Today the James J. Hill house was the starting point for the Summit Avenue Walking Tour by the Minnesota Historical Society. Thoroughly informative and enjoyable. Josef was knowledgeable and a charming storyteller. The tour lasts 90 minutes and covers 1.5 miles of walking. One of the highlights was seeing the park where F. Scott Fitzgerald grew up playing baseball and the Commodore Hotel behind it where he and Zelda were often socializing. We saw multiple Victorian era architectural styles including Queen Anne, Romanesque, and Tudor Revival. Lots of historical stories, an enjoyable walk, highly recommend! read more

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James J. Hill House is spectacular. It is a feat of ingenious to see all the beauty that went into this home. I have been on a tour here twice and have enjoyed each one. The tours were in different seasons, so we were able to see different parts of the home. Thank you to everyone that works on the upkeep of this magnificent home and spreads the history of how it came to be. Go support them and learn more about MN history! read more

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Stunning James J. Hill mansion in St. Paul! All the mansions on Summit Ave are gorgeous, but this one is a true gem thanks to its rich history. Highly recommend a visit! Did you know James J. Hill was known as the "Empire Builder"? He expanded the Great Northern Railway, fueled economic growth across the Northwest, and helped shape modern transportation in America. Back in 1891, he built the largest and most impressive home in Minnesota. For $15/adult entry, you're able to tour 3 floors of this beautiful home. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable about so many aspects of the Hill family and this lovely house. You can also explore on your own if you wish since they have info cards with extensive information everywhere. They just ask that you don't touch anything and that you don't use flash when taking pictures. At a casual pace of self exploration, we finished in just under 2 hours. Our fav experiences included: - Formal Dining Room: had the most intricate woodwork made of rare mahogany, gold leaf ceilings and leather walls. - Two-story art gallery with a cool pipe organ. The room is also a solarium for great sunlight and has a neat retractable canopy. -Gorgeous grand staircase that greets you when you come in. -22 fireplaces, 16 chandeliers, and huge reception hall. -Awesome views from each patio and porch. read more

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I visited the james j hill house this summer and wanted to go back to see it during the christmas season. The house was beautifully decorated and the holidays on the hill tour. gave us a little more insight into the family and how they celebrated during the holidays. Highly recommend the tour. read more

The house is beautiful and so well adorned, in many cases with original items. Our tour guide, Joseph, was amazing! His presentation was interesting, fun, and thorough. His knowledge of the home, residents, and era was astonishing; he was able to answer even my obscure questions. It's clear that Joseph loves his job. While it would be nice to just look around the house on your own, I highly recommend a docent-led tour to provide context. read more

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I really enjoyed touring this gorgeous house! Our tour guide was fantastic and we were able to spend some time walking around the house after the tour as well. I would definitely recommend doing the tour because it allows you to see parts of the house that are not accessible without a tour guide, but I did feel like they had enough signage and interpretive material that if you were going to do a self-guided tour you could still understand the history of the building. read more

I love this mansion and enjoy learning about the history. I have gone on multiple tours and always enjoy them. Although there was one exception. Our tour guide didn't seem to know much about James J Hill and the little she did speak of him was crap talking him and telling us to appreciate how well she cleaned the chandelier. It was so bizarre! She spoke nothing of the house or the history. Other than how the maids would sneak in suitors to the back door. Most tours focus on the ornate craftsmanship of the house, the life and history of James J Hill and his family, his fierce personality, but how he also shaped the gilded age and the infrastructure of the United States. His house hosted multiple presidents. I think it's so cool that he came from a poor immigrant And created such a lasting imprint. This tour is a must for anyone who enjoys history! read more

