Believe it or not, in my nine months living in Russia, the Tolstoi house may have been the most pleasant tourist attraction I visited. The house is well presented, permeated with family gossip. You'll see the stairs where Tolstoi's children sledded down on silver trays. You'll see the cobbler's bench where Tolstoi worked when he had longings to be "common." You'll see his favorite daughter's room (and find out which one was his favorite). Of course, you'll see where he wrote "War and Peace". Not just a place for literary buffs, the Tolstoi house presents a vivid picture of Russian life at a certain social class. You may wish to bring an English guide along. If I remember correctly, the infrastructure for Anglophones was not terribly well developed. Great fun!