This is a beautiful home, and an interesting look into power, politics and wealth in the early 20th century Duluth. Our docent, Brandon, was super well-informed and brought a lot of interesting regional history to the tour. The home is filled with beautiful craftsmanship and nareriaks. The grounds are also beautiful, and a nice place to take a stroll down to the lake. read more

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I've been to Glensheen for different reasons over the years. My first experience was going on a standard tour of the mansion, learning about the torrid history of the family that lived there, and seeing the beautiful decor of the mansion. The price for the tour could be expensive, but if you are savvy, look for coupons (they are often in the Duluth tour books, buy one ticket get one free). But my most recent experience with Glensheen was my favorite. We visited in the fall and they hosted a free event for photographers to photograph the grounds at sunrise. You didn't need to be a pro, just have a camera and be willing to haul yourself out of bed before the sun came up! The staff were there early brewing up some local Duluth coffee for the attendees and trying to get the group jazzed up about the potential for some great photos....despite the complete cloud-cover and rain. Womp, womp! No sun that morning, but they let us roam the grounds anyway and photograph any part of the exterior of the mansion we wanted. This was such a peaceful morning, just walking the grounds, snapping pictures, and not dealing with crowds of people or screaming children wanting to go home! It gave me an entirely different perspective of Glensheen I hadn't gotten on my tours before. Glensheen asked if any of us were willing to share photos we took with them, to tag them on social media and they even selected one of my photos to highlight! read more

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Scout was a great tour guide! Very informative. I would highly recommend the full 1.5 hour tour. Then you can explore the grounds as long as you like. read more

I love this place! I've gone Everytime I'm in Duluth! I would recommend it to anyone who hasn't been there. I brought kids aged 9,10&11 with and they even enjoyed it too. Can't wait to visit again! Everything about glensheen is beautiful! I spend hours walking the grounds and sitting by lake superior! read more

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Two years ago, we were in Duluth and were unable to tour this beautiful mansion. So, we made a special 2 1/2 hour drive to visit the area again. We came here on a rainy Saturday and it seemed a lot of people had the same idea. The guided tours sold out quickly, so we did the self-guided tour. This is a 39 room mansion built in the early 1900's. At the time it cost $850,000, which would cost about $30 million in today's money. I kept thinking is was sort of an American version of "Downton Abbey." After paying admission, you show your ticket to a guide and she gives a brief background (leaving out anything about the two murders that took place here in 1977) and sends you on your way. You get to see the first, second and basement floors. There are guides in almost every area to answer any questions about the decor, furniture and family background (except the murders). They are very informative on construction, the details of the family and customs of the day. It's a beautiful home built with only the best materials. Most of the original furniture is in the home. One guide told us the origin of two lamps that came from Egypt. The fabrics and wallpaper are showing signs of wear but I was told research is being done for restoration. I enjoyed touring the home and grounds. It is a must see! I wouldn't recommend taking small children as they would be bored. As for the tale about what took place in 1977, there is a book for purchase in the gift store. Frankly, I would have gone through the home without knowing about the tragic circumstances. I enjoyed it very much. read more

I stopped by this historic mansion during the winter and I wasn't able to fully appreciate the gardens surrounding the property. From the pictures, it's definitely something I'll have to come back to see in the summer! Many weddings take place on the property during the spring and summer when the plants and flowers are in full bloom. The home itself is pretty fantastic. Each room has a unique decorating style reflecting the personalities of the original owners and their children. There is a third floor available to tour if you are willing to pay an extra fee. I was told by a friend that it is the men's quarters and that the rooms are pretty boring and plain compared to the opulence of the women's quarters on the second floor. The price of admission of $15 a person was a bit high in my opinion. I think it would be better at $10. Parking is free. read more

Fantastic Jacobean mansion, very nice garden, and nice grounds. Waterfront dock and building neglected but understandable given priority of mansion upkeep. Portrayal of Congdon family seemed as though they were genuinely concerned about welfare of staff. Mansion was clearly of highest quality construction. Do not recall tour guide's name but she was thorough as she engaged our group's questions. Paid for full tour. Spendy but so is upkeep on 27,000 sq ft mansion. read more

