Glensheen Mansion
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Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate is a 20,000 square foot mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth as a historic house museum.
attractions: Congdon Park, restaurants:
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Description
Glensheen, the Historic Congdon Estate is a 20,000 square foot mansion in Duluth, Minnesota, United States, operated by the University of Minnesota Duluth as a historic house museum.
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So before coming here I had no idea why this mansion was famous and who lived here before, but I knew this was a popular tourist destination so I gave it a go. I was amazed and I loved the experience and happy to give it a try. I would say that this tour is not for "everyone" just because in the end of the day is a house/mansion and yeah it does tell the story of the family Congdon and their time living there. So if you are not into art, history and houses (like my husband) I don't think you will like so much. Luckily I went with my mom. In general there is two prices one which the difference is one gives you access to the third flow and attic. Is it worth it? Again is up to you, I did pay the full price too see the entire house tour and I loved it. It is something me and my mom found fascinating. The tour was self guided and easy to follow. There were people in each floor to answer questions or anything we wanted to know. Very helpful and friendly people. Also as mentioned before I didn't know who were the Congdon so in this tour I could see a little bit of how was their lives, their personality and their taste. Them I found out later that there was a crime that happened in this mansion which I thought was interesting know there was nothing around this tour that indicated that. So I read a little and realized this was something they choose to do in order to the tourist learn more about Congdon family and their achievements than the one day murder event. There is free parking, and google points to the wrong entry gate lol just follow the signs. Also you cannot eat while inside of the mansion, no photos with flash or recordings too.
Marcia Terazzi BassoMarcia Terazzi Basso
10
I love gilded age mansions. Whenever I can, I relish the opportunity to explore them. I first visited Glensheen as a child, and it has changed a lot! It was great to be able to see everything from top to bottom. One thing that distinguishes this mansion from many other survivors of its vintage is that it still has most of the family's stuff! This really increases the immersion and educational value. Often surviving mansions have long since had their furnishings dispersed for various reasons, leaving them feeling a bit liminally hollow or weakly put together. Not so here. This space genuinely still feels like the family home that it was. It is the many many little details that really make it what it is. Of course, the mansion and estate are immaculately crafted and well maintained. Even if your interest in early twentieth century art, architecture, and design are minimal, it can be a blissful place to be. Sit by lake superior and watch the ships. Play in the creek. One time there was a blacksmith demoing his trade. I hear that they also hold concerts and other events. I think it is also available as an event venue, for which the winter porch is furnished. If you happen to be near Duluth and have a few hours, this place is hands down worth going to.
Brent GrollaBrent Grolla
00
An amazing estate to tour with an interesting history which gives you a peek into how a wealthy family of Duluth lived at the turn of the 20th century. I did the full mansion tour and enjoyed seeing the boys rooms on the third floor as well as the storage space in the attic that aren't included in the classic tour, which includes the master bedroom and girls rooms on the second story, main floor as well as the basement with the servants quarters. The grounds are also beautiful and worth spending an hour or so wandering. There is a gift shop, ice cream shop, and a cart selling beer, wine, and a couple of cocktail options with a lot of outdoor seating by the water to sit and enjoy your ice cream or drink. Overall a beautiful house worth the $32 ticket for the full mansion tour to see (get there early to do the full mansion tour, you have to buy those tickets in person and I got one of the last tickets at 9:30am on a Saturday, just 30 minutes after they opened). My favorite rooms were the breakfast room (the oak leaf stain glass is incredible!) And Helen's room (the pink and green tiled fireplace?!).
Brittany SavoieBrittany Savoie
30
We took the servant's tour in the morning and then the summer evening tour that night. The first tour ended up just being my boyfriend and I with our guide. She was knowledgeable and allowed us time to explore, take photos and ask questions. We got so much out of our tour it was great. Then we spent an hour or so walking around on the grounds. We sat by the lake and just soaked it all up. Later, the Summer Evening Tour guide was phenomenal and we got even more!! We got to see all of the floors, including the attic and the boathouse. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the tour enjoyable. Both tour guides took interest in their guests but you could see that they enjoyed their jobs!! This place is STUNNING. I took rather 300+ photos and am already planning on my next trip to Glensheen!! I suggest you bring some good walking shoes, wear light clothing (can be stuffy in the home) and some bottled water!! Great for all ages!!!
Katherine ManeyKatherine Maney
10
I first visited the mansion when I was in elementary and loved it. I went back a couple years ago and was glad I did to see it 30 years later from a different perspective. I try to visit any historic mansions/homes I can when I travel and have seen as big as the Newport, RI mansions and smaller like the Molly Brown house. I'd recommend touring the mansion to anyone that enjoys that type of thing since the history and look/feel is well worth it. Some parts of the building/etc. have some wear and tear, but I didn't see it as a negative considering the age and all. The workers were friendly, parking/accommodations good, price very reasonable, and overall it is a great value. The books available are great to for some of the interesting history. I plan to check it out again in the near future, maybe for some kind of event or something a little different than just a normal walk through.
Joe PetersonJoe Peterson
00
Our group had an amazing time at the mansion! Everything was absolutely beautiful, the tour was just right, and the app was the perfect addition to our self-paced timing through the building. If I could change anything about our entire experience it is only one silly, rather selfish thing. My favorite part of the entire tour was the signs on the doorknobs throughout the building. Some of them said there was "nothing interesting behind the door", others said that the doors were "tired and couldn't handle being opened anymore due to their age" or stress. If those signs have been available in the gift shop, I would have had to buy every single one to take home with me, and I would have thought about the mansion every time I opened every door in my house for the rest of forever . Instead of bringing home door signs, we picked up some books in the gift shop. Can't wait to read them!
Megan CoburnMegan Coburn
110
Nearby Attractions Of Glensheen Mansion
Congdon Park
Congdon Park
4.9
(167)Click for details
Reviews
Overview
4.7
(1.8K reviews)
Phone
(888) 454-4536
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Website
glensheen.org
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