wistariahurst museum

I loved my visit to Wistariahurst! The entire house was gorgeous and I loved learning about the Skinner family and also about their staff, which is a rarity while touring older houses. I also loved seeing a bit of the servants' quarters as well and seeing the contrast between the lifestyles. My tour guide, Rita, seemed very passionate about the history of the building and the people who lived there. I would highly recommend this visit to anyone who enjoys Victorian and Edwardian homes.

Old historic house. Worth a visit and a tour. Apparently they sometimes have weddings there, which doesn't surprise me as the house and gardens are quite beautiful. Best of all--in the gift shop there's a large diorama of a circus created with taxidermy frogs, mice, and squirrels. Please do NOT miss that.

Nice house museum with the usual interesting old furnishings, and some nice paintings. What was different was they had a room about the servants, with names and what their jobs were and how long they worked there. The tour guide gave a history of the family and the house.It took about an hour. WARNING There is no air conditioning and was very uncomfortable on this hot and humid day.

Interesting to see and learn about the family who originally built it.Was beautifully decorated for the Holidays and has a lovely gift shop.Worth stopping by

If you are a history buff, like I am, and have particular interest in the gilded age you will enjoy this tour. The guides are knowledgable about the house and the family and are willing to share all the secrets. If you have any interest in textiles then come here to learn about the silk industry. There are some very interesting videos running in the gift shop that share the history of the Holyoke area. Worth the time.

This is a beautiful historic old home with paintings hanging in the various rooms. I was in an art class and they displayed our art and I enjoyed seeing the house as well.

This is the house of a silk magnate who basically invented the white silk wedding dress in the 1920's, made money and built this house. check for their concert schedule - they have a fabulous music room.

Just walking about the gardens outside was peaceful and serene. Need to do more of that. The renovtion work on the Rose Garden area is taking shape

come here often for events, it is a beautifully maintained turn of the century mansion.

A visit to Wisteriahurst will allow you to learn alot about the way it was in Holyoke when the mills were going full blast. Really takes you back in time, Volunteers are wonderful.

Its a neat little place that could use some updating due to needed renovations.Its a Victorian house with many antiques so if you have children under 5 there too much stuff that has DONOT TOUCH signs!! Its a good look into another time in place in Holuoke for those who appreciate that typ e of place,

My sister and I came to see the gardens but as soon as we entered the museum, the restored home of textile giant, William Skinner, we wanted to see more. We were warmly greeted by a docent who offered to take us on a tour. The admission was $7 per person and it was well worth it. Our docent was very knowledgeable and answered our many questions with very interesting facts and colorful examples. We spent over an hour on the tour and she took us to places that were roped off and that we would have missed without her guidance. After the tour, we went to the garden and were pleased to meet Toi Graham, a master gardener who spoke at one of our garden club meetings, working in the garden. (Wistariahurst uses the German spelling for Wisteria.) We discussed the plantings and toured the holding gardens as well as the main gardens. We had a wonderful visit, and learned much about Mr. Skinner, his textile business, his home, his family, and his gardens. We easily spent 3.5 hours there.

What a wonderful destination for anyone interested in history, architecture and textiles. The museum is a beautiful mansion, in itself worth a visit, and the staff is eager to share their knowledge of Holyoke and the Skinner family. There are a multitude of fun and hip events scheduled throughout the year incorporating music, art and history.Check it out!!!

Wistariahurst is no ordinary historic house museum. Not only do they have enthusiastic house tours recounting the stories of an industrialist family, they have outstanding programing. Whether you are interested in the history of one of the first planned cities in America, a slice of time during America's industrial revolution, or one of America's country-place gardens, Wistariahurst is a memorable place to visit. Check out the website for events: www.wistariahurst.org. For other stops to make while you are in Holyoke, www.passportholyoke.org. Carol

The Wistariahurst was really fun and everyone was so nice I highly suggest it