Fairlawn Mansion & Museum
Fairlawn Mansion & Museum
4.5
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Monday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Friday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
About
Built as the family home of mining and lumber baron Martin Pattison, the four story, 42 room mansion was completed in 1890 at the cost of $150,000; estimated at today's costs to be well over $3 million.The exterior and first floor of the mansion have been completely restored to the original splendor,with gilded murals on the ceilings and frieze, a grand entrance hall and open staircase, marble and tile fireplaces, and original leaded and stained glass windows.The second floor of the mansion includes access to master bedroom suite, furnished much as it was during the Pattisons’ time in the house. The third floor is dedicated to the Children’s Home era from 1920 to 1964, when the mansion served as a home to the less fortunate. It also includes the restoration exhibit, featuring documentation of the extensive work performed during the 1999 restoration of the mansion.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
90 reviews
Excellent
54
Very good
24
Average
11
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Steve W
St. Cloud, Minnesota32 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
We had a wonderful tour of this gorgeous house. Our tour guide was exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable and genuinely interested in answering all our questions. (And we had a lot for her!) I would recommend including this house on any visit to Duluth/Superior. You learn about the history of this area as well as the house and owners.
Written 5 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jeremy Z
11 contributions
Apr 2021
Visit the mansion along with Patterson State Park. A step back in time. The house still needs some work to be in it’s former glory. But still a worthwhile trip. Lots of stairs 3 floors but that’s to be expected.
Written 28 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grover R
Pensacola, FL22,268 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
Much like Glensheen is the Gilded Age Mansion for Duluth, Fairlawn is the same for Superior across from Lake Superior and very close to my hotel, Hampton Superior. Fairlawn is for a timber family as it is entirely a wooden house, 3 stories above a cellar with a turret tower to see the lake. I did not have the chance to see the interior as I got into Superior after it closed. However, I did enjoy driving by and taking pictures of the exterior. For me, this was a fun house as my daughter when she was young, she wanted us to build a house that had her room in a turret with a tower. I had to send her the picture.
Written 2 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The_Schaefers
Silver City, NM94 contributions
Jul 2013 • Friends
Tours start on the hour. Don't be late or you'll be left, Our guide was a young student with summer employment. She was a bit off hand with her remarks and did not have a lot of detail in her presentation. Only the first floor is restored. The second and third are awaiting funding, but you can see them. It was not the tour I was expecting.
Written 10 July 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Schaefers,
We are truly sorry that your experience was less than expected. With staff changes this summer, we are not unlike the winning ball team whose seniors have all graduated and gone on to better opportunities. Our few seasoned guides are working hard to train and groom our new crop of student tour guides to meet our standards. Along with being an historical site and tourist attraction, we take pride in contributing to the development of young people for the workforce.
It is true that we are not Glensheen, however, we feel that Fairlawn's smaller scale affords an ambiance of more intimacy while accurately depicting the family life of one of Superior's leading citizens at a time when the booming city was nicknamed the Eye of the Northwest. Further, our very affordable tour fee accurately reflects the comparison of the two sites.
In addition, Fairlawn is unique in it's history as being both the palatial home to a wealthy family, and home to more than 2,000 children and young women of need during the 42 years the mansion served as the Superior Children's Home and Refuge. It is interesting to note, that none of the original woodwork, numerous fireplace mantles, tile work, stained glass and leaded windows in the home had to be replaced during the restoration. Despite being a children's home, the mansion's integrity was well preserved.
We at Superior Public Museums feel all of these things make the tour of Fairlawn Mansion an interesting and worthwhile experience, while we continue our efforts to move into further phases of restoration.
Written 22 August 2013
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
BuckyBadgeragogo
Wisconsin87 contributions
Mar 2015 • Couples
My wife & I were the only two on our tour. It was like having our own private tour guide! We had driven past ths mansion times,, but had never stopped. We both enjoy historical sites, and this one did not disappoint! The home is well maintained and displayed. We were not aware that it had actually served as an orphange for many decades. They also have a nice little gift shop next door.
