Beautiful restoration with amazing original period furnishings. Lovely garden and extremely well-done railway car exhibit on lower level. Enthusiastic and friendly staff, plenty on street free parking. read more

We were visiting the Michigan City area for a family vacation. We love exploring historic homes, especially of the Gilded Era. We decided to do the guided house and garden tour for $20 per person. It was well worth it. Our docent professor Craig was the absolute best! He knew every detail about the history of the Barker family, their beautiful home and lavishly furnished home, as well as the history of the family business. One thing that impressed me most was that the heirs of the original Barker family have made it their life's mission to spend an unlimited amount to restore the ancestral family home back to its former glory! This is a Michigan City treasure and I highly recommend visiting- especially in the summer when the garden is in full bloom!! read more

I went to a tea party in the summer. It was so much fun. The food was tasty and the tour was very interesting. An enjoyable experience for the day. read more

This is a fabulous beautifully restored historic once private home. Filled with history. Can take guided or self-guided tour. Also has events. Enjoyed it so much. read more

Wonderful tour of a wonderful home... Each room is restored beautifully. Learned local history, as well. Recommended

We visited the museum on the first day after its renovation. The mansion is beautifully decorated. The furnishings, meticulous wallpaper and accents make this a worthwhile visit. The French room is a decorator's dream. Various tour guides are knowledgeable and enthusiastic. I rate this boutique museum top 3 du monde! read more

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Where is the place to be on a crisp night during the Christmas holiday season in Northwest Indiana? Back in time at the Barker Mansion in Michigan City. My husband and I, alongside other guests as we approached the Mansions steps, overheard a young father excitingly providing some history to his son as to what we were about to embark upon. We rang the bell, and didn't have to wait long for a warm invitation from the Barker Mansion host to come in and build upon such history. After quickly purchasing tickets from more friendly staff, we were immediately lured into the Drawing Room by the sound of live singing between young guests and their Storytime host, one of last year's favorites, Holly Berry. There she sat in front of one of many giant and beautifully decorated Christmas trees reading a book in her sparkly red Christmas shoes which as she later walked around, inarguably caused most every visitor to gaze next upon the Mansion's impressive newly restored teak wood floors. From the displayed pictures of workers in restoration mode, and witnessing the beautiful end result, what a project that must have been! Ascending the Grand Staircase, the beautiful lighting of the French Room on the 2nd floor made it one of my favorites. A restoration video as explained by Nichole Sheaffer of Terrawood Design drew one's attention to the process of restoring and detailing the plaster molding in this room. Downstairs in the Legacy of Freight Exhibit, the historical information and the hot chocolate was flowing as we were expertly guided along by another member of the Barker staff. The traffic of guests was just the right amount of busy. There's something about taking time to examine (while taking care not to touch) original Barker family artifacts and exhibits from the Gilded Age while feeling wrapped up in a whole lot of classy Christmas. What a simultaneous sense of wonder and community. This was my second visit to the Barker Mansion and my husband's first. He was most impressed with the spaciousness and the serpentine antique furniture and unique fixtures throughout the home. In the Library, he studied the book titles where he found the subjects of music, opera, and encyclopedias. A knowledgeable staff member noted his interest and pointed out early volumes of National Geographic. Much to his delight, she explained that all the books are original to the Barker family home. He mentioned to a distinguished elderly gentlemen nearby, "That's quite a library," to which the wise man exclaimed, "It's quite a HOUSE!" Something a little different. As you look around the Barker home, don't forget to look out the windows! John Barker's valet's room was particularly interesting to me because of the view from the desk to the garden through the windows. Wondrous! We enjoyed the self-guided tour because we could take our time and look at whatever caught our eyes, but there was always a nearby staff member to answer questions we had in each spacious room. In our experience, the Barker staff did a tremendous job in expertly and beautifully sharing The Barker Mansion with our community at such a special time of year as Christmas. The visit was well worth our time on a Friday night in December! read more

