another's pass to enter the park. We cannot help you recover your Recreation.gov account information, including digital tickets and passes, or issue refunds at the park for any Recreation.gov purchases.
Park staff will be looking for the QR code on each pass or fee receipt to scan and validate entry. Please be sure it is available and readable.
On the day of your tour, you should go first to the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center, located at 211 Main Street in West Orange, NJ. National Park Service staff will be there to greet you, account for your entry fees, verify park passes, and offer information & other services. Most importantly for Glenmont tours, they will verify your tour ticket and distribute a Glenmont Grounds pass. This paper pass is given out for free to visitors seeking to access Glenmont, including visitors without tour tickets. Glenmont's neighborhood, Llewellyn Park, is a private residential area, and the guards at the gatehouse will not admit visitors without a pass - and so you will be unable to make it to Glenmont for your tour.
Every vehicle needs a Glenmont Grounds Pass, and every individual on foot needs a pass. Please be sure to mention how you will be going to Glenmont to park staff so they can give you as many passes as you require.
If you arrive with time to spare before your tour, you may explore the Laboratory Complex. Be sure to watch the clock; we recommend leaving to travel to Glenmont approximately 30 minutes before your tour begins.
Before Your Tour Begins
Photography and videography are not allowed at any point for any reason while inside Glenmont.
Backpacks and other large bags may not be allowed inside on the tour. Please stow all such things inside your vehicle if you have one.
Strollers, bags, umbrellas, and other personal belongings may not be left outside or inside Glenmont while you are on your tour.
If you have time before your tour begins, you may wish to explore the grounds around the mansion. Be sure to be at the front door of the mansion (under the second-floor portion of the home extending over the driveway) before your posted tour time, or your tour may begin without you, and you will not be able to join.
Your tour guide will ask for your tour ticket. Please be sure you have your tour ticket with you in some form.
Tours last approximately thirty minutes and include staircase ascents and descents. There are no ramps or elevators, and very limited opportunities to sit or rest during the tour.
The Glenmont Grounds, yes. The house, no. You must be part of a guided tour in order to enter the house.
How do I get a tour ticket?
Tour tickets reservations are only available through Recreation.gov and only booked in advance of the tour date. On certain days, same day tickets may be available at the park. If you do not reserve tickets and there are no same day tickets available, unfortunately you will not be able to tour the home. Tour tickets are released for public reservation in advance of the tour date, and can be done months in advance. Tour ticket releases depend on several factors, including staff availability, special events, and seasonal changes. As such, it is not possible to release tickets on a regular schedule. Once the tickets are available, they can be reserved, so there may be situations where tickets are booked out well in advance of the date.
What about same day tickets?
On certain days, same day tour tickets may be available at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center. These tickets are available to park guests until they run out, and are free of charge. Otherwise, they work just like advance tour tickets. Park staff cannot hold same-day tickets in advance.
When are tours available?
Tours are available on certain days (usually Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) when the park is open to the public, as staffing permits and according to the house's in-season and off-season. In rare circumstances beyond our control, guided house tours may be canceled, including those previously booked. You may always check our Alerts and Conditions page for sudden or ongoing disruptions, or call the Visitor Center desk (973-736-0550 x11) for the latest information.
Is the house tour accessible?
The Glenmont tour is not fully accessible. Guests must ascend and descend several flights of stairs with limited handrail use and stand unassisted for the duration of the thirty-minute guided tour. Guests may not wait unaccompanied in the home while the tour proceeds without them. A full video tour of the house is available to view at the Laboratory Visitor Center.
Can I leave the tour early?
Please inform your tour guide if you must leave the tour for any reason. You may not be able to rejoin the tour once you exit the mansion.
I missed a turn, arrived late to Glenmont, and missed my tour. Can I take the next tour?
No. Due to scheduling concerns, we cannot place additional people on subsequent tours or guarantee anything to make up for a missed tour. We encourage people to come to the Laboratory Complex one hour before their tour, leave for Glenmont about thirty minutes before the tour, and arrive at the estate with fifteen minutes to spare.