Soooo disappointing, especially for the price. 15 dollars per person for a "self-guided" tour and of only 3 floors (not the whole house). It was even more for the whole tour (that was sold out) I also didn't know much about the place or the family so I was hoping to gain some more knowledge. yeah, came out with only knowing what their bedrooms and kitchen looked like. They have guides in each room but they don't really talk unless you ask them questions. THEY DON'T TALK ABOUT THE MURDERS "out of respect for the family". K well that would've been nice to know before I bought the tickets. read more

We did the self-guided, there's an app you can also download which would give you more info. Was very interesting to see the set up and read about the history. Staff was friendly enough and informative. The most interesting thing is Elizabeth's daughter though, but that's something you have to look up read more

$18 to just walk around?! They call it a "self-guided tour". Obscenely overpriced. There aren't even restrooms; you have to use a portapotty. read more

I'm a huge fan of historic homes! I love that they have a gift shop, the themes the tour guides highlight, and the amount they actual show of the home. I've seen a wedding rehearsal during my tour, and the space would be fabulous for hosting a large event. Definitely a must see for stopping through Duluth! read more

We had a great time at the Gleensheen mansion over the weekend. We did the "standard" tour and found it very informative. It was interesting to see how the 1% lived 100 years ago and makes you think we should have our own "Downton Abbey: Duluth." As others have pointed out, the tour guide does not talk about the murders, they should offer a Halloween Murder Mystery Tour, or something like that. It is part of the history after all. read more

Glensheen - Historic phone - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Duluth, Minnesota

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Attended my brother's wedding here in Sept and really was impressed with the overall beauty of the grounds as well as the organization of the coordinator. They are fairly selective on the vendors that can be brought in and are also very strict with what you can/cannot do within the mansion, but it's pretty reasonable... and come on! It's a museum, after all! The photos are amazing and the bride and groom were happy with the result. The reception room is long and narrow so it would prevent some larger weddings but it worked well for our small-ish group. The audio in the room is not so great though so if you have anyone planning on making long speeches, make sure you practice or bring in your own equipment. read more

What a great house! I wish I could live here... It's one of those places you go into and you can tangibly sense the lives that happened here. The artifacts, the furniture, the air itself are just full of that family-feeling and you just know that people really enjoyed being in the house. I wasn't so keen on having what felt like tour-gestapo at some points following me about (I am short and can't really see over most people, so I'd sort of linger to look for the stuff the guide talked about but couldn't see). I also would have liked to have had more of a chance to spend more time in each room, but alas. I understand the security measures and the worry about people nicking things, but I didn't feel like I got my full $15 out of the tour (they didn't even mention the murders or anything). Rockpicking at the beach in the back of the grounds is actually pretty awesome; I got quite a bit of glass, a nice agate, some granite, and a couple nice quartzes. Also, you can have your wedding/reception at Glensheen. I am not sure the details/prices, but Boyfriend and I agree that it'd be pretty frickin awesome. read more

Best thing we did all weekend! We did the books and crannies tour but we probably would have been ok just doing a self guided tour. I highly recommend getting the app and bringing headphones to listen to the self guided tour. Also the grounds are very beautiful do not leave before walking around the beautiful grounds. read more

I enjoyed this more than I expected. Very cool history, and made me interested enough to google the Congdon family when I got back that night. I wish we could have learned about the murders that took place - would have been very interesting. Our tour guy was very scripted, but also very knowledgeable when people asked him questions that he didn't cover. Fairly spendy for a tour of the house, but still pretty cool. read more

We did the self guided tour and me and my family loved it worth every cent we could go as fast or as slow as we wanted too. My family and I have never been to This area but friends recommended this place. 100% worth it we enjoyed the view and the building. read more

We saw this place as we drove through Duluth and out of curiosity had to stop and look around. It is a gorgeous old mansion with spectacular gardens. Time did not allow a tour but, we'll come back another time as it looked very interesting. read more

