Great guided tour gave interesting insights into the Mayo family. 42 room 24,000 sq ft mansion was beautiful wooded acreage. Rooms were decorated for Christmas and was very beautiful. Great Christmas event!
At the beginning of the $15/pp tour we were told there are 2 ballrooms and an observatory. Well, not until you are 40 minutes into the tour do they tell you that those floors "are under construction". No photos allowed. Neat house but not really of the era as numerous updates have been done over the years
If you enjoy learning about the history of Mayo, this is a must see! The guides are knowledgable and are happy to answer any questions you may have.
We toured the Mansion on Dec 14, 2014. The ladies of the historical society had done a wonderful job of decorating the house as it might have been in the period of time when the Mayo children were young. It is a truly beautiful old home with its old wood panelling and ornate ceilings. Thank you for all the work you did to make the mansion a Christmas spectacle. We also enjoyed the hot apple cider and the delicious cookie at the end of the tour.
Dr. Charles H. Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, built "Mayowood in 1911 and lived in it until 1939. The estate features gardens and Dr. Mayo’s decorative arts collection. Over 40 rooms are furnished in French, English, Spanish, German and American antiques." Recently renovated by the Mayo Clinic, it will be festooned in Christmas bunting in November and December. If you're interested in historical buildings and the Mayo brothers, you'll be delighted.
The co-founder of the Mayo Clinic built these mansion, and the Olmstead County Historical Society gives one hour tours. The house is gradually being restored, although it looked to us that much of the work in the mansion itself has been completed. The house is decorated with many of the original furnishings and includes family photos. The tour gave us a peek into the character, talent, and interests of the Mayo family. Our insight that we gained from visiting this home is that the success of the Mayo Clinic owes much to the energy and intelligence of its founders.
Mayowood, the country estate established by Charles and Edith Mayo (Mayo Clinic co-founder), is gradually being restored to its original splendor. Much work has been done to both the exterior and the interior of this grand 23,000 square foot mansion, home to three generations of the Mayo clan. The beautifully wooded and landscaped site of the home overlooking the Zumbro river is well worth a visit (arranged through the History Center of Olmsted County). Built by local craftsmen who worked on plans developed by Dr. Charlie, the 42 room mansion is much restored and decorated primarily with furniture from three generations of the family who lived there. Looking much as it did in the 1960's, the home and grounds immediately around the home are gorgeous. Much work has been started to restore the ponds, lake, bridges, gardens, and the like. As the restoration continues, visitors will find even more to love about the estate.
We toured the Mayowood Mansion during December while visiting Rochester. The decorations are very nice. It was refreshing to see the Mayo Foundation has taking over the preservation of the mansion as the local historical society was not able to fund it and provide for the upkeep. The Mansion is nice and I anticipate it will improve as the Foundation continues with needed work.
We went for the Christmas tour. Its a great old house and it is nice to have some history left in Rochester.
Mayowood Mansion is so historical and beautiful. I strongly recommend a tour of it. The shuttle bus will pick you up at a designated area and take you there, as there is very little parking at the mansion. The grounds are keep up with many flowers, The stone work is amazing and the balcony....I have no words. I live in Rochester and still tour it once a year. In November they decorate it for the Holidays. Price is very reasonable. $8.-12/each..or something close to that. It takes about 2 hours.