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My wife and I along with some wonderful friends had the opportunity to tour the Barker Mansion in Michigan City, IN this week. Upon arrival we were greeted by Michele, and she gave us a brief overview of the home and then turned us loose to explore. To say the Mansion was mind blowing would be an understatement. The Mansion is filled with many antiques and original artifacts. The decorative carvings on the furniture, walls, ceilings are unbelievable. The gold metal flake in some of the wallpaper during the restoration had to be hand cleaned with que tips and it was magnificent. All the rooms were unique and spectacular. In the lower level there was a model setup of the Haskell/Barker property which illustrated what process was completed in each building and assembly of the railroad cars. There is so much information to absorb and take with you after the tour a person could write a book. The self-guided tour is awesome because you are not rushed and can really take the time you need in areas that interest you. Would highly recommend everyone to go see this historic gem. I believe we are very fortunate to have this in Michigan City. Bill J Michigan City, IN read more

Visited Barker Mansion yesterday. It was so interesting and beautiful! Our tour guide Craig, was outstanding! He was knowledgeable, engaging, and had a great sense of humor. We noticed some people did a self tour, which is nice to have the option. Another guide, Jack, was so informative and seemed excited to share small details that really made the experience complete! I was crossing my fingers there would be a harp player. Sadly, that was not available. The Christmas trees were so perfect for each room. The restoration was impressive. Overall, what a delightful and inexpensive way to entertain visitors and pass time! read more

My husband and I checked out the Barker Mansion this week and it was incredible! I am a sucker for any old home tour and this was the oldest home we've seen so far. The amount of original artifacts still intact were amazing! We went on the guided tour ($8) with Bailey who was just fantastic! Bailey was very easy going and relaxed but provided a lot of great information! He had answers to almost all my questions and some were a little odd. Great time! read more

Barker Mansion - Museums Near Me - Michigan City, Indiana

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It's kind of difficult to believe that I millionaire would decide to put down his roots in Michigan City but John H. Barker did just this. And put down his roots he did! Barker Mansion is 38 rooms full of historical wonder. Although you cannot see all the rooms on your tour, the ones that you can see are full of bits and pieces of historical marvel. At one point in time, Purdue University even held classes in the building while PNC was being built! During the Christmas season, the mansion is decorated for the holidays and a tree fills every room. And, in old German tradition, there is even a pickle hidden on one of the Christmas trees. Go and see if you can find it! $4 for Adults ($3 with AAA) $2 for Children under 12 read more

We took a tour of Barker Mansion during our recent trip up to Michigan City for a dinner meeting. The mansion is enormous and decorated to the teeth with turn of the century decor and artifacts. Wow...it was a nice snapshot of what it would be like to live in high society in this lakeside town back in the gilded age. Our tour guide was pleasant and friendly and gave a very nice tour. Our meeting was held in the Mansion itself, so we were lucky enough to eat in the dining room by the fireplace. This was a pleasant experience and a nice window into what life was like back in the day for your everyday, garden variety millionaire. read more

Very nice mansion. Tours are self-guided and $5 for adults. They gave us a pamphlet, which gave us a little information about each room. I was hoping for a little more information about the family and the mansion, but it was still nice overall. read more

The Barker Mansion is a beautiful place to visit and a wonderful place to have a wedding. Our son and daughter-in-law had a beautiful garden wedding. We were able to have appetizers and drinks after the ceremony under the pergola. We had dinner in the historic drawing room. The mansion is such a beautiful setting with the gardens, beautiful architecture, and historic furnishings. Jessica and Amanda were so helpful to us prior to the day and on the day of the wedding. read more

Highly recommend taking the guided tour. The Barker story is very interesting and their home is beautiful. The artifacts are original to the home and expertly preserved. We enjoyed sitting in the garden after the tour very well kept. read more

We just finished a Barker blackout tour, I've never been there during the day. All the lights were out and the mansion (apart from the entrance hall, was lit only with tea light candles and our flashlights. The mansion is gorgeous, from what we could see. We toured the rooms with a guide who told us about the house as well as the strange phenomena that occur within. It was very neat. Our guide was not a particularly polished speaker, but he did well. This is an October tour, so I'm sure the year round tour is more concise. It's definitely worth a visit. read more