Written 26 March 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barbicu715
Poplar, WI94 contributions
Aug 2014 • Family
This little know museum is run by the same people who take care of Fairlawn Museum in Superior, WI. It is free and simply a wonderful place for children and adults to take time to experience the history of fire fighting. I don't know any child that would not love seeing all the red fire trucks, and be able to climb on one. Its free and is on two floors, a real hands on museum.
My grandchildren spent about an hour and they are 9, 7, 6 years old and liked dressing up in fire fighting clothing.
My grandchildren spent about an hour and they are 9, 7, 6 years old and liked dressing up in fire fighting clothing.
Written 8 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dawnaddy2017
Melbourne, FL152 contributions
Aug 2019 • Friends
Beautiful old home. I’m glad we stopped. Tour takes less than an hour and it is a nice glimpse into history of Lake Superior. The entry fee was very reasonable. Beautiful woodwork and period Finishing’s.
Written 11 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Big Kahuna
Superior, WI52 contributions
Dec 2018
I am excited to tell you how much I love FAIRLAWN Mansion!
My great grandmother immigrated from Sweden to work for the Martin Pattison family. She lived here.
She sent money back home and brought her sister and brother over to work for them as well.
I love going to this historic site because it connects me with my ancestors and the story I was born into.
It is a beautiful place to go on a tour or attend a gathering celebrating a holiday or tradition. In fact, on summer days, I will often pack a lunch and go sit at the picnic table onsite and reminisce under the trees. Before Barkers Island was built, the railroads would come into town from the east, and you could see the many ships going to the Superior entry in to Lake Superior! Martin Pattison built the tower with curved windows for a reason: there was so much to witness! In my lifetime, my brother and sisters watched the Fourth of July Fireworks on a blanket spread on the lawn. I also believe this building is blessed because is was once an orphange. Find out more about that on a tour.
My great grandmother immigrated from Sweden to work for the Martin Pattison family. She lived here.
She sent money back home and brought her sister and brother over to work for them as well.
I love going to this historic site because it connects me with my ancestors and the story I was born into.
It is a beautiful place to go on a tour or attend a gathering celebrating a holiday or tradition. In fact, on summer days, I will often pack a lunch and go sit at the picnic table onsite and reminisce under the trees. Before Barkers Island was built, the railroads would come into town from the east, and you could see the many ships going to the Superior entry in to Lake Superior! Martin Pattison built the tower with curved windows for a reason: there was so much to witness! In my lifetime, my brother and sisters watched the Fourth of July Fireworks on a blanket spread on the lawn. I also believe this building is blessed because is was once an orphange. Find out more about that on a tour.
Written 2 February 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
brucedenisepeyton
Danbury, WI15 contributions
Oct 2018 • Couples
The Mansion is a beautiful home that was built by the Pattison's during the 1800's. It has 44 rooms. It was used as a Children's Home for a period of time. The 1st floor has been renovated to it's original design and has some of the original furniture. The 2nd floor is original.The mansion is now used for weddings and special occasions. A must see!
Written 10 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marguerite M
Salt Lake City, UT64 contributions
Jul 2018 • Family
We enjoyed our tour of Fairlawn and were glad we stopped to see it. Kyle gave us an excellent tour and was enthusiastic and entertaining and showed no sign of having given the tour multiple times. We enjoyed learning the history of the family and also the use of the home as a children’s home when the family moved out. The woodwork was particularly beautiful and the turrets were fun to explore. They also have a lovely view of Lake Superior.
You will be climbing stairs for this tour, so keep that in mind if that is a concern for you. The home was also warm since we toured on a hot day and there isn’t air conditioning but it was not unbearable.
If you like to tour old homes and learn more about the family who owned the home, this is a tour you should consider taking.
You will be climbing stairs for this tour, so keep that in mind if that is a concern for you. The home was also warm since we toured on a hot day and there isn’t air conditioning but it was not unbearable.
If you like to tour old homes and learn more about the family who owned the home, this is a tour you should consider taking.
Written 13 July 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
1. Can you linger and explore after the tour? 2. Do you need reservations? 3. Do they mention or encourage tipping? Thx.
Written 18 August 2018
The tour is guided and you cannot linger in the building. You can spend time on the grounds if desired but there's not much to see -- basically the sign, a small garden and some spots for picture-taking.
Written 19 August 2018
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