Stopped here today on a quiet weekday morning. We asked to take the full mansion tour, and though it was 10:29am the incredibly rude tickets sales woman would not allow us to take the 10:30am tour. She offered us the 11:30am tour, and my kids and I stepped off to the side to decide if we wanted to wait. (She told us we could wander outside while we waited, but that the gift shop was closed today so that wouldn't be a time-killing option. What??!) I stepped back to her desk after we decided to wait for the next tour after all, and asked for our three tickets. She then decided to let me know there were only TWO spots available on that tour. Unreal! I wouldn't be half as steamed up as I am right now if the woman hadn't been so rude. It was like she was on a power trip. Even my kids wondered what her problem was! Probably get her a new role behind the scenes, Glensheen. We were sorry to miss out on this. We'll probably try again but will definitely purchase in advance online. (The website didn't offer tour times, but did assure me that plenty of tickets are saved for walk- up tourists.) I repeat... unreal. What a disappointing waste of time. read more

I was here years ago. I love this place. It is so beautiful and the history is interesting - but do your research the tour guides won't talk about the murders. The furniture is original or from the period and all of the land is kept up well. read more

The Glensheen is a must visit if you come to Duluth. We took the standard tour and it was well worth the price. The grounds are beautiful in the summer with immaculate gardens in the back as well as a large vegetable garden right near the entrance. Our tour guide was fabulous and gave tons of details about the house and the family. With the standard tour you are taken through the main floor, the girls' wing, the master suite, the kitchen/dining area and the basement. All of the rooms have almost all of the original furnishings as well as photos of what the rooms used to look like. If you like history, make sure to stop by! read more

Very informative tour of the mansion. It was interesting to see such a well preserved picture of the past. Our guide was very enthusiastic and adequately answered everybody's questions. The cost of admission for two adults is $24 each. Easy way to kill and hour in Duluth! No pun intended read more

I've come here on so many school, and Girl Scout trips back in the day. I used to think it was pretty boring, but over the last few years, when I was in college, I've found myself wanting to go back. I feel like now I would probably enjoy it more, and actually understand more of the history of this place. My only gripe, is that I am totally not a tour person. I'd like to get some literature on the building and the history, then be let loose to explore myself..that would be fun! It is so pretty gorgeous, and BIG! It would be cool though, if the tour guides talked about the murders, I remember when I was a young girl, that is all we ever wanted to talk about when we came here. Over all, it is a pretty interesting place to come visit. Perfect for school trips, and family outings. read more

No self-guided tours today, tours on a schedule only. So didn't do it. Call ahead to check.

Went on the Glensheen tour back in middle school on a field trip and it was pretty memorable. Fun to have been through once. The highlight however is the grounds. The summer music series on the Glensheen lawn is an amazing way to spend an evening. I was also in a wedding here and it was absolutely beautiful. read more

We visited Glensheen last weekend. The mansion is beautiful, however deciding on which tour to take was very confusing. I had called ahead of time, twice, as well as checking online. We decided on the Nooks and Crannies for Sunday and did the full tour on Monday. The Full Guided Tour only includes the 3rd floor, the rest of it you go through yourself. Cost $30. The Nooks and Crannies cost also $30 and wasn't worth much more than about $20. After this tour, we were told we could go explore the home on our own. Needless to say, we could have saved the $30 we paid for Mondays Full Guided Tour. I felt for $60, it was very expensive and covered much the same areas. They could have explained the Full Guided Tour only covers the 3rd floor and the rest is no different than the Self Guided Tour, when I contacted them or checked online to purchase the tickets. read more

We had a great time learning about the history of a prominent family in Minnesota. We will be coming back as time goes on, and this home shall remain the same. read more

Full mansion was interesting. Lots of walking and stairs. Gardens weren't in bloom yet due to long winter.