This was such a lovely visit! I've been meaning to visit more Twin Cities museums this year, and I'm so glad I came here. Who was James J. Hill? He was a railroad tycoon that was CEO Great Northern Railway. He amassed a HUGE fortune in this industry, hence the mansion. What's special about this house? He built this house for what was almost a million dollars back in 1891, which accounting for just inflation would be around $30 million today... What can you do here? Explore the main floor where the Hills hosted guests (sometimes up to 1200!), and then take a tour of the house to see the other floors. What's the tour like? Enjoy an hour-long guided tour by a guide that is extremely knowledgeable about the Hill family, house, and history! You'll see some of the bedrooms and bathrooms on the 2nd floor, servant quarters on the 3rd, learn more about the entertaining spaces, and the basement to see the coal-fired heating system, kitchen, and more. Tours depart every 30 minutes, walk ins welcome! When are they open: Thursday to Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sunday 11am - 4pm How much does it cost? $12 for adults, with other discounts available. Enjoy! read more

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If you're looking to immerse yourself in the history of the Twin Cities, this is the place! The guided tours are amazingly indepth and you learn all kinds of wonderful tidbits of James J Hill, the Twin Cities, and The Gilded Age. We recently went for the Holidy on the Hill and it was wonderful to see everything decorated up for Season! read more

The place is amazing. I understand the pricing. But why have so much closed off? What this should be advertised as is explore the first floor and a couple rooms of the rest of the house. read more

It is such beautiful historic home. Our docent Rachel knew a lot about the Hill family and gave us a great tour

So I was in Minnesota for my daughters volleyball tournament, looking for a Catholic Church to go to for Sunday mass. I found myself driving to the Cathedral of St. Paul which is another must-see if you're in the Twin Cities area. But as I was driving out noticed an AMAZING house almost across the street~ the James J. Hill House! I stopped to admire it and quickly realized you can actually go inside and take a tour. Once you enter there's a cute little gift shop inside run by a very friendly staff. I paid for ticket and caught the last tour of the day. All I can say is, I was completely blown away by the beauty and history of this home. The design and craftsmanship are remarkable. Our guide was very knowledgeable and kept everyone's attention. The pictures speak for themselves ~ Just trust me... Put the James J.Hill house on your bucket list The next time you visit Minnesota! And don't forget to drive or even take a nice stroll down Summit Avenue (weather permitting)~ all of the homes are unique and gorgeous!!! read more

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We enjoyed the tour. Interesting to learn about his life and family as well as his business. Beautiful area of St Paul. I recommend walking across the street and going into St Paul's Cathedral to see that as well. read more

James J. Hill House - Dining room - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - St. Paul, Minnesota

Maybe it's because I'm fond of turn of the century history, but I am so glad I went to the James J Hill House because I feel so smart whenever I see his name, and it comes up a lot when I read nonfiction. Why, just the other day in a biography of Theodore Roosevelt his name came up in a lawsuit, and I got an "Ah ha! I've been to his house!" moment. The house is gorgeous, decorated with a mix of period pieces and modern exhibits. The tour is a little long, but if you enjoy history/local history/pretty house/need to kill an afternoon, completely worth it. read more

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If you're into historic landmarks and old houses in general and just happen to be in Minnesota with about 2 hours to spare, then this is a place that you should visit. At first, I was mostly intrigued with how the house looked outside... Grand and it looked like it had cost a fortune to build it back in the day and it did! The tour was 1.5 hours long and our tour guide was knowledgeable so we got to learn about the history of the house, the Hill family, their lifestyle. It was Downtown Abbey-esque in a way with their live-in domestic staff and fancy lifestyle. You get to see 4 levels of the house including the basement where the servants prepped meals, lived and did their respective household duties. The rooms were grand with specially carved wood, none of that Ikea stuff but the most impressive was probably the ball room entrance with the staircase. I could only imagine how magical it must have been walking through the entry doors, handing over your coat to a servant and looking up at the magnificent, handcarved staircases! Overall, I had a great time visiting this landmark and recommend it to those who share the same interest! read more

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We had an amazing tour guide. He made the house come alive! Thank you for making it a five star activity!

