Hillwood Museum and Gardens, Washington D.C.

Hillwood Estate, Museum and Gardens is a decorative arts museum in Washington, D.C. The former residence of businesswoman, socialite, philanthropist and collector Marjorie Merriweather Post, Hillwood is known for its large decorative arts collection that focuses heavily on the House of Romanov. Included in the collection are Fabergé eggs and 18th and 19th-century French art, as well as one of the country's finest orchid collections.

During her last marriage with Davies, who served as the second Ambassador to the Soviet Union in the mid-1930s, Marjorie Post acquired a vast collection of objects from pre-Bolshevik Russia, including a chandelier from the Catherine Palace that hung in her breakfast nook, and Fabergé artworks including the Twelve Monograms Easter egg. Post had her first guests to the house in May 1957 and hosted her first big party there on July 7, 1957. Hillwood quickly gained a reputation as one of Washington's "most extraordinary estates". In 1973, after Marjorie Post's death, Hillwood was converted into a museum. It is now maintained by the Post Foundation as the Hillwood Museum and Gardens, showcasing 18th and 19th-century French art and art treasures from Imperial Russia. The museum features over 17,000 objects from the original collection and selected objects collected after Post's death.

The Hillwood was designed in 1926 by landscape architect Willard Gebhart, creating a landscape molded around the twenty-five acres owned by Post. When renovating Hillwood, Post incorporated many of the garden designs into her interior design, creating the 'garden rooms' which feature touches unique to the Lunar Lawn and Rose Garden. Post's breakfast nook even includes an inside garden of orchids, bringing the outside in. The museum's exhibition also includes French parterre, a traditional Japanese-style garden, waterfall, Friendship Walk, Four Seasons Overlook, Putting Green, as well as a contemporary cafe with European-inspired fare, open for lunch and Sunday afternoon tea. The restaurant also provides free picnic blankets for dining on the garden grounds.

Tip:
Make your reservations for a docent-led tour as soon as you arrive – the docents are excellent and free and will provide a much better experience.
Definitely visit the greenhouses and if you are there in spring or summer, the garden tours are excellent.