Short answer: no, 300 Clifton can’t accommodate guest pets — but two very large dogs already live here, and most guests end up meeting them. If you’re deciding between a pet-friendly hotel and a historic bed and breakfast in Minneapolis, here is exactly how the animal situation works at the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion, and where to stay instead if your dog is coming along.
Can you bring a dog or cat to 300 Clifton?
Our FAQ puts it in one line: children are welcome at 300 Clifton, and we’re not able to accommodate pets. That applies to every room type — the Main Mansion rooms, the Carriage House rooms and the shared-bath Estate Rooms alike — and it isn’t a “call and ask” situation. The house is a 1906 National Register mansion with hand-painted murals, antique rugs and eight distinct guest rooms, and the resident dogs already have the run of the common areas. Adding visiting animals to that mix is a line we’ve chosen not to cross.
Meet Madonna and Clifton, the Great Danes who live here
There are two resident Great Danes at 300 Clifton: Madonna and Clifton, who are grandmother and grandson and are rarely seen apart. Each weighs well over 100 pounds. If you’d like to meet them, they are typically around in the morning before 10 a.m., which lines up neatly with the complimentary coffee in the common area before check-out. You can read their own page at Danes at 300 Clifton.
The American Kennel Club calls the Great Dane the “Apollo of Dogs” and describes the breed as easygoing — and that matches the two you’ll meet. Danes are a calm, well-mannered breed. Madonna and Clifton will approach everyone they see; if they’re in a room when you walk in, they respond best if you approach confidently rather than backing away. They are not guard dogs and they are not kept behind gates. They’re simply part of the household in a privately operated historic mansion, the way a lighthouse keeper’s dog would be.
What if you’re nervous around big dogs, or allergic?
Tell us when you book. The Danes are most visible in the mornings and in the common rooms; your guest room is your own, and every room except the Estate Rooms has a private en-suite. If you’d rather not cross paths at all, staff can steer your arrival and coffee timing around theirs. That said, “well over 100 pounds” is the honest description, and a Dane at eye level with a toddler is a memorable thing to see, so if a household with two very large dogs is a dealbreaker for you, this is the paragraph to read twice. Families who’ve stayed with kids will tell you the dogs were the highlight; see Can You Bring Kids to a Bed and Breakfast in Minneapolis? for the rest of the family picture.
Travelling with your own dog? Stay at our sister property downtown
Here is the part most “no pets” pages leave out. Oakland’s on 9th, our sister property at 215 South 9th Street in downtown Minneapolis, is pet friendly, with designated pet-friendly studios for cats and dogs — you just request a pet-friendly room when you book. The studios are fully furnished with full kitchens, rented by the night, week or month with no lease, and the building is a restored 1889 brownstone about a mile from 300 Clifton. Their guide to pet-friendly extended stays in downtown Minneapolis covers what to bring and how it works.
So the practical answer for a couple travelling with a dog is: book the studio at Oakland’s on 9th, and come to 300 Clifton for the parts that don’t require a room — the private garden hot tub and Gertrude’s Cistern movie lounge are bookable experiences, and the mansion is also a stop on the Gilded Age Mansion Tour run by Minneapolis Trolley Tours.
Where to walk a dog near Loring Park
If your dog is staying downtown with you, the neighbourhood around the mansion is a good one for walking. Loring Park is directly below the house, with a pond loop, and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and the Walker Art Center grounds are across the pedestrian bridge from the park. Leash rules apply in city parks; check the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board’s page for the current off-leash areas before you let anyone run.
Ready to book?
Pet-free but dog-rich: that’s the honest summary of 300 Clifton. If that sounds like your kind of house, book direct for the best available rate, add the hot tub or the movie lounge to your stay, and come down for coffee before 10 so the Danes can say hello. If your dog is travelling with you, Oakland’s on 9th has a pet-friendly studio waiting a mile away. For everything else about a first stay, read What Should You Expect When You Stay at a Bed and Breakfast in Minneapolis?
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