This place has been on my list for many years and I finally decided to make my way over to see it with a friend. The kicker was the "holiday decorations" that they touted so I thought it would put me in the proper holiday spirit. The building itself is impressive with lots of amazing wood carvings and features. The superficial "holiday tour" was a bit underwhelming with tacky faux food and period flea market finds here and there to try and illustrate what a Christmas celebration in the 1900's would have been like for the illustrious family. I think the tour suffers from the assumption that many of its participants have been to the house before so for me, it was a bit light on the history of the famous inhabitants. I also expected something a bit more lavish in the way of holiday decorations. There was some garland on the grand staircase and that was about it. I'd like to come back sometime for a more extensive tour to see more of the house and learn more about the Hill family. The tidbits that were offered were actually quite fascinating. read more

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This is a beautiful mansion, and lovely tour, with lots of history. I would love to go back to see it with its holiday decorations. read more

Absolutely amazing. We were the first tour on the first day of being opening after the start of the pandemic. But our tour guide was not rusty at all and gave a great tour of this amazing house. We love to tour these types of places to learn the history. But we have never toured a house this big. It is beautiful inside and well preserved. Well worth the admission. read more

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After spending a significant amount of time living in one area, you tend to overlook many interesting places. I often don't think about all of the history that makes up the Twin Cities area. The James J. Hill House is one of those places that makes you really think hard about the past. The house itself is easy to find. It's a bit ominous looking, but still a beautiful structure, as most buildings in St. Paul tend to be. There was parking available on the street and we were able to get a spot fairly close. We got tickets online to tour the property. It was a pretty extensive tour. Our lovely tour guide did a magnificent job at providing information in an entertaining manner. She was also very good about pacing. It was fun to learn more about the history of St. Paul, the story behind the Great Northern Railway, and how significant it was for transportation and business at the time. read more

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Excellent tour of an amazing building and family. We were there for a guided tour on Easter Weekend. The staff are friendly and welcoming. They included a special little tidbit for the kids by having a 'find the eggs' game during the tour. It helped keep my son engaged and interested in looking through every room. The staff also made it a point to bring in the history of the people that lived in the house as part if the tour. This made what could be a strictly architectural or historical tour so much more personal. Kudos to also having accomodations for those with difficulty standing or walking with the elevator and well placed chairs. read more

Ever been to Glennsheen mansion in Duluth? Or Hearst castle in California? Each of these well known men left their mark in the history books! We recently toured the James J Hill house. It was tastefully decked out for the holidays. Our tour guide (Christian?) was excellent and knowledgeable. This mansion is gorgeous and has some amazing woodwork and I am a sucker for red stone buildings. The dining room is gilded the rest is less ostentatious but warm and greeting. I would highly recommend this tour through history and cool architecture! The views from this 30k sqr foot building looking East are gorgeous. read more

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I grew up in the Twin Cities, but never went on this house tour until today with a couple friends. It was really interesting and fun. We learned about James J Hill himself- his personality, his reputation, how he created his railroad empire, and how he designed his mansion. The house itself is, as expected, totally gorgeous. Everything was intricate and immaculate, from the stained glass windows to the custom woodwork to the double-skylight art gallery. You learn about the era it was built and why things are this way or that - the light fixtures were built to handle gas lamps OR electric bulbs (in case electric light ended up being just a fad - it was only invented 10 years prior, after all), the wall light switches twisted, which is why we continue to say "turn on the light" today. Even their laundry system was revolutionary for the time. Definitely going back for the "nooks and crannies" tour where you can explore even more of the house. read more

An important historic home worth visiting. Railroad tycoon's dream fortress of a home. Did not like their style tour guide, however. A long tour (1 1/2 hours) with a control freak of a tour guide. Some parts of tour very good. Other parts dull (with her constant reprimands--don't step there, don't look in that room, this wing is closed, etc). House needs more period furnishings. Am nevertheless glad I visited. Current art gallery exhibit was very good: on Fitzgerald and others. read more

