Lanier Mansion State Historic Site

A fantastic way to spend an hour! The one hour home tour is absolutely worth the admission price. Purchase tickets at the Madison Visitor's Center located across the street. Parking is ample along the street bordering the home. Our tour guide proved exceptionally friendly, patient, and knowledgeable. No bathrooms in the home, so plan accordingly.

Highlight of our Madison trip. Beautiful house with very interesting historical significance.

If you visit only one historical site in Madison this is the one. This stately old mansion is the grand dame of all in this town. There are 3 floors so if you have mobility issues you may not want to go. That being said our guide who has been doing this tour for only 6 months did an excellent job explaining the history of the mansion and the history of the family that occupied it. The tour is on the hour I believe and it's $11 for adults and $9 for seniors and children. It's street parking but spots are easy to find. Tickets are sold across the street in the visitors center. Oh, the house faces the Ohio River which offers a great view.

On a chilly December day, I was able to go on a private tour of the Lanier Mansion. So Cool! During the "off season", this is the only local mansion open to the public. After buying my ticket at the visitors' center next door ($11 for adults), I waited for the top of the hour and was led by the tour guide over to the mansion. Note that there are steps to get into the mansion and there is a basement and three levels to view, so if you have mobility issues, this may not be the tour for you.Local banker and businessman James F D Lanier was extremely successful in the early 1800's as our state was being formed. In fact, he was so wealthy that he loaned the state $400,000 to help equip the troops of the state to help fight in the Civil War. The tour fills in a lot more details about this man, his family (11 kids with 2 wives), and the purpose of each room as you go through. I won't say I know a lot about history or about antiques, but I do enjoy seeing all the beautifully maintained furniture, the fine architectural details, and learning about key figures in our history. This house is loaded with items and features that made me marvel. Well worth my admission fee.Review #3396

Gorgeous, Greek Revival mansion in downtown Madison. On a recent trip to this sweet town, we were lucky that the Lanier Mansion was open for tours as many of the other historic homes are only open seasonally. It was just the two of us in our morning tour of the house.Our guide took us through each of the rooms giving brief history of the man who commissioned the building, his importance in IN history, and background information on his family. Even though there aren't many of his original objects remaining, the artifacts in the house are period. The woodwork is spectacular - especially the doors, stairs, and crown moulding. The reproduction wallpaper and floor covering are also impressive. The state has taken good care of this landmark since making it a museum in 1925.The formal garden that faces the river was bare, since it is February. But, photos show that it's impressive when in bloom. I'll have to make another trip when the trees and flowers bloom.

This was a very interesting tour of an interesting old mansion. The tour guide did an excellent job keeping the discussion informative and entertaining. The spiral staircase was very interesting. Learning the history of Madison Indiana and how the Lanier family played such a big part and not only the city but the state was fascinating. We had a good time. it was worth the money and we recommended it.

If you happen to find yourself in the sleep little town of Madison, IN, and you are looking for the chance to step back in time, the Lanier Mansion Museum allows you to do just that. Tours occur at the top of the hour, and tickets for the tour can be purchased at the Lanier-Madison Visitor center for $7 per adult. If you find yourself needing to kill some time prior to the tour, the visitor center has a small gift shop and an outside area where you can walk around and take photos if you wish.The Lanier Mansion is interesting that it is a Greek Revival home with striking features. The inside staircase is one of the Mansion's most memorable features. The house itself is pretty much all redone and not much of the pieces are necessarily original to the home. The structure of the overall house is interesting and the design is what I would like to call all for show. The lower level is grand and showy, especially the areas in which a guest might be entertained. As you go up in levels, the ceiling size actually shrinks. The lower level has extremely high ceilings, the second level has a little larger than average size ceiling height, and the third level ceiling is extremely low; especially if you are on the taller side.When the tour is over, you have time to wander around the outside grounds, which are especially gorgeous. The gardens in the back facing the river provide a peaceful and relaxing environment. The tour itself is about 45 minutes, but based on questions, it might go longer. The tour size also seems to vary and just depends on how many people show up and purchase tickets.

I'm not a history buff by any means, but I still thought this place was pretty cool. From the huge pillars outside to the 10+ft high doorways, there is something intriguing around every corner of this mansion. There are fake doorways, curved doorways, small doorways, and regular ol' doorways. Our tour guide was helpful and answered any questions that our group had. Keep in mind that there are three floors in this house. If you're not good with steps, you might want to skip it. Mr. Lanier was very important to Indiana's history. Go there and learn about him yourself!

Visited this place while I detoured on my trip back to Cincinnati. Nice imformative tour about Lanier, he contributed alot to the town of Madison. I'm no history buff, but I really enjoyed learning about the history of his home. Very nice architecture (my fav part). My tour guide very kind and informative. Definitely a place to check out if you happen to be in town.

Great tour! Our guide was very knowledgeable. The tour took an hour but felt like 10 minutes. We got to see just about every space in this beautiful, historic house. Very well restored and significant history.