Burgwin-Wright Museum House

Name

Burgwin-Wright Museum House

Legal name

Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens

Website

https://burgwinwrighthouse.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1770

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Historic House Museum

NAICS

Historical Sites (71212)

akta.pro primary industry

Architecture & Urban Design Tours (THAJAAAD)

Keywords

• Historic house museum
• Guided walking tours
• Educational field trips
• Event venue rental
• Colonial heritage preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilmington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Museum Admission: Ticket sales for guided house tours, with adult ($22), youth ($11), and free admission for children under 5 and members.
2. Membership Dues: Annual membership program with six tiers ranging from $40 (Individual) to $1,000 (Benefactor), providing unlimited admission and exclusive benefits.
3. Venue Rental: Private event rentals of gardens and courtyard for weddings and events, with occupancy limits of 100 outside/50 inside, plus damage deposit and tax.
4. Photography Sessions: Garden and house photography sessions for portraits, weddings, and workshops at $150-$250 for two to three hours.
5. Gift Shop Sales: Merchandise sales including books on Colonial and local history, folk toys, specialty food items, local art, and novelties.
6. Specialty Tours: Premium experiences including Night Tours ($25), Walking Tours ($25), River Cruises, and specialty themed tours.
7. Scarf Fundraiser: Fundraising merchandise (100% silk scarf designed by Marisol Deluna) sold for $110 plus tax.
8. Donations: Voluntary donations encouraged for garden tours ($5 suggested) and general support.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens operates a historic house museum built in 1770 in downtown Wilmington, NC, offering guided and self-guided tours of the colonial-era structure, jail ruins, seven colonial-style gardens, and museum exhibits. The organization provides daily house tours, themed walking tours, night tours, school field trips, private event venue rental, photography sessions, a multi-season podcast on Cape Fear regional history, art shows, craft markets, and a membership program with multiple tiers.

Product overview

The Burgwin-Wright House and Gardens operates as a historic house museum offering guided tours, educational programs, and cultural events. The organization provides multiple tour types including daily house tours, garden tours, night tours, architectural tours, group tours, school field trips, and specialized Outlander-themed tours. The museum also hosts venue rentals for private events and photography sessions. A digital presence includes the 'Burgwin-Wright Presents' podcast with multiple seasons exploring Cape Fear regional history, Colonial-era legends, and ghost stories. The museum offers art exhibitions through Fourth Friday Gallery Nights, seasonal craft markets, and an annual Holiday Open House. Revenue is supplemented through gift shop sales, museum memberships with multiple tier levels, and venue rental services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Daily House Tours Guided tours of the 1770 Georgian colonial house and former 1744 city jail, offered Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with tours on the hour; adult $22, youth (ages 6-17) $11, children under 5 and members free.
• Garden Tour Self-guided tour of seven distinct colonial-style garden areas including an orchard, terrace gardens, rose garden, kitchen garden, physic garden, and parterre; suggested $5 donation for garden-only visits, gardens free during regular museum hours.
• Group Tours Private group tours for parties of 15 or more at discounted rates ($20 adults, $9 school groups), available outside normal hours or on closed days by pre-paid reservation.
• Night Tour Candlelit evening tour of the mansion focusing on colonial rituals and superstitions, offered first Friday of each month with limited space and advance registration at $25 per person plus tax.
• Architectural Tour Specialized tour focusing on the colonial architecture of the house and 1840 modifications, offered by reservation to groups.
• Outlander Tours Themed walking tours and river cruises exploring Colonial North Carolina history featured in the Outlander book and TV series, including 'Outlander in the Cape Fear' experiences.
• Cape Fear Legends & Lore Walking Tour 90-minute walking tour exploring 300 years of Cape Fear history including underground tunnels, Lord Cornwallis' Revolutionary War visit, Yellow Fever epidemic, and Prohibition era; $25 plus tax per person.
• Colonial Wilmington & The Revolution Walking Tour Walking tour visiting sites from Wilmington's earliest days including the former jail, courthouse, and market sites, exploring the city's role in the American Revolution; $25 plus tax per person.
• School Field Trip Program Educational program for students aligned with social studies standards, featuring guided tours of the furnished house, 1744 jail buildings, and outdoor kitchen house; virtual options available for schools in New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick counties; $9 per student for groups of 15+.
• Private Event Venue Rental Rental of the Colonial Revival gardens, courtyard, catering kitchen, restrooms, and Kidder Art Gallery for weddings and private events, with occupancy up to 100 outside and 50 inside; includes venue fee, $500 refundable damage deposit, 7% state sales tax, and 3% credit card fee.
• Photography Sessions Photography session rentals in the gardens and house for bridal, wedding, senior, and family portraits; $150 for two hours in gardens only, $250 for three hours including one hour in the house.
• Museum Membership Annual membership program with six tiers (Individual $40, Couple $75, Family $100, Steward $250, Patron $500, Benefactor $1,000) offering unlimited admission, 20% gift shop discount, early access to events, and exclusive member benefits.
• Gift Shop Retail shop offering books on Colonial and local history, folk toys, locally made specialty food items, local art and crafts, note cards, postcards, and historical novelties.
• Burgwin-Wright Presents Podcast Podcast series exploring Cape Fear region history through multiple seasons including 'Outlander in the Cape Fear,' 'Cape Fear Legends & Lore,' 'Haunted Tales of the Cape Fear,' and 'North Carolina's Great American Treasures,' distributed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, and Stitcher.
• Scarf Fundraiser Fundraising merchandise item featuring a 100% silk scarf designed by Marisol Deluna, sold at the gift shop for $110 plus tax with proceeds supporting the museum.
• Art Shows (Fourth Friday Gallery Nights) Monthly art exhibitions featuring local artists in the Kidder Art Gallery, with opening receptions every fourth Friday from 6-9 p.m. coordinated with Arts Council of Wilmington; admission is free.
• Craft Markets Seasonal craft markets (Spring, Summer, Fall, Holiday) featuring 30 vendors throughout the gardens and visitor center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with free admission.
• Holiday Open House Annual colonial-era decorated holiday event featuring fresh greenery, fruits and flowers, period costume interpreters, and live music by Masonboro Parlor; admission is free with donations appreciated.
• Recorded Programs Library Library of recorded video programs from past museum events including lectures on colonial medicine, orchid growing, tea parties, cemetery history, and conservation, featuring historians from Tryon Palace, Fort Fisher, Brunswick Town, and other historic sites.

