Alden B. Dow Home & Studio

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 ¾ of the house is surrounded with the pond. I will probably take friends back to experience this!

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.

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:
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).