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Victoria Mansion, Portland, ME

Photo: Staib, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsHistory BuffRainy-Day PickLocal Gem

Victoria Mansion

109 Danforth St · Portland, ME

Why you should go…

Victoria Mansion is an Italianate brownstone villa completed in 1860 for hotelier Ruggles Sylvester Morse and designed by New Haven architect Henry Austin. Its interiors are the earliest known and only intact commission of designer Gustave Herter, and about 97 percent of the original contents survive. Inside you will find carved marble fireplaces, a flying staircase and a Turkish smoking room, and designers decorate the rooms for a holiday season from late November into early January.

  • #historic house
  • #house museum
  • #victorian architecture
  • #guided tour
  • #national historic landmark

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Victoria Mansion, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Portland Museum of Art

    Under $25

    See Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, Monet and Picasso across three linked buildings in Portland's downtown Arts District.

    Steps awayMore like this

  • Eat & Drink
    Foodie Favorite

    The Holy Donut

    Under $25

    A Portland, Maine bakery famous for dense, made-from-scratch potato doughnuts in inventive flavors.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Eat & Drink

  • Sightseeing
    Foodie Favorite

    Old Port

    Free

    Portland's waterfront district of cobblestone lanes, 19th-century brick warehouses, shops, restaurants and working piers.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Tours
    Iconic

    Portland Schooner Co.

    $50+

    Windjammer sails on Casco Bay aboard classic Maine schooners.

    0.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Seashore Trolley Museum

    Under $25

    The world's largest trolley museum, with vintage streetcar rides in Kennebunkport.

    20 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Strawbery Banke Museum

    Under $25

    Ten-acre living history museum on Portsmouth's original waterfront neighborhood.

    47 mi awayMore like this