Touring Historic Hanover Tavern Hanover, VA.

Hanover Tavern is located across the street from Hanover Courthouse. It was the place where the litigants and their attorneys would have gone to get a little sustenance during a trial. The tavern that sits here today is a combination of a family home and the 1800s tavern connected with a hyphen. The original tavern which was built in the early 18th century was razed and a new one put in its place so while Patrick Henry would not have dinned in the current tavern he might well have visited the Thilman family in their home.

The tavern over its lifetime has had many famous guests including George Washington, General Cornwallis, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Edgar Allen Poe as well as any number of both Confederate and Union generals and soldiers.

You enter the tavern from the rear which is the side that used to face the original road, the road was moved to the other side with the arrival of the railroad in the mid-19th century. You purchase your ticket and you are given a map and an audio guide. The tour begins on the front porch. You will receive an introduction to not only the tavern but the court complex and stone jail across the street.

In the main hallway of the Thilman home, you will learn about Patrick Henry’s first famous case right across the street at Hanover Courthouse. The current exhibition in the Thilman dining room was being taken down and a new one about the architecture will be taking its place.

13 stops make up the tour and they included the former bar which was also the post office. The Washington Room has a lot of information about transportation and how it affected the tavern and also the refugees who stayed here during the Civil War. In the Thilman Parlor, there is a display that tells you about Gabriel’s Revolt. Some of the Thilman family slaves were involved in the revolt which is why it is featured here.

Today, Hanover Tavern has a dinner theatre, a restaurant, and of course a historic tour. It is a popular venue for events and weddings. A new building is going to be added behind the current one. Allow at least an hour for the tour, more is even better. Plan your visit so that you can have lunch or dinner here, you won’t regret it. Their gift shop has a nice selection of books and made-in Virginia items.

Other places to visit in the area. Patrick Henry's Scotchtown.