Hats Off to the Award-Winning Stetson Mansion

Exterior of the Stetson Mansion
Each year 10 rooms are decorated to reflect the best of the holiday season with embellishments from around the world.

The 1886 mansion of Stetson’s founding trustee, benefactor and namesake, John B. Stetson, is nestled less than three miles from campus. It has a lot to tip its hat at these days, earning the 2022 TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice #1 pick in the state of Florida and a Top 10 attraction in the entire country.

It has also been named a USA Today’s 10 Best: #1 Holiday Home Tour in Florida and #2 in the United States. With all these major awards, it’s become a popular “must see” destination, especially for its “Christmas Spectacular!” Tours that started on Nov. 1. 

old timey black and white photo of John B. Stetson, 1901
Portrait of Stetson University benefactor John B. Stetson (1830-1906) seated in chair for a formal portrait, c. 1901. Courtesy Stetson University Archives.

When initially under construction as the winter home of the famed Stetson Hat maker, the plans for the majestic estate called for it to be about 27,000 square feet. That plan changed when John B.’s young wife, Elizabeth (for whom Elizabeth Hall is named) insisted it was too stately. They cut the size by nearly two-thirds and it stands at 9,575 square feet today. The mansion includes exquisite wood carvings, 16 gorgeous patterns of intricate parquet floors and 10,000 panes of original, stunning lead glass windows.

While always privately owned, the historic gem needed restoration and updating when purchased by J.T. Thompson and Michael Solari in late 2005. They knew this would be a massive project since they had renovated a dilapidated motel in Ft. Lauderdale called, “The Tropicana” a few years prior to buying Florida’s first luxury mansion. 

“I knew the moment I met them that if anyone would finally succeed at making this home beautiful again, it was these guys,” explained Sue Ryan, MLS, dean of the duPont-Ball Library and Learning Technologies, who oversaw the Stetson archives when Solari and Thompson went seeking information about the history of their recent home purchase. “Others had tried over the years, but there was just something different about the excitement they brought to it. But no one expected it to get as famous as it is now.” 

All that fame is due to the architectural expertise and oversight of Solari, paired perfectly with Thompson’s immense creative spirit that gets poured into every “Christmas Spectacular!” Tour. For the past decade, 10 rooms of the mansion have been decorated with themes and painstaking details beyond imagination. The themes are never repeated, so every year there is something new to see. Months of work and planning culminate into welcoming more than 20,000 guests from November through January. 

“The ideas just pop in my head. Something that I experience, or suddenly see or feel, just keeps my mind buzzing,” explains Thompson about the way he approaches the creative decorating task each year. 

Historic Past and Present tours are offered from February through mid-July and draw an additional 10,000 visitors to the home. 

Thompson added that they are constantly asked about the Stetson University campus after taking a tour of the mansion. “Our guides incorporate the underlying history of John B. and the university, and we encourage them to go, giving them directions for the short drive out of our gate.”

Side view of John B. Stetson tipping his hat statue
John B. Stetson statue in Palm Court

He said that those who also visit Stetson University tell him how manicured it is and that it looks like a New England campus. As for the John B. statue located in Palm Court, Thompson said that he has seen several people take pictures with John B. “They are so proud and excited to show us that they ‘found’ him on campus!” 

Reservations are required for mansion tours. Click here for ticket information, tour dates, times and prices.

– Trish Wieland