Fraunces Tavern Museum050

Originally built as an elegant home for a prosperous mercantile family in 1719, this landmark structure was one of the finest dining and drinking establishments in New York City prior to and during the Revolution War.

Rebels met and planned what would become the American Revolution while enjoying its hospitality and food. George Washington wept as he bade farewell to his officers in 1783, at the close of the Revolution, in the Tavern's Long Room. In the late 1780s, the Tavern housed the offices of the federal government's Departments of Foreign Affairs, War, and Treasury.

Today the Museum, located on the building's second and third floors, contains a number of permanent and changing exhibitions and offers tours for both children and adults designed to stimulate curiosity about the past. On the second floor, there is a small permanent display in the original Long Room depicting Washington's farewell meal, complete with drinks and a plastic turkey.

The third floor houses temporary exhibitions.

The somewhat elegant restaurant, on the ground floor, although authentic in feeling, has no connection with the original Tavern or the museum. Still, it's a fun place to eat and imagine you're back in the days of the revolution, surrounded by spies! No Kids' Menu at the moment, but one is in the works, and in the meantime the chef will try to accomodate smaller stomachs.