This post “Historical Travel For Kids – The Helen Keller House Tour” was sponsored by Visit Alabama in Partnership with the Helen Keller Birth Place. All opinions expressed are my own. For more information on or sponsored post and/or affiliate link policy, please click here.

If you're fascinated with the life of Helen Keller and happen to find yourself in Alabama, a trip to Tuscumbia is in order. Here, you will find the birthplace of Helen Keller. Pop in and experience the Helen Keller House Tour and take your kids on a historical adventure that will bring their textbooks to life.

Memorial fountain plaque honoring Ms. Helen Keller donated by the Lions Club of Alabama.

Historical Adventures – Helen Keller House Tour

Reese and I always fill our trips to the brim with fun stuff to do, and while in Alabama, that was no exception. I had mentioned to the tourism board that Reese was a huge fan of Helen Keller…okay, maybe even a little obsessed lol. So we were super excited when they were gracious enough to set up a tour for us while we were in town. This tour far more than exceeded my expectations (and Reeses) and I highly recommend it to anyone who has an interest in the fascinating life of Helen Keller or for those who want to learn more about braille. Helen Keller House Tour

Entrance to the Helen Keller House

Helen Keller’s house is located in Tuscumbia Alabama, which is about 3 hours from Montgomery and roughly an hour from Huntsville. I'll admit it’s a bit out of the way (which is why we almost skipped it), but Reese and I love a good adventure and there was no way she was going to let us get this close and not go. Skipping this tour would have made for a loooong flight back home and I'm sure I would have gotten the silent treatment lol. Reese has read several books on Helen Keller, done two reports on her and even made an attempt to learn braille. Helen Keller House Tour

Famous sculpture of Helen and Anne Sullivan. If you look closely you will notice their arms form a heart. This was done on purpose by the artist.

The famous well where Anne taught Helen the word water. It was actually at this well and at this moment where Anna discovered the true meaning of sign language. She remembered as a young child what water felt like and remembered the word. When Anne signed the word “WATER” into her hand Helen was able to understand at that point that every object had a name and everything finally started to make sense.

Despite it being out of the way, it was really worth it. I myself knew a bit about Helen Keller prior to coming but Reese and I were able to learn so much more about her and honestly, it was quite humbling. The home was built in 1820 right before Alabama became an official state. Called Ivy Green, it’s a simple Southern-style home but you can feel the history rippling through it as you tour the home.

The downstairs portion of the home is done through a guided tour while the upstairs is self-guided. You’ll see where Helen Keller spent her days along with Anne Sullivan who is known better as “The Miracle Worker.” Somehow, this beautiful home and grounds managed to survive the Civil War without destruction and all the details have been well-preserved. Helen Keller House Tour

Famous Helen Keller statue. There are only two in the world. This one and the other is in Washington D.C. at the Capitol building. It the only statue in the building that people can touch.

Our absolute favorite part of the Helen Keller House Tour was seeing the Helen Keller statue. We got to touch it too, and Reese and I shared a moment of appreciation that we had all our senses. Imagining the world of darkness Helen Keller knew and how she triumphed over it really touched our hearts.

We also loved that the guides for the Helen Keller House Tour were VERY knowledgeable. They told us some amazing stories that really brought the tour to life for us. From the house, we went out to tour the grounds and see the Lion’s Club’s International Memorial Fountain. The whole place was beautiful from top to bottom and inside out, plus it was great to enjoy history with my favorite little history buff, Reese. Helen Keller House Tour

This is the kitchen. During this time period, the kitchens were outside of the house because they used open ovens like the one shown to cook.

Reese isn’t just interested in the life of Helen Keller, she also thinks braille is a pretty cool tool. If your kids are interested in learning more about braille, you can visit http://braillebug.afb.org/ to help them learn more. There’s even a section of games and secret messages.