Stetson Mansion

Christmas Tours of Stetson Mansion, "The House That Hats Built." Reservations are required to tour this private estate and are booked at StetsonMansion.com. The historic Stetson Mansion's "Christmas Spectacular," the best Christmas decorations in Florida according to USA Today, will operate Nov 1, 2024 - Jan 18, 2025. Reservations Required. Historic tours are not offered outside of the "Christmas Spectacular." Stetson Mansion, Florida's Most Historic Home, is the 1886 DeLand mansion of John B. Stetson, Florida’s first “snowbird." Known as the “House That Hats Built,” it is the largest, grandest, and most modern home ever built in Florida before 1900. Stetson left an amazing cultural legacy beyond the world’s most famous hat. Stetson was known for giving back to the community and donating generously to charities, as well as for being a progressive employer and promoter of Florida tourism. He became the main benefactor for the state’s first private university, named Stetson University in 1889, and brought electricity to DeLand due to his close friendship with Edison. The mansion is one of the first designed and built with electricity and the city is the first in Florida with electric street lights. The High Victorian with Moorish, Gothic and Polynesian influences is the first and only “Gilded Age” mansion in Florida and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The original 10,000 panes of antique glass and 16 beautiful mosaic parquet floor patterns are architectural highlights. Stetson Mansion was chosen as a winner in the USA TODAY 10Best Reader’s Choice travel award contest for Best Holiday Historic Home Tour, placing first in Florida and second nationwide. Elaborate and elegant Christmas decorations also won second place in Fodor’s Travel Guide to Southern Holiday Homes and Bob Villa's Top Ten list. Stetson Mansion is private occupied estate that has been saved, restored and renovated, preserving the all rare original details. It is not a public museum.