Minneapolis has plenty of grand old houses, but very few that let you step inside. If you have been searching for a mansion tour in Minneapolis or historic house tours in Minneapolis, here is the short answer: two Gilded Age landmarks, a few blocks apart on the edge of downtown, welcome visitors year-round, and one of them will also tuck you into bed.
Two Gilded Age mansions, two very different houses
300 Clifton is the Eugene J. Carpenter Mansion in Loring Park, a Georgian-style house remodeled in 1906 by architect Edwin H. Hewitt and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Carpenter chaired the Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts from 1911 to 1922, the organization that grew into the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which is why we call this house the birthplace of the arts in Minneapolis. It is the only mansion in Minneapolis you can tour and sleep in, and you can read the full story on our history page.
A short drive away, the Pillsbury Mansion at 100 East 22nd Street is a different kind of Gilded Age showpiece. Charles S. Pillsbury had it built in 1912 to 1914, designed by Hewitt and Brown in the English Gothic Revival style, and the City of Minneapolis recognizes it as a designated landmark. It is known around town as the mansion flour built, and today it operates as the Pillsbury Club.
How do you tour them?
The easiest way to see both is the Gilded Age Mansion Tour from Minneapolis Trolley Tours, a vintage trolley outing that looks at the city’s mansions from the outside and the inside. Historical tours and Q&A sessions also accompany many Minneapolis Trolley Tours that start and end at the mansion, so you hear the Carpenter and Pillsbury family stories from people who know the houses. Check the tour calendar for dates and times, because schedules change by season.
Touring versus staying: which one is for you?
A tour gives you the architecture, the stories and the photos. A stay gives you the house after the tour groups go home. At 300 Clifton you can wander in the evening quiet, find the room that suits you (the Crystal Mansion Room, the Georgian Room and the Grand Edwardian each have their own page) and learn about the property’s haunted reputation if you like a little mystery with your history.
If you want to go a step further into Gilded Age Minneapolis, the Minnesota Historical Society (mnhs.org) is a good place to explore how the city’s flour, lumber and grain fortunes built these streets, and Meet Minneapolis lists other things to do while you are in town.
What to look for on an old house tour
The best old house tours teach you to read a building. At the Pillsbury Mansion, look at the carved stonework and the way English Gothic Revival design uses stone, oak and tall windows to feel like a medieval hall in the middle of a Minneapolis neighborhood. At 300 Clifton, look for the Georgian symmetry, the original 1906 lighting and furnishings in the drawing room, and the QR codes around the estate that explain what you are looking at. Comparing the two is the fun part: one house was built to impress with grain-belt confidence, the other was reworked by a civic leader who cared about art.
What about the holidays?
December is when old houses look their best, and we have a separate guide to the Christmas mansion tour in Minneapolis. For an evening of lights, our sister business runs the Holiday Light Ride aboard a heated vintage trolley that boards at the Pillsbury Club, with a Naughty ride for adults and a Nice ride for families. Before you plan a full weekend, you may also like our guide to seeing the best holiday lights without hauling a cooler to a bar.
Plan your visit
Whether you want a one-afternoon old house tour or a night inside a Gilded Age mansion, start with the Gilded Age Mansion Tour and then book a stay at 300 Clifton or call us at (612) 900-3220. We will happily point you to the right room for the occasion.
Keep reading: Where Should You Stay for the Minnesota Wild’s Longest Homestand? Seven Home Games, Dec. 12–28, 2026