My family absolutely loved my visit to the James J Hill House during a recent trip to the Twin Cities. While I'm a card-carrying history geek, that label certainly does not apply to the rest of my family. The fact I could get my nerd on without having my family bored to tears during the 75-minute guided tour warrants a five star rating in and of itself. The tour guide who took us through each room was friendly and knowledgeable; she made the experience even better. Viewing the exquisite woodwork alone is worth the modest price of admission ($9 for adults). Our tour guide indicated the mansion's woodwork took 30,000 hours to carve. Unlike many other mansion tours I have experienced, you are allowed to take pictures as you walk through the 36,000 square foot mansion. In addition to a multitude of in wonderful interior shots, you get some unique pictures of St Paul Cathedral from the second floor of the mansion. The children of James Hill removed much of the original furniture from the house when they donated the mansion to the Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul in 1925. However, family members have returned many of those pieces in subsequent years. We visited on St Patrick's Day weekend, so for Irish Heritage Day, were treated to bagpipe music in addition to a demonstrations of the three story pipe organ. The tour includes a 10-minute biographical video on James J. Hill. read more

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Great place to check out. I love history and it does not get more close to home than this. Learn about how the old money lived and what they did to build fortunes that will never be seen again. read more

James J. Hill House - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - St. Paul, Minnesota

I can't recall how many times I've been here now. As a MN historical member, we frequently visit! We also have a good excuse to take guests when we they are in town. James J. Hill was a fascinating wealthy railroad man who left behind a beautiful mansion on historic Summit Avenue in St. Paul. If you'd like to see more of the detail of the house and would like to see parts of the house that are not on the standard tour, I highly recommend the Nooks & Crannies tour. If you're fortunate enough there will even be an organ player volunteering the day of your tour. I usually have a new discovery or get to see a new piece of furniture or memorabilia that has been given by the Hill family to the MN Historical Society. It is busy on weekends and you may have to wait for the next tour, however you can for sure kill time across the street at the incredible St. Paul Cathedral or viewing the homes along Summit. read more

James J. Hill House - Tour start. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - St. Paul, Minnesota

I've taken the same tour of the James J Hill House twice now and immensely enjoyed it each time (I have two train lovers in my life, what can I say?) Both tour guides have given fantastic insights into the history of the house, the Hill family, and the growth of the railroad industry. They know the house well and are skilled storytellers. If you like trains, you'll love stories of Hill's rail empire and the high tech (for the era) mechanical and electrical systems that powered his house. If you like big old houses, this one's 32,000 square feet should fit your standards. If you like random bits of trivia, you'll learn how women at the time didn't have showers in their bathrooms because showering was an invigorating, manly activity. If I remember correctly, there's a small AAA discount, but even without that it's well worth the few bucks of admission. I recommend making a reservation to be safe, especially if you're going on a nice day or during a typically busy time. Both of my tours started and ended quite precisely on time. Street parking along Summit is typically very doable. A local gem! read more

Went here exclusively for the current art gallery exhibit, titled "Ded Unk'unpi - We Are Here". On view until January 13, 2013. It costs $2. The art pieces are displayed in the original mansion-owner's "art gallery" room. The space felt conducive to lingering, pondering, thinking about the U.S. - Dakota War of 1862, an oft-overlooked part of our history, one, like others, that had far-reaching effects. Go and get yourself to the exhibit before you miss it - no need to make a reservation - just go during their open business hours. read more

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WOW! This house is absolutely incredible! We took a semi-private Nooks & Crannies tour (our tour guide was one of the coolest features DarkWing in full costume), and I can't even describe how neat this tour was. I would definitely suggest this, but with a couple of suggestions to keep in mind. First, don't put your butt on anything that isn't sanctioned for modern butts (You know who you are Mr. Thunderbutt). Second, don't let your children lick the chairs. In fact, it's probably a good suggestion that nobody licks anything. Check it out! read more

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I really enjoyed my experience here, but it's not as friendly and accommodating as Glensheen Mansion. I was also surprised to learn that there wasn't really a gift shop. Overall, the house is great! The tour guide was very knowledgeable. I'm hoping the events they host are a bit more festive. read more

James J. Hill House - Front of the house - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - St. Paul, Minnesota

