It is one of the first questions parents ask before booking a historic bed and breakfast: are children actually welcome here, or is this quietly a grown-ups-only weekend? At 300 Clifton the answer is short, and it is published on our own site rather than buried in a booking policy. Children are welcome. Pets are the one thing we cannot take.
The short answer, straight from our FAQ
Our frequently asked questions page puts it in a single line: children are welcome at 300 Clifton, and we are not able to accommodate pets. That is the whole policy. If you have a question the page does not answer — a particular room layout, a cot, how many people a room will comfortably sleep — staff are on site during the day, and it is worth asking before you book rather than after.
It helps to know what kind of house you are walking into. 300 Clifton is the 1906 Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with eight distinct guest room types spread across the main mansion and a separate carriage house. It is a real house with gardens, not a corridor of identical rooms — which is exactly why choosing the right room matters more here than it would at a chain hotel.
Which room works best with children?
There are two buildings, and they suit families differently.
- The main mansion rooms — Crystal Mansion, the Georgian, the Grand Edwardian and Something Special — are the larger, grander rooms inside the historic house, each with a private en-suite. The Georgian and Crystal Mansion are the two king rooms.
- The carriage house rooms — the Coachman’s, the Hayloft and the Blacksmith’s Forge — are cosier, one-of-a-kind themed rooms, also with private en-suites. The Forge has its own private garden patio, which is a genuinely useful thing to have with a small child in tow.
- The Estate Rooms are the most affordable option and share a clean, well-maintained bathroom rather than having a private en-suite. Worth knowing up front if you are travelling with teenagers.
Families with older children often book two rooms rather than trying to fit everyone into one. If you want the full comparison — buildings, beds and starting rates — we wrote a room-by-room guide: Which room should you book at 300 Clifton?
What families should know before you arrive
- Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 10:00 AM. Early check-in or a late check-out can be added for $25 each, subject to availability — often the most useful $25 you will spend when travelling with small children.
- Every guest room has air conditioning, and complimentary WiFi runs throughout the mansion.
- There is no 24-hour front desk. 300 Clifton is a privately operated historic mansion: staff are on site during the day, and you are given a phone number to reach someone after hours. Your check-in details are sent before arrival, so nobody is standing on the porch at 9 PM wondering what to do.
- Breakfast is not served on site. Complimentary coffee is available in the common area, and Eat Street and the downtown restaurants are minutes away — which in practice suits families better than a fixed sitting.
- Guest parking is available, with details and directions included in your pre-arrival information. Our location page shows how the approach works.
Two of the best-loved things in the house — the hidden garden hot tub and Gertrude’s Cistern, the speakeasy-style movie lounge tucked under the mansion — are private, bookable experiences you add to your stay rather than shared facilities. Parents tend to find that arrangement useful once the children are asleep.
Pets are the exception, and a sibling property can help
We are not able to accommodate pets at 300 Clifton. If the dog is coming to Minneapolis too, our sister property Oakland’s on 9th is a furnished, apartment-style stay in a restored 1889 brownstone downtown, and some of its studios are pet friendly. It is also the better choice if a family visit runs to weeks rather than nights.
Free, easy things to do with children a short walk away
Loring Park is at the end of the block, and two of the best family outings in the city cost nothing at all.
- The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is free and open every day of the year, 6 am to midnight — eleven acres and more than sixty sculptures, anchored by Spoonbridge and Cherry. No tickets, no reservations, and room to run. The Walker also runs a programme for families if you want something more structured.
- The Minneapolis Institute of Art gives free general admission, with no ticket required for the permanent collection. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, and stays open until 9 pm on Thursdays — which is how you rescue a rainy afternoon. The entrance is at 2400 Third Avenue South.
- Minneapolis Trolley Tours runs vintage trolley sightseeing, which works well with children who have run out of patience for walking. Tours depart from the Pillsbury Club mansion, and 300 Clifton guests can board here at the mansion too.
Booking a family stay
If the family is bigger than two rooms will hold, the whole mansion can be booked — every room, the gardens and the grand interior spaces — for reunions, milestone birthdays and holiday gatherings. We explained how that works in Can you rent a whole mansion in Minneapolis?, and you can request dates on the Weddings & Whole-House page.
Otherwise, booking direct gets you our best available rate and lets you add experiences to the stay. So yes — bring the children. Just leave the dog with a friend, or book them in at Oakland’s. Anything else you are wondering about is probably answered on the FAQ, and we will see you on the porch.
Keep reading: How Did the Families Who Built Minneapolis’s Mansions Make Their Money?