Finally, we visit our historic, all-redwood carriage house, a remarkable survivor in downtown Oakland once threatened with demolition to make way for an on-ramp to Interstate 980, but still intact with horse stalls, tack room, bins, and a rickety stairway to the hayloft area.

The Pardee Home has been described as the finest intact Italianate villa estate remaining in northern California, and our guided tours offer a rare opportunity to see almost all of it!

· The museum is open for guided tours year-round, but by reservation only. Reservations can be requested for anytime between 9 a.m and 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday, though Sundays are also possible. Tours usually last one hour or longer. Reservations for smaller parties (less than ten people) should be requested at least 48 hours in advance of the desired tour time. Reservations for larger parties should be requested at least a week in advance.

Call the museum office at (510) 444-2187 to request a reservation, and we will try to confirm your request as soon as possible. If you reach the answering machine, please be sure to speak clearly and leave your name, phone number, desired date and time for a tour, and number in the party, to expedite the tour request. We do try to accommodate out-of-town visitors, in particular, and others who wish to request a tour without much notice, so feel free to call the above number and request a tour for later that day or the next day, and we will see if it is possible to arrange.

· Admission is $5 per person, free to children twelve and younger and to museum members.

· The museum has received a $30,000 grant from the State Office of Historic Preservation to achieve handicapped accessibility, but we are not yet accessible. The front portico stairway has eight steps, and the rear porch stairway has seven. The stairway to the second floor has twenty-two steps. We have photos and text on all the second-floor rooms to share with seniors and others who are unable to climb these stairs.

· Reservations can be made for " Tour and Tea" at any time of the year. The cost for a tour and basic tea (tea and scones) is $10 per person, and more elaborate teas, with as many as eight dishes, can be combined with tours for $25 per person. Please call us at (510) 444-2187 to arrange just the right tea and tour combination for your party and to discuss pricing.

· Tours of the Pardee Home can be combined with tours of such nearby attractions as Preservation Park or Old Oakland, offered through the city's Oakland Tours program, to make for a delightful full-day journey through Oakland history. Call or email us for details and for nearby restaurant recommendations.