Christmas home tour on your holiday list? This one ranks Florida house No. 2 in America
Florida is getting attention for interior design in its most magnificent homes, old and new. Not only is HGTV’s 2024 Dream Home on Anastasia Island in North Florida; but further south, an old Florida mansion was chosen as one of the top historic home tours in the country this holiday season.
Florida’s first luxury estate, the 138 year-old Stetson Mansion, placed as the second best historic home to visit during the holidays, beating the iconic Biltmore estate in North Carolina by a lot.
Here’s why the Stetson Mansion brought home the silver from USA TODAY’s “10 best historic home tours that are decked out for the holidays” list and how you can visit.
When was the Stetson Mansion built?
The Stetson Mansion in DeLand, Florida was built in 1885 and was the first house in the state to be designed with Edison electricity, steam-powered heat, indoor plumbing and a call bell system.
It was built for the inventor of the modern, waterproof cowboy hat, John B. Stetson, who started spending winters in Florida in his 50s after finding great success as a hatter.
What are the best historic homes to visit during the holidays?
Graceland, the former home of Elvis Presley, took the top of USA TODAY’s list and was the only home on the list to outrank the Stetson Mansion, which came in second.
Here’s USA TODAY’s full top 10 list:
Graceland - Memphis, Tennessee
The Christmas Mansion, or the Stetson Mansion - DeLand, Florida
Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens - Akron, Ohio
Meadow Brook Hall - Rochester, Michigan
Glensheen Mansion - Duluth, Minnesota
Brucemore - Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Newport Mansions - Newport, Rhode Island
Trail End - Sheridan, Wyoming
Filoli Historic House and Garden - Woodside, California
Biltmore - Asheville, North Carolina
Can you visit the Stetson Mansion?
The Stetson Mansion, also known as the Christmas Mansion, is not a museum. It’s actually a private home.
But during the Holidays, the owners decorate the space and open up their piece of living history to the public for tours, which are by reservation only. This is probably why it soared to the top of the list, while The Biltmore (which is always open to the public) ranked so low.
You can take a self-guided or guided tour and tickets are only good for the date and time they were purchased for. Each tour time has a limited number of tickets available.
The Stetson Mansion’s website says that tickets for adults are around $40 and are $25 for “youth.” If you want to take a tour of the Gilded Age mansion, visit the home’s website for more information.
Where is the Stetson Mansion?
The Stetson mansion is at 1031 Camphor Lane in DeLand, Florida.
DeLand, also the home of nearby Stetson University, is about 25 miles southwest of Daytona Beach and 40 miles northeast of Orlando.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: History and holiday lovers meet Florida's historic 'Christmas Mansion'
