Baler Escapade : The Doña Aurora House
I have been to many ancestral houses and they never really failed to amuse me. I can’t help but to appreciate the effort of restoring and preserving these classic houses so that younger generations will still have chance to witness them. The open air museum of Las Casas Filipinas De Acuzar in Bataan for an instance is such a brilliant concept that will seemingly take you back in time because of their huge collection of ancestral houses. The ancestral house of Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon in Baler no different at all. It is a well-preserved ancestral house that somehow reminds me of the Baldomero Aguinaldo Mansion in Cavite (Check Baldomero Aguinaldo Mansion) and that currently-under-restoration Case De Iturralde or Casa Consulado in Quiapo (Check Casa Consulado Museum and Library)
After spending some time exploring the Museo De Baler (Check Museo De Baler), we headed to the Doña Aurora House which is just few blocks away from the museum. We actually paid Php30 as an entrance fee for both Museo De Baler and Doña Aurora House. So who is Doña Aurora Aragon Quezon? The whole province of Aurora will not be named after her for no reason.
Aurora Aragon Quezon is known for being the second First Lady of the Country but is technically considered to be the first one to be called or recognized as such. But more than that, she was adored by many Filipinos for her humanitarian works. She is notably the first chairman of Philippine Red Cross where she and her daughters volunteered as nurses. Unfortunately, five years after her husband’s death, Quezón and her daughter “Baby” were assassinated while they were en route to open a hospital dedicated to her husband. Due to the legacy that she left, a former sub-province and now a separate one was named after her. The Aurora Boulevard is also named after the former First Lady.
What’s Inside the Doña Aurora House?
The two story ancestral house is entirely made of wood with the lower floor comprising the basement. It is generally a very simple house with small amount of memorabilia to offer but you can see how everything inside was well preserved.
From the basement, you will find some posters and pictures associated with the ancestral house and a brief history about it. Outside, you’ll see a huge historical marker.
There is also a huge backyard.
Once you entered the second floor, you will be welcomed by some old furniture. It actually feels like entering a typical old Filipino house. The Sala or Living room is comprised of bamboo chairs and coffee table. It’s like a typical Nipa House where windows are made from bamboos and the roof is made from Nipa palm.
A Rattan-made lamp shade on display along with an old-style flat iron. 
An antique yet still functional lamp
The simplicity of the ancestral house is also complimented by random colorful painting and portraits displayed on walls.
A pair of unique divider/shelves that separates the living room from the kitchen
Old Kitchenware displayed on the dining table
Another old memorabilia, an old sewing machine dated on 1899
Much like the Baldomero Mansion, the Doña Aurora House also features the so called “banguerra” usually built outside the dining area and is mainly used for drying table ware. Outside you’ll have a glimpse of the historical Baler Church which happened to be our next destination.
Supposed to be, one of the most interesting highlights of Doña Aurora house is the 1936 Chrysler Airflow Limousine, the presidential car that was formerly displayed on the garage but much like what happened to the Packard of Aguinaldo in Aguinaldo Shrine, the car was also surrendered to NHCP. I was able to see some of the Presidential car from the HistoryCon though along with other presidential cars (Check : HistoryCon – Presidential Cars).
Things To Know Before Visiting The Doña Aurora House
►The Doña Aurora House Entrance Fee is Php15 and you can avail the Php30 Package from Museo De Baler which gives you access on both facilities
►It is a simple two story wooden house with concrete basement
►There is really nothing much to see and a 10-15 minutes tour is enough to explore the place.
►There are comfort rooms available
How to Get to Doña Aurora House
►You can actually ride a Transit bus from Cubao via Genesis Bus which will take you directly to Baler. These airconditioned buses has daily trips from 3Am to 7:30 Am with 6-7 hours travel time. The fare would cost you around Php550-600 per head.
►Once you reach the Baler town proper or the Baler Plaza, you can explore all the nearby destinations such as Museo De Baler, Doña Aurora House, Baler Church and the public market as well.
Where to Stay in Baler?
Knowing that Baler is one of the top tourist destinations in the country, finding a place to stay here is not really a big challenge but of course, it would be ideal and less hassle to book your reservations as early as possible. There are many budget hotels, transient houses and of course those luxury hotels to stay in. You can check our list of hotels in Baler and see which one suits your budget
After a quick tour in Doña Aurora House, our group decided to visit the Baler Church, a small yet historical church and I am going to save that for my next Baler Entry.
For the mean time, feel free to follow me at my accounts for more updates:
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in case you missed my previous entries, here are the links below!
►Baler Escapade
►Ampere Beach of Dipaculao
►The Enchanting Balete Tree of Aurora (Millennium Tree)
►Museo De Baler
►The Doña Aurora House
►The Historical Church of Baler (Baler Church)
►Sabang Beach
►Sunrise in Baler
►Surfing 101 in Baler
►Baler’s Town Plaza
►Where To Stay in Baler
►Caunayan Falls
►Things You Should Buy When Visiting Baler
Before, I thought of Baler as just the surfing spot. Your post enlightened me at so many levels. But, it’s true that it was part of Quezon province? Right? *just clarifying* I love going to places and connecting with the culture that it brings. I really do wish that I could go here too! 🙂