Salisbury House and Gardens

Salisbury House was the vision of Carl Weeks, a wealthy cosmetics manufacturer, and his wife Edith, who wanted a home that captured the character of old English architecture. Rather than merely imitate the style, they had genuine materials brought over, including oak timbers, flint, and stone, and it is said that pieces of a centuries-old English building were incorporated into the structure so that parts of the walls were truly old.

The result, completed in the second half of the 1920s, is a rambling manor of many rooms and periods, blending medieval, Tudor, and later English styles into one theatrical whole. Weeks spared little expense, and the house became one of the grandest private residences ever built in Iowa, a piece of Old World fantasy raised on the prairie during the Jazz Age.

The Weeks family were serious collectors, and they filled the house with a wealth of art and antiquities. The library holds rare books and manuscripts, including early printed works and literary treasures, and the rooms are hung with tapestries and paintings and lined with carved paneling and stained glass gathered on trips abroad.

When financial reverses forced the family to give up the house, the collections and the manor eventually passed into the care of a nonprofit foundation, which preserves them as a museum. Touring the rooms today is like stepping into a private collection assembled by people who loved beautiful old things and had the means to gather them from around the world.

The manor sits on wooded grounds on a hillside above the city, with gardens, lawns, and mature trees that complete the illusion of an old English estate. The setting was chosen and shaped to frame the house, and the grounds remain a peaceful green retreat within Des Moines.

The gardens change with the seasons and host events through the warmer months, from concerts to weddings, and the woods and lawns make a quiet backdrop for a stroll before or after a house tour. It is a rare pocket of Old World calm a short drive from the state capitol and downtown.

Spring and summer are the fullest seasons, with the gardens in bloom, the grounds green, and a busy calendar of tours and events. It is the best time to combine an indoor tour with a walk of the grounds.

Fall brings color to the wooded hillside and cooler days for touring the house, and winter draws the museum inside for holiday events and quieter, atmospheric tours of the paneled rooms. As with any historic house museum, checking the schedule ahead is wise, since private events can affect public hours.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

Salisbury House and Gardens, in the city of Des Moines, is a magnificent forty-plus-room mansion built in the nineteen-twenties, modeled on an English manor house and filled with authentic Old World architecture, art, and craftsmanship. The cosmetics magnate who built it incorporated genuine centuries-old timbers, stonework, and materials from England, and filled the home with a remarkable collection of fine art, rare books, tapestries, and antiques. Set amid beautiful gardens and woodlands, the estate is now a historic house museum open for tours. With its grand English-style architecture, world-class collections, and lovely gardens, Salisbury House and Gardens offers an elegant and fascinating destination in Des Moines.

You can tour the grand mansion's more than forty rooms filled with authentic Old World architecture, fine art, rare books and manuscripts, tapestries, antique furnishings, and even historic musical instruments, admire the craftsmanship of the English-manor design with its genuine centuries-old materials, and stroll the surrounding gardens and woodlands. Guided tours reveal the home's history and treasures. The combination of architecture, art, and gardens is remarkable. With its opulent interiors, world-class collections, and beautiful grounds, Salisbury House and Gardens offers an elegant and enriching visit in Des Moines, Iowa.

Salisbury House is generally open for tours year-round, with late spring through fall offering the added beauty of the blooming gardens and green woodlands to enjoy alongside the mansion, while the house itself is enjoyable in any weather and hosts special events and holiday tours seasonally. Because tour times and event schedules vary, checking current hours before you go is wise. Summer and early fall are especially lovely for the gardens. For the best combination of the mansion tour and the gardens at their finest, aim for late spring through fall at Salisbury House and Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa.

The mansion's interior is typically seen by guided or self-guided tour, which is the way to experience its rooms, art, and history, while the gardens and grounds may often be strolled more freely, so it is best to check the current tour options, times, and any reservation needs before you go. Tours enrich the visit by sharing the stories behind the home and its collections. Special events and seasonal tours are also offered. Planning around the tour schedule ensures you get the full experience of the interiors and grounds at Salisbury House and Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa.

Salisbury House and Gardens is in Des Moines, near the Iowa State Capitol grounds, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, the Des Moines River, and within reach of Living History Farms, Blank Park Zoo, and the High Trestle Trail Bridge in the metro area. That makes Salisbury House an elegant stop to combine with the Iowa State Capitol, the Pappajohn Sculpture Park, and the other attractions of the Des Moines area on a visit to central Iowa.