Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Ñaño house with mausoleum skull in foreground.
Ñaño Casa Museo
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
Honningsvåg Bamse Statue
The salt cairn.
The Lewis and Clark Salt Works
South entrance.
Reigate Tunnel
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
10 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
11 days ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
11 days ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
11 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States New York State New York City Walt Whitman's Birthplace
AO Edited

Walt Whitman's Birthplace

The famed poet was born in 1819 in a farmhouse built by his father.

Huntington Station, New York

Added By
rutabagarabbit
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
The front of the farmhouse where Walt Whitman was born. The house was built by his father, Walt Whitman Sr.   rutabagarabbit / Atlas Obscura User
The front of the farmhouse where Walt Whitman was born. The house was built by his father, Walt Whitman Sr.   rutabagarabbit / Atlas Obscura User
A statue on the grounds of the museum, gifted by a Japanese poet to honor Walt Whitman.   rutabagarabbit / Atlas Obscura User
Thought to be one of the oldest lilac bushes in the country, it is located just outside the window of Walt’s room. It is thought that it inspired Whitman’s poem “When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d.”   rutabagarabbit / Atlas Obscura User
A penny embedded in the staircase of Whitman’s home. Even as the home has changed hands, the coin has remained.   rutabagarabbit / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Long before he wrote famous poems including "O Captain! My Captain!" and "Song of Myself,"  Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, in a farmhouse in Huntington, Long Island.

The house was constructed by his father, who added several architectural quirks that distinguish it from others of its time—including a staircase built with every step of a different height and a penny embedded in the banister. Whitman, who was the second of nine children, lived here with his parents, older brother, and younger sister (grandma stayed over too on occasion) for the first four years of his life, before moving to Brooklyn in 1823.

It was in his birthplace, where his family kept a farm, that he developed his love of nature and admiration for the virtues of day-to-day labor. After Whitman's family moved out, the house passed through various tenants—some of whom respected its storied origins more than others.

In 1949, it was nearly sold for development before intervention from the newly founded Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, which ran a campaign across Long Island to buy the property. Nowadays, the birthplace is a museum managed by the Association and New York State.

Visitors can get a tour of the place that birthed the father of free verse.

Related Tags

Literature History & Culture Houses Poetry

Know Before You Go

Admission to the museum is $8 for adults, $6 for students, and $7 for seniors/military. It isn't very busy, so you're practically guaranteed to get an in-depth, personal tour from the knowledgeable docents. Make sure to ask if you can hear what is thought to be the only recording of Walt Whitman's voice.

Community Contributors

Added By

rutabagarabbit

Published

July 7, 2023

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman
  • Brochures from the museum
  • https://www.waltwhitman.org/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walt_Whitman
  • https://www.waltwhitman.org/about-the-birthplace/
  • https://www.waltwhitman.org/about-whitman/
  • https://www.waltwhitman.org/about-wwba/
Walt Whitman's Birthplace
247 Walt Whitman Rd
Huntington Station, New York, 11746
United States
40.820729, -73.412333
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Jayne's Hill

West Hills, New York

miles away

Baseball Fields at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage, New York

miles away

The Whaling Museum

Cold Spring Harbor, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Nearby Places

Jayne's Hill

West Hills, New York

miles away

Baseball Fields at Old Bethpage Village Restoration

Old Bethpage, New York

miles away

The Whaling Museum

Cold Spring Harbor, New York

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of New York State

New York State

United States

Places 807
Stories 45

Related Places

  • Robert Penn Warren’s Birthplace

    Guthrie, Kentucky

    Robert Penn Warren's Birthplace

    The birthplace of the first author to win the Pulitzer Prize in fiction and poetry.

  • Waiting for Poe

    Westford, Massachusetts

    'Waiting for Poe'

    This sculpture memorializes the town's connection to the famous horror author Edgar Allan Poe.

  • Segovia, Spain

    Antonio Machado House-Museum

    Poet Antonio Machado's former residence offers the quintessential Castilian lifestyle of the provincial towns in the early 20th century.

  • Robert Burns Ellisland Farm

    Holywood, Scotland

    Robert Burns Ellisland Farm

    Experience history from the stomping grounds of the great Scottish poet.

  • The Book of Aneirin

    Aberystwyth, Wales

    The Ancient Books of Wales

    Welsh literary history is preserved in the delicate pages of these medieval manuscripts.

  • Khalil Gibran Memorial Monument

    Washington, D.C.

    Khalil Gibran Memorial Monument

    Surrounded by a verdant garden and a backdrop of ivy, a monument to beloved poet Khalil Gibran stands outside of the Lebanese embassy.

  • Roxbury, New York

    John Burroughs Woodchuck Lodge

    The Catskills retreat of naturalist writer John Burroughs.

  • Grant’s Cottage.

    Wilton, New York

    Ulysses S. Grant Cottage National Historic Landmark

    This picturesque cottage was the site of Ulysses S. Grant’s final and perhaps most important campaign.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.