Our hotel suggested we visit the mansion and she was spot on in her raves. We loved this place. We've been on many mansion type tours over the years but this home has so many interesting types of rooms and you could tell that it was more than just an old stuffy house with history, it was very much intact and seemed so much more than just a society making money off it. The staff was wonderful, and during covid it was a great spot to visit. We felt completely safe and so appreciate the mask wearing enforcing. Thank you! read more

We did the "standard/basic" tour. It was fascinating. Jesse, our guide, was super informative and funny. My kids are 10, 10, and 7 and enjoyed it, too. The guides aren't suppose to talk about the famous murder that happened there but they can once the tour is over. I would like to go back in the summer because I'm sure the grounds are beautiful. read more

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We did the 21 and up flashlight tour which was a limited time tour of the mansion with just a flashlight. It was my first time at the mansion, so I wish I would've seen it first in the daytime because we couldn't really see the details of each room. The tour was very cool, however I feel like the guides could definitely be better. The University of Minnesota owns the estate & employs college students. I feel that guided tours are funner when the guides are more interactive and knowledgeable. Our guide was very awkward and seemed like she didn't want to be there, and it was overpriced. The mansion is beautiful but they only cover the history of the Congdon family and they don't discuss the murders that happened there so i'd probably recommend reading about it before you take the tour. Otherwise it was pretty cool! I'd go back just in the day :) read more

I have been to the Glensheen several times over the past few years. The tours are incredible, thought I think there are pricey. However, I do understand that it takes a lot of money to keep the estate running, so the prices are justified. I highly recommend going, read more

My husband and I toured Glensheen a couple of weeks ago and it was even more interesting than the books and pictorials I have seen. My only gripe is this: I asked our tour guide if the bedroom noted as Elisabeth's was where she was murdered, and the response I got was that they do not discuss those events "out of respect for the family." Yet, those events are what led to the U of M taking ownership of the property and making a TON of money from the tourists who take the tours, and the two definitive books regarding those events are for sale in the Glensheen gift shop. You are perpetuating a double standard: on the one hand, you are "respecting" the family, and on the other you are perpetuating the stories of the tragic events that occurred there. You can't have it both ways; you need either to add the information about the murders to the tours or remove the books from the gift shop. read more

A must see in Duluth. Gorgeous property and house very well restored. I have been twice before and was disappointed the last time that the tour was very superficial with no details about the decor. This time, our tour guide pointed out a lot of details, which made the tour much more interesting. I feel the price is reasonable and if you stay at the Edgewater Resort Waterpark, you get adult tickets for $10 and kids' tickets for $5. read more

I enjoyed our tour of the Glensheen estate but considering the price ($15 per person), I expected more from our tour guide.

So my wife and I have been up here many times so what better place to bring friends from out of state... However it was a total bust this time...we suggested to our friends to go for the expanded tour. We paid for the extended and normally you'd get a tour guide through all of it...this time however the tour guide only showed us the 3rd floor and the attic then left us to tour the rest by ourself.. It was a total disappointment over previous visits. I felt like I paid for a tour and then did the tour guiding myself. I way over paid... so disappointed read more

Visited this lovely estate February 28th, 2009. My first time, so a bit chilly to tour the grounds in the wintertime. Our guide was informative and did give brief information on the Congden murders, as well as some of the background. Even offered to answer any additional questions on that specific topic. But that's not the real reason you should visit, the architecture and many of the home's original furnishings and decorations are well preserved. If you enjoy old buildings and the history that surrounds them, you'd enjoy this tour. read more

I had a great time! Olivia, my tour guide, was wonderful and answered all of my questions.

We took the $10 self guided tour, but wish we would have taken the all out nooks and crannys tour! What a place! There is a person in every room to explain things and answer questions (they would not answer questions about the murder though). We are still talking about how forward thinking the architects and Mr. Congdon must have been to create such an amazing place in 1905! It was built for about $845,00 in 1905 but we were told it would cost about 22 million in today's dollars. The pamphlet you get when you buy your ticket is very helpful. Take your time and walk around the estate, read the information boards. The flowers were in full bloom and the grounds were beautiful. It was raining and we did take our own umbrella, but they do furnish them for you which is awesome. I suggest reading some of the history of the family and the estate before going - it will help with the tour. Certain areas of the mansion can be rented out for weddings and such. We would definitely go again if we get back to that area. read more

Gorgeous house tour. Quick 2+hrs to pass by in duluth. You explore up to the second floor and then exit to the gardens where you can peruse and take pictures around the estate. Make sure to get your student ID ready for a free standard tour ($15 otherwise). read more