If you haven't been to the Fraunces Tavern Museum yet, it's definitely worth a visit. First of all, it's the oldest building in Manhattan, dating all the way back to 1719. While it was built as a mansion, the building has had lots of other uses over the years including as a dance hall, a boarding house, commercial space and a home for government offices in America's early days.
This 18th-century tavern used to be George Washington’s watering hole and the site of his famous farewell to the troops at the Revolution’s close. During the mid- to late 1780s, the building housed the fledgling nation’s departments of war, foreign affairs and treasury. In 1904, Fraunces became a repository for artifacts collected by the Sons of the Revolution in the state of New York.
These days, the museum operates on the upper floors of the building daily from noon-5pm with $10 adult admission. Permanent exhibits include a George Washington portrait gallery, a re-creation of the post-Revolutionary foreign affairs office, commemorative war objects and a deep dive into the building’s history. It’s also home to “The Long Room” where Washington delivered his famous farewell to officers at the end of the Revolution. Today, the room is furnished with period objects and used as an educational space.
The tavern and restaurant serve hearty fare at lunch and dinner.