This is where Lincoln was assassinated. Story goes that Booth blocked the door and, when the funniest line of the play brought tumultuous laughter, shot the president. The former actor, in a mad fit, jumped off the balcony yelling (in Latin) "Thus always to tyrants" and ran off with a broken leg to a warehouse. He and a couple of his helpers were hung, including one woman. The place was later bought out and converted into an office until the second floor gave out and collapsed. It has been remodeled since to look like the original theatre. Go ahead and visit this place! It once again is very historical. For me, it was great! It was a place I had heard of over and over again in history class. To actually visit it was like a dream! The red fabric, the red seats, the balcony itself all brought back what it must have been like on that fatal day.

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him." ~Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln dreamed that he saw people crying, and when asked why, one man said that the president was dead. In this dream, he predicted his own assassination. I thought Lincoln died in Ford's Theater, but he actually died in a house across the street called the Peterson House. I sat through a presentation by a woman who said it was the day before Lincoln was assassinated, and that tomorrow they would have shows throughout the day.

Below the theater, after the dramatic occurrences, a museum was filled with the conspirators and the drape where John Wilkes Booth's heel was caught. Booth was the major actor, and like all actors, he knew where the back door was to escape out of. Even when he jumped off the balcony, injuring himself, he escaped. Lincoln was carried to a house across the street. A day later, Lincoln died in the house.

Down the street from the house is a Planet Hollywood and the FBI building, where you get haggled by vendors to buy their FBI sweatshirts and hats.

Ford’s Theatre is one of those places that I have always wanted to visit but have never quite managed to do. Every time I have been in Washington, nothing was playing there. It was meant to be this time, since the performance of 1776 was extended by a week, which made it possible for us to go.

I wasn’t sure what to expect; I guess I expected it to look like every other theater I’ve gone to in London or New York. In some ways it does, but I was totally surprised by the seats. They are wooden chairs with cushions tied on to make them more comfortable. Your program will be on your seat when you arrive, escorted by one of the ushers. You feel like quite a privileged guest.

By sheer dumb luck, I had ordered what the usher told me were the best seats in the house. I ordered our tickets online. We had two seats that were isolated by a metal railing from the rest of the audience. We had totally unobstructed viewing and more leg room than I can ever remember having. The rows are well-spaced, and they are raised enough to give everyone an excellent view. The acoustics in this venue are fantastic probably because it is relatively small.

The main reason I wanted to visit Ford’s Theatre had nothing to do with 1776 but was, of course, because of its historic significance. It was here in April of 1865 during a performance of My American Cousin that John Wilkes Booth fatally wounded Abraham Lincoln. He was removed across the street to Petersen House, where he died. John Wilkes Booth jump from the presidential box to the stage and escaped, although he had broken his leg.

The box is still there, draped in the American flag, and it is a formidable drop to the stage. The usher assured me that the stage has been raised since those days, so it was even a further drop in 1865. No one uses the boxes in the theater on either side these days. The occupants of the front row of the balcony on the right side, however, were able to lean over and look directly into President Lincoln's box.

Ford’s Theatre is located right next door to the Hard Rock Café, so if you are a fan, it makes a great before or after theater stop. I would highly recommend that you take a cab to the theater, as this is (as one of my guidebooks describes it) "a dicey neighborhood". Street construction has made it even more so.

I would have liked to visit Petersen House as well, but it is closed for renovation at this time. There are no productions playing at the theatre during the summer months. They will begin again in the fall, and you can check their website for upcoming productions.

This is where Lincoln was shot! The tour guide narrates the story, while you sit enrapt in one of the theater seats. He tells the drama in a way that makes it come alive. You can almost hear the shots ring out. Yes there is a line, yes it is worth the wait, this is a highlight! In the museum across the street, you will see Booth's murder weapon, the bed Lincoln died in, memorabilia of the infamous evening. Yellowed newspaper accounts of the event. Lincoln's tall hat. His clothes with the bullet hole colored by his blood. It is fascinating indeed.