The Christmas Mansion, formerly known as the Stetson Mansion, in DeLand, was selected by USA Today readers as the No. 1 historic holiday home tour in Florida and the second in the nation behind only Graceland in Tennessee. It’s the fifth year that the mansion has been recognized by USA Today.
Built in 1886, the lavish 10,000-square-foot mansion served as the winter residence for cowboy hat inventor and later university namesake John B. Stetson.
Current owners Michael Solari and J.T. Thompson offer tours of the fixed-up historic mansion. At Christmastime, the mansion is fully decked out to celebrate the holiday.
“Within the spectacular and elegant decorations are 50 Nativities,” Solari said. “People leave the mansion feeling the love and joy the season represents.”
The process of decking the mansion’s halls takes around four months, he said.
“There are decorated homes you can view,” Solari said, “but none have the high level of elaborate and elegant themed rooms that relay the meaning of the season like the Christmas Mansion.”
Tours of the Christmas Mansion are available through Jan. 20, 2024, and more information is available at the mansion’s website, stetsonmansion.com.
