GLENSHEEN MANSION treats the whole family

Same magnificent property, new stuff for kids!

BY ANDREA BUSCHE

Glensheen Mansion is filled with “grown up” history. It’s Duluth’s most famous historic estate, built by the esteemed Congdon family. It features 27,000 square feet, 39 rooms and 12 acres of land. It was built using exquisite architecture, fine craftsmanship and only the most premium materials of its day.

But Glensheen leadership recently decided they need to do more to appeal to their youngest customers. After all, if the kids are happy visiting, Mom and Dad are more likely to bring them back! Here’s a little bit about the mansion’s new initiatives that cater specifically to children.

The Simple Wonder Of A Child

Glensheen Director Dan Hartman is himself the father of four. He and his wife, Elizabeth, are parents to twins Logan and Amelia, 4; son Liam, 3; and 1-year-old daughter Olivia. Hartman’s children have always loved visiting Dad at work, but he said at first, he wasn’t sure the museum appealed so much to other kids. Turns out, he was wrong.

“Internally, it’s always been a bit of a joke in Duluth that Glensheen was primarily of interest to older adults,” Hartman said. “And we’ve been finding that really isn’t the case. We are really surprised by the number of kids who love Glensheen.”

Kids love exploring all the nooks and crannies of the house and marveling at its sheer size. While they definitely pick up a historical detail or two during their visits, their enjoyment mostly comes from simply being “in the moment” at Glensheen.

“Most of our customers are 35- to 50-yearold moms who bring their kids along when they visit,” Hartman said. “We at Glensheen recently had a bit of a wake-up call. Kids love it here!”

CHANGING FACILITIES, ‘EYE SPY’ GAMES AND MORE

When starting to dream up plans for making Glensheen more family-friendly, Hartman drew upon his own experience.

“I was changing my son Liam in a coffee shop in the Twin Cities and noticed that they had a really nice changing table in the restroom, similar to what you’d have at home,” he said. “The lightbulb went off that we could do a lot to make Glensheen a lot more convenient for kids and their parents.” continued on page 8

Hartman and the Glensheen staff decided to make the restrooms more convenient for families. They purchased sturdy, freestanding changing tables and stocked them with extra diapers and wipes. While these are relatively minor changes, they have been effective.

“That was a really easy thing for us to be able to do, but it really makes a difference for families visiting with young children,” Hartman said.

Another new initiative is a treasure book game kids can play when they visit.