The Valentine

Staff is friendly, and ready to help however they can. For example, staff can help open and close any doors, help you find quiet areas if needed, etc.

There are a couple manual wheelchairs and 1 cane available for those who need one, a social story available on their website, under “visit” and then “Access and Tips for Visiting” to get a sense of the experience before visiting, a portable chair in the historic Wickham House, and ASL interpreter accommodations can be made with two weeks advance notice for events and tours.

The location is service animal friendly, but not pet friendly, except in the garden.

There is one accessible parking space close to the accessible entrance in the parking lot behind the building. Once parked, you are required to hand your keys to a valet person because cars may be required to be moved in order for you to access your vehicle later, and the access aisle sometimes has cars parked in it, but these can be moved by the parking lot attendant as well upon request.

The pathway from the parking lot to the accessible entrance of the property is mostly smooth asphalt, brick, and a stone-like sidewalk that has both a ramp and a staircase from the parking lot level to the entrance level.

The main entrances and exits are clearly marked from the outside with white lettering on a red background, but there are no braille or tactile characters.

The main accessible entrance door is behind the building, with some signage directing you to it if you approach from the front of the building, and the accessible entrance has an automatic push button.

The surface of the location’s outdoor paths once within the property are mostly brick paths that can be uneven in spots, and a couple narrow pathways in the garden area due to furniture.

The interior of the main museum has wide paths with plenty of room to maneuver mobility devices, and the floor surface is a mix of compacted carpet and hardwood, and the main tour areas of the Wickham house are similar, with some of the rooms having limited maneuvering space due to stanchions that are put in place to block off certain areas of the rooms.

The majority of interior pathways are accessible.

The accessible route to the garden is off of the parking lot, with limited signage.

The front entrance to the museum has stairs to access it.

There is an elevator to the lower level of the main space where the restrooms are located, with limited signage, but it does have braille and tactile lettering next to each of the buttons in the elevator car.

The elevator did not appear to have audible signals to indicate which direction the car was going at the time of our assessment.

Some of the interior spaces are dimly lit in the historic Wickham House, which may be challenging for some.

Some ramps and stairs in the main two spaces, the museum and the house, and staircases in and around the garden space, may be a challenge for individuals as they are lacking handrails in spots, or only have handrails on one side, and some of the staircases and ramps have no handrail extensions.

There are several seating options available throughout with seating surfaces at accessible heights

The point of sale counter in the gift shop/visitor welcome area is at an accessible height, and staff provides assistance with credit cards for purchases.

There is some merchandise in the gift shop that may be difficult to reach for some, but staff is able to assist if needed.

The site is generally not too noisy, although depending on the number of people there can be echoes.

There are quiet spaces available on the lower level of the museum in the meeting room (if not in use) and the gardens.

Ask staff for a more quiet, private space if you would like assistance finding one.

Windows in the rooms of the Wickham house facing the garden have shades if a darker space is needed.

There are a couple multi-stall, gendered restrooms on the lower level of the main museum that are accessible, and there is an accessible single occupant restroom near the gardens.

The interior of each restroom/accessible stall is spacious. There are grab bars at good heights next to and behind each toilet, and the sinks and light switches in the multi-stall restrooms have a sensor to control them. The sinks, soap, and paper towel dispensers in each restroom are at accessible heights. There is a full length mirror available in the single occupant restroom.

Click the black "Accessibility Test Results" button at the top of this page to view in-depth accessibility metrics for this business!