Governor's Residence
Governor's Residence
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Neighbourhood: Summit Hill
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4.0
6 reviews
Excellent
1
Very good
4
Average
0
Poor
1
Terrible
0
chl0e48
Minneapolis, MN191 contributions
Dec 2015
The "Governor's Mansion" is open one day a week (check web) at Christmas. Different businesses have decorated each room. this year it was a 1965 theme. Funny to see the Christmases of my youth on display as history! There was a l school choir singing carols. And it is free! There are also more standard historic tours other times of the year.
Written 15 December 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
justweems
Vadnais Heights, MN509 contributions
Dec 2013 • Friends
This beautiful house is 16,000 square feet.and was originally owned by the Irvine family. They donated the home to the State of MN in 1965. We visited at Christmas and were allowed to see parts of the home during the open house.
Written 5 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oceansoul39
Apple Valley, MN60 contributions
June 2012 • Family
In honor of the 100th anniversary of the mansion a portion of the house was open for tours. Your tour has to be prearranged ahead of time, via e-mail and there are VERY limited dates and times. The 20 min tour is free but a $5 donation is requested, and in exchange you get a really nice and informative little booklet. The front steps into the house are the only steps you have to navigate since all the rooms open for viewing are on the main level. In addition the yard and gardens are open to view on your own time, not as part of the formal tour.
I believe the house is not typically open for tours, so this was not only a special event, but the tour guides are not as seasoned as you would expect for something like this...if I am remembering correctly that the house is not normally open, then each guide may have only given a handful of tours ever. The tour was not as professional as I was expecting with guides reading some text from a small booklet and periodically having to back track due to forgotten info appropriate for a previous room. That being said the tour was nice, informative and interesting. I especially liked the pictures of the funishings and changes in wood coloring from past decades. The highlight for me was the dining room! For some reason the ceiling in there was amazing and the china was incredible...I have never seen anything like it. The garden was lovely as well and in hindsight I wish we would have stayed for refreshments/snacks on the veranda.
This tour is not for kids. I take my children (ages 5 & 7) on all kinds of historical tour and excursions but for some reason this did not hold their attention at all. Maybe we were just having an off day, although they did really enjoy the yard/garden areas. Regardless I would suggest leaving the kiddos at home.
I believe the house is not typically open for tours, so this was not only a special event, but the tour guides are not as seasoned as you would expect for something like this...if I am remembering correctly that the house is not normally open, then each guide may have only given a handful of tours ever. The tour was not as professional as I was expecting with guides reading some text from a small booklet and periodically having to back track due to forgotten info appropriate for a previous room. That being said the tour was nice, informative and interesting. I especially liked the pictures of the funishings and changes in wood coloring from past decades. The highlight for me was the dining room! For some reason the ceiling in there was amazing and the china was incredible...I have never seen anything like it. The garden was lovely as well and in hindsight I wish we would have stayed for refreshments/snacks on the veranda.
This tour is not for kids. I take my children (ages 5 & 7) on all kinds of historical tour and excursions but for some reason this did not hold their attention at all. Maybe we were just having an off day, although they did really enjoy the yard/garden areas. Regardless I would suggest leaving the kiddos at home.
Written 5 July 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BernieKaye
Knoxville, TN40 contributions
July 2014 • Friends
It's a house, happens to be on a beautiful street, overlooking the downtown of St Paul, but it's a house, a little larger than most others, that's it...............
Written 23 June 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TravelerPaul_12
Saint Paul, MN143 contributions
Mar 2013 • Solo
This is an elegant house on Summit Avenue, surrounded by an iron security fence. Someone donated it to the State of Minnesota, for use as the Governor's Mansion. Several years ago, the Governor at the time allowed trick or treating for a few hours, but that's as close as I've come to entering the house. If you drive along Summit - which can be enjoyable and offer an appreciation of the business barons who built the economy of Saint Paul and built their mansions on Summit - the Governor's Residence offers an interesting conversation piece as you pass it, but not much more.
Written 9 March 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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