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The mansion was beautiful and the tour was lovely. I highly recommend both the tour and the mansion. The reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the woman working at the front desk named Allison. She was the rudest most condescending person I have ever met. She was extremely disrespectful to my elderly mother and truly ruined our experience. I have worked in customer service for years and her behavior was unacceptable and inappropriate. I am so disappointed with our experience because of her. read more

I normally don't get excited to look at a house for over an hour, but the tour of this magnificent mansion is lovely, educational, and entertaining Price: only $10 for a 1 hour 15 minute tour. On saturdays, you'll get to hear the organ played Experience: excellent tour guide who really told the story of james Hill, his family and the time period. You'll visit 4 floors and the grounds of the house Definitely worth a visit whether you're a local or just visiting town! read more

What a cool little piece of history! I had some family in from out of town who really appreciate old victorian homes, so we came here for a visit. The tour was lovely and as it was a weekend they even had a live organ player in the organ room. This house was enormous and really took you back in time to see all the the fixtures and clothing from that period. The laundry room was both scary and really made me appreciate my washing machine. This is a great half day outing and the tour was just the right length with enough history and stories to make it interesting. Worth checking out even if your not into victorian homes, you'll appreciate your modern conveniences much more, I promise! read more

The old home is well worth the $10 tour. The elegance of the era and the hand carved woodwork throughout the house is phenomenal. Our guide Josie was topnotch and very informative. read more

This tour was incredible. My supervisor treated our department to this tour as a holiday party and I really enjoyed it. This mansion is gorgeous (woodcarving, stained glass, grand staircase, some original furniture tied to the Hill family, a working organ in an art gallery, and photos of the house to show what it looked like at the time the Hills lived there). The most interesting part is the actual construction of the house. If you have a membership to the historical society admission is free. It's especially fun to go around Christmas. They decorate the already beautiful house for the holidays Our tour guide also mentioned the Nooks and Crannies tour which goes into all the hidden parts of the house, including the servants' quarters. I definitely want to go back for that! read more

I have been here before and will be back again. Our guide was perhaps the best one I have ever had anywhere. I think her name is Angie. She really knows her stuff. She is friendly and enthusiastic. They are lucky to have her. If you are an Ayn Rand fan this place is a must. You will totally get it! Check out the cathedral when you are done. Walk around the yard, and the neighborhood. Pull up your Zillow app and check out the surrounding "homes" One of my favorite museums. read more

My friends and I took a guided tour of the James J. Hill house this Labor Day weekend and it made for a wonderful and informative afternoon! The house itself is beautiful. I could have spent all day there. The house had a Labor Day weekend special tour which focused on the servant's lives in the house, and gave a fascinating behind the scenes look at how the house was run. I had taken a tour of the house in my high school Humanities class, but didn't remember much. Josie was our guide and she was so knowledgeable and answered all questions very well. Historical sites like this are few and far between in Minnesota, and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to walk around this house for such a reasonable price. Thank you to all staff, especially Josie! :) read more

Absolutely wonderful it's breathtaking I've gone through it approximately six times but it still amazes me every time I go in to this beautiful mansion I'd love it when things are kept as is and not tampered with this is an example of quality craftsmanship in homes if you have an opportunity I highly recommend you see this mansion read more

I'm always looking for new ways to be a tourist in my own town. This place was amazing, and I wish I could have seen more of it. As it was, the tour took 2 hours and we only saw a quarter of the rooms available, and no third floor (because of fire regulations). The tour guide was charming, and had a lot of funny bits of information - and quizzed us. It's sad that there is hardly any of the original furniture in the house, and they refuse to put any non-original items into it. (Without the furniture, I can't give it a 5-star rating.) I'm excited to go back for their Nooks-and-Crannies tour, where they let you go into the other rooms! This includes the servants' quarters, and the daughters' rooms. One thing you might want to check out, which they don't show you on the tour - the apartment building down the hill was actually J.J. Hill's old house (they tell you that) made into a stable, so go drive down and check it out - and at the gate was a fully-functioning house for the guardman. Go peek in the windows! read more