Quantifiable outcome

• Free annual field trip for all 4th graders in New Hanover County schools since 1952
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of North Carolina (NSCDA-NC)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1937Parent nonprofit organization that saved the house from demolition in 1937 and has operated it as a museum since 1951. NSCDA-NC owns and supports the property as part of its historic preservation mission. Founded in 1894.
• Wilmington Water TourscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint river cruise partnerships for 'Outlander in the Cape Fear' themed cruises on the Cape Fear River, combining historic walking tour content with waterfront experience.
• Arts Council of WilmingtonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCoordinates Fourth Friday Gallery Nights, a consortium of over 20 art venues in Wilmington, hosting monthly art show openings at the museum's Kidder Art Gallery.
• Cape Fear Revolutionary War Round TableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts educational presentations and talks at the museum on Revolutionary War history, such as the 'Domestic Medicine in Colonial America' talk by Charles Brett.
• Various Guest Speakers and PresentersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts recorded programs featuring historians, conservators, archaeologists, and authors on topics related to Cape Fear regional history. Includes presentations from Tryon Palace, Fort Fisher, Brunswick Town, and other historic sites.
• New Hanover County SchoolscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides free annual field trips for all 4th graders since 1952, complementing social studies curriculum with hands-on colonial history education.
• Diana Gabaldon / Starz (Outlander)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerLeverages the Outlander book series and Starz TV series as a framework for sharing real Colonial North Carolina history, driving significant tourism interest to the museum.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Historic Bath State Historic Site: North Carolina's oldest town, preserved as a state historic site with guided tours of colonial-era buildings and gardens. Comparable as a small NC coastal colonial historic site with similar tour-based revenue model and educational programming.
• Cape Fear Museum: Wilmington's local history museum operated by New Hanover County. Comparable as a Wilmington-based history/heritage institution competing for the same visitor and school-group audience, though it is a larger facility focused on broader regional history.
• Tryon Palace: North Carolina's premier colonial-era historic site in New Bern, featuring reconstructed colonial buildings, gardens, and educational programs. Comparable as a colonial-period historical attraction with tours, gardens, school partnerships, and event rentals, but at significantly larger scale.
• Latimer House: Wilmington historic house museum offering tours of a preserved 1852 home with period furnishings, school programs, and special events. Identical operating model and customer segments, and the Burgwin-Wright team has direct employment ties (Sarah Creel previously interned there).
• USS North Carolina Battleship: Major Wilmington tourist attraction offering self-guided and guided tours of a WWII battleship. Comparable as a flagship Wilmington historical attraction with overlapping tourist audience, though at substantially larger scale and with a different historical period focus.
• Bellamy Mansion Museum: Historic house museum in downtown Wilmington, NC, also offering guided tours of an antebellum mansion, educational programs, and venue rentals. Most directly comparable peer given identical city, similar product mix (tours, events, gift shop, memberships), and overlapping visitor base.
• Fort Fisher State Historic Site: NC state historic site preserving a Civil War-era fort and offering interpretive tours and educational programs. Comparable as a NC coastal historic attraction in the lower Cape Fear region that draws similar school groups and history tourists.
• Old Baldy Lighthouse and Smith Island Museum of History: North Carolina coastal historic site on Bald Head Island offering lighthouse tours and a local history museum. Comparable as a small NC historic site with tours, educational programs, and visitor experiences; the Burgwin-Wright Assistant Director previously worked there.
• Historic Edenton State Historic Site: NC state historic site featuring guided tours of colonial and antebellum homes along with gardens and educational programs. Comparable as a small NC colonial-era historic house museum with tour-based admissions and school group programming.

Broad incumbents

• Colonial Williamsburg: The largest and most established colonial-era living history destination in the US, with extensive gardens, costumed interpreters, and educational programs. Comparable as a colonial-period interpretive attraction with gardens (the Burgwin-Wright gardens were designed by Colonial Williamsburg landscape architects) and educational mission, but operates at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubepodcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/burgwin-wright-presents/id1610928557
• Facebookfacebook.com/BurgwinWrightHouse
• Instagraminstagram.com/theburgwinwrighthouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/burgwin-wright-museum-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Burgwin-Wright Museum House