Yes, and a historic mansion is a better backdrop for a birthday than a hotel room with a view of a parking structure. 300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park, a Georgian house on the National Register that sleeps like a boutique bed and breakfast and comes with a private garden hot tub, a hidden speakeasy movie lounge and a walk to the park, the sculpture garden and downtown. There is no official “birthday package,” so here is how to build one from what is actually on the menu.
What can you add to make it feel like a birthday?
The Specials & Packages page lists four add-ons, all of which can be attached to a reservation when you book directly:
- Romance Package, $75: champagne, chocolates and fresh flowers set in your room before you arrive. It works just as well for a birthday as for an anniversary.
- Soak & Sparkle, $149: a private soak in the hidden garden hot tub with a chilled bottle of sparkling wine waiting.
- Private Hot-Tub Soak, $49: the same reserved soak without the bottle, if you would rather bring your own.
- Private Movie Night, $99: a screening of your choice in Gertrude’s Cistern, with heated reclining seats, popcorn and drinks.
Stack the Romance Package with a soak and you have a birthday evening for two before you have left the property. We have written separately about what the garden hot tub is actually like, including why it is at its best when the air is cold.
Which room is best for a birthday weekend?
It depends on how much of a splurge the weekend is. The Crystal Mansion Room (from $219 a night) is the showpiece: a king bed under a crystal chandelier, a private marble bathroom with a walk-in rainfall shower, and three big windows over the rose garden and Mansion Row. The Grand Edwardian (from $159) has a four-poster queen bed, a heated bathroom floor and a dormer reading nook. For a lower-cost option, the Estate Rooms start at $89 a night with a queen bed, but the bathroom is down the hall and, per the listing, you may be placed in any room in the Mansion or Carriage House.
What is there to do on a birthday weekend nearby?
Start with the neighborhood. Loring Park is a 34-acre park with a lake, a fishing pier and the Berger “Dandelion” Fountain, and it connects to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden by the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge. The Walker Art Center is open Wednesday through Sunday (late on Thursdays) and closed Monday and Tuesday, and the sculpture garden is free every day. Mia offers free general admission to its permanent collection and is closed Mondays. Check each venue’s hours before you plan the day, especially around holidays.
For something with a story, book a seat on the Minneapolis Trolley, which departs from the Pillsbury Club mansion. The current vouchers for direct bookers are $20 toward the Pillsbury Club dining room menu and $20 toward a Minneapolis Trolley tour, each per stay. That is not a lot, but it covers a round of birthday drinks. See Pillsbury Club for hours and Minneapolis Trolley Tours for tickets, which regularly sell out on weekends.
What should you know before you book?
Check-in is from 3:00 PM and check-out is by 10:00 AM, and early check-in or late check-out can be arranged for $25 each, depending on availability, which is worth asking about if the birthday is a late-morning kind of celebration. Breakfast is not served on site, but there is complimentary coffee in the common areas. Children are welcome; pets are not. Party of friends instead of a couple? Read about renting the whole mansion.
The Carpenter Mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places, so the house itself is part of the gift. Book a birthday weekend directly through 300 Clifton to get the add-ons and vouchers, and ask for the Romance Package when you reserve. Questions first? The FAQ covers the basics.
Keep reading: Is There a Hotel in Minneapolis With a Private Movie Room? Heated Recliners and a Haunted Lounge at 300 Clifton