What do I need to take a tour of Glenmont?
Tour tickets, entry fees, Grounds Pass, and be at the front door, in that order.
Reserve tour tickets online at least one day in advance via Recreation.gov site; see instructions above. Every single person on the tour needs a ticket, including children, and there is a $1 reservation processing charge per ticket, which is not the same as an entry fee to the park and is not covered by park passes. On certain days, same-day tour tickets may be available at the park.
Go to Thomas Edison NHP Laboratory Complex Visitor Center on the day of the tour to pay entry fees (or present a valid pass) for everyone in your group, except children. Entry fees do not include advance tour tickets, which you reserve online.
Tell park staff you are going on a tour of Glenmont, and they will verify your ticket and give you a Grounds Pass to get into Llewellyn Park. Glenmont is inside Llewellyn Park, and you cannot get to Glenmont without a Grounds Pass, whether by foot, bike, or car. A Grounds Pass is not the same as a tour ticket, which must be reserved in advance.
Alternatively, you may ask park staff at the Visitor Center if there are any same-day tour tickets available. These tickets are free, limited in number, available on a first-come, first-serve basis to park guests, may not be reserved or held in advance, and are for specific tour start times. Same-day tour ticket holders also receive a Glenmont Grounds Pass to enable them to access the grounds of the estate where the tour begins.
You must get to the front door of the Glenmont by the appointed time of your tour. Tours can and will begin without every anticipated guest being present, so you will miss your tour, even if you have your tour ticket, entry fee, and Grounds Pass.
Tour ticket, entry fee, Grounds Pass, front door.
May I take pictures in Glenmont?
You may not take pictures or film while inside Glenmont.
Even if I have the flash off?
You may not take pictures or film while inside Glenmont, even with the flash off.
Entry fee - payment required for entry into the Thomas Edison National Historical Park, and therefore Glenmont. Can be waived by use of a park pass.
Glenmont - refers to both the estate and the mansion home used by Thomas and Mina Edison as their primary residence from 1886 through 1947.
"Glenmont Tour" - usually refers to the guided interior tour of Glenmont discussed on this page. Tour tickets, either advance or same-day, are required for a Glenmont Tour.
Grounds Pass - issued by National Park Service at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center to fee-paying visitors. Enables holder to go into the private community Llewellyn Park, and therefore go to Glenmont.
"Grounds Tour" - refers to tours of the area around the mansion's exterior. Tour tickets are not required for a Grounds Tour.
Llewellyn Park: One of America's first planned private communities, it maintains that status today, and is therefore gated and access restricted. The gatehouse is not staffed by NPS employees. Grounds Pass from the Edison laboratory Visitor Center necessary for entry. Tour tickets, park passes, and all other paperwork will not be accepted for neighborhood entry. The Edison family estate is only one of many homes inside the neighborhood.
Park pass - usually refers to Interagency Passes, as well as the park-specific digital pass only good at Thomas Edison NHP. Used to waive entry fees. Cannot be used as tour tickets or as a Grounds Pass.
Park staff - refers to both uniformed National Park Service employees and volunteers working directly with the NPS. Does NOT include the Llewellyn Park gatehouse.
Tour ticket - enables bearer to join a guided tour of the Glenmont mansion. They come in two varieities - advance and same-day.
Advance tour ticket - enables the bearer to join a guided tour of the Glenmont mansion. Must be reserved online in advance of the tour date.
Same-day tour ticket - enables the bearer to join a guided tour of the Glenmont mansion. Must be acquired at the Visitor Center on the date of the tour, and may not be reserved or held in advance prior to arrival.
973-736-0550
x11
Phones are monitored as staff are available with messages being checked Wednesday - Sunday. If a ranger is unavailable to take your call, we kindly ask that you leave us a detailed message with return contact information and we will be happy to get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.
