Visitor Checklist

By reviewing the tips in this helpful visitor checklist, you'll maximize your chances of enjoying Fallingwater as it was meant to be experienced…with a sense of peace, harmony and serenity with nature.

Planning Your Visit

Advance tickets or reservations are essential for all tours at Fallingwater. Your reservation guarantees your tour. However, during times of heavy visitation, you may have a short wait upon arrival. While we book our tours every half hour, tours may begin as frequently as every six minutes. Once you arrive, we will put you in the first available tour in your time slot.

Please plan your visit a minimum of  two weeks in advance if you'd like to visit during our peak seasons in July, August or October. If you are bringing a group, please call at least six weeks in advance to avoid space limitations. View more details on booking a group tour for adult groups of 20 or more and student groups of 10 or more.

Specialty tours, like our Brunch and Sunset tours, are often sold out early in the season. Please book specialty tours months in advance.

Allow at least 15 additional minutes for travel. The roads around Fallingwater are rural, two-lane roads. Some of these roads are currently under construction. If you are running late, rest assured – your reservation or ticket purchase guarantees you a tour of the house as long as you arrive before the last tour of the day. Please review these handy maps and directions to Fallingwater.

Because Fallingwater is located in a rural area, there is no public transportation to Fallingwater. You will need a car to travel to Fallingwater from your point of arrival or destination. Ride sharing services, like Uber and Lyft, are currently not available in the area surrounding Fallingwater.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, Fallingwater welcomes trained service animals. Please review our service animal guidelines before visiting Fallingwater.

Read or print our Visitor Guidelines for a quick list of do's and don'ts regarding your visit and tour of Fallingwater.

On The Day of Your Visit

• Allow enough time on-site for a stroll around the wonderful grounds around Fallingwater and experiencing our Visitor Center where you will find our Museum Store and Café. We recommend that you plan to stay with us for at least two hours.
• Expect considerable walking. Please wear comfortable walking shoes! There is a ¼ mile walk from the visitor center to the house. We offer a shuttle service to and from the house.
• Service animals are welcome to join you on the tour and on the grounds around the house.
• Children must be at least six years old and must be accompanied by an adult 18 years or older during the regular one-hour guided house tour. Children must be nine years old to accompany adults on any specialty tours. Additional information about visiting with infants and children at Fallingwater can be found on the Frequently Asked Questions page.
• Note that there are no public restrooms inside Fallingwater. Please use the restrooms at our Visitor Center prior to beginning your tour.
• Come prepared for the weather. More than half of the tour is conducted outside, and mountain temperatures are generally about ten degrees colder than those in Pittsburgh.
• Summer tours are more comfortable in the cooler, morning hours.
• Only small wallets and handheld cameras are permitted on tour. For the protection of Fallingwater and its collections, handbags larger than 10x10x3 inches (25x25x8cm), backpacks of any size, camera bags, tripods and other cumbersome items are prohibited inside Fallingwater and must be left in vehicles or placed in lockers at the Visitor Center prior to your tour
• Fallingwater’s rooms are open for you to walk through with your guide. However, the hallways and doorways are narrow. To protect the house, our staff reserves the right to check any over-sized items at the front door.
• Fallingwater is a carry-in/carry–out facility. To encourage recycling and reduce odor from waste, we ask that you take your trash with you.
• Pets are not permitted in Fallingwater, at the Visitor Center or on the grounds around the house. While we suggest you don't leave pets in your car, please use caution if you choose to do so. Our parking lot has limited shade and we cannot guarantee a shaded parking spot.  When walking your pets in the parking lot areas, please be sure to use a leash and be courteous of other visitors by cleaning up after your pet.
• We understand that many Fallingwater visitors will have accessibility concerns. We are constantly working to make the visit comfortable for everyone. If you haven’t visited us before, view our Accessibility at Fallingwater page for a few tips to help you make your visit more enjoyable.
• Photography, painting, and sketching is not permitted at any point during regular guided house tours. Exterior photography, painting and sketching is permitted for personal use only and cannot be sold, published or posted on a website without permission of the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. Original works may be exhibited, but reproductions or prints may not be produced. This includes, but is not limited to all photographs, paintings, sketches and drawings generated during your visit.
• The use of drones is not permitted on the property. This prohibition extends to any drone launched or operated from Fallingwater property, as well as drones launched from private property outside of Fallingwater but flying over Fallingwater boundaries and/or above Fallingwater facilities.

Families with Young Children

• Children find Fallingwater intriguing, with the waterfall, the natural landscape and all of the mysterious nooks and crannies throughout the house. But please remind them that it is also a museum. Prior to coming, explain that while we want them to love the place, during the tour they will not be able to touch anything, sit down, or be picked up at any time.
• If you have younger children (between the ages of 6 to 12) you may want to consider our Children's Tour.  This tour is designed for the children and has hands-on activities, a walk along the stream and a visit to selected rooms in the house.
• Families may also choose to hike the grounds or nearby Bear Run Nature Reserve while waiting for the rest of their party to complete their house tour.