For 17 years, encompassing the most productive period of his life, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (1835–1910) and his family lived in this striking orange-and-black brick Victorian house, which then stood in the pastoral area of the city called Nook Farm. Architect Edward Tuckerman Potter lavishly embellished it with turrets, gables and verandas, and some of the interiors were done by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Admission to the house is by guided tour only; advance ticket purchase is recommended.
Though Twain maintained that it was difficult to write in the house, it was here that he penned some of his most famous works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. A tour, which focuses largely on the house's beautifully restored interior design, is included in the admission fee. An extended 90-minute Living History Tour with a character from Twain's life is an additional $5, and well worthwhile.