brucemore

Looking every bit like the residence of an English lord, Brucemore was once the home of a lion whose growl at night could be heard blocks away. Today the home is in many respects the rival of the Governor's Mansion in Des Moines. A bit strange, however, is the Tiki bar in the basement which was designed as a man-cave complete with a tin roofed bar. Brucemore is annually the scene of arts fairs and musical programs and should be one of your stops in the city.

This review is a little late. This was our first time at Brucemore.I definitely wanted to share our wonderful experience on the Holiday Tour.The guides were wonderful and patient. They answered all our questions and never rushed us. We look forward to more activities here

An amazing tour in a beautiful old mansion which was owned by three of Cedar Rapids most "high society" families.

We tour Brucemore every year during the Christmas season. It changes from year to year and the tour guides are very informative and friendly. The tour is nice all times during the year, but highly recommend it during the holiday season.

We visited Brucemore during the Christmas season. No snow was on the ground, which is a good thing, since we had to walk from the gift shop to the mansion. We had a variety of ages in our group...from 5 to 50..and we all enjoyed it. The home and grounds are beautiful and well kept. So much history in this place! The tour is quite long...this is a 4 story home...but very interesting. So be prepared to spend a couple hours here and have fun!!! :)

I visited Brucemore yesterday and it was spectacular. We were incredibly lucky to be on a tour with just the two of us and our tour guide. She seemed to know everything about the mansion and loved sharing it with us. Unlike most tours of this type you were allowed to go into the rooms and look at whatever caught your eye up close (without touching of course). In addition to the home there were displays of personal items and many short videos. I will definitely go back again and next time make time to stroll the grounds.

I have never been to an event or tour at Brucemore that I couldn't rate the highest. The setting for this outdoor theater preformance was superior. The grounds surrounding Brucemore are beautiful, and very well maintained. I called Brucemore for additional information and the 2 people I talked twith were very informative and patient in answering questions. We plan to visit the Holiday tour this year as well.

My husband and I visited the Brucemore Holiday tour this past Sunday and really enjoyed it. Both of the tour guides were exceptionally knowledgeable on both the family and the history of the house. The home is amazing and understanding both the working side of the home and the family side was very interesting. The man cave is a must see! I will be back for a grounds tour when the weather warms up.

The primary reason for our visit to Brucemore was to see the sleeping porch with the walls designed and created by Iowa Artist Grant Wood.It's just one of the many stops on the tour of this wonderfully maintained mansion which was home to three families.The grounds were also beautiful,even in late fall,and the staff helpful & informative.Brucemore also plays host to a variety of cultural and other events throughout the year,making it a "living museum". The Scarecrow Invasion was on display during out visit,and I would love to return for the Holiday Tour.I only wish I lived closer so I could visit Brucemore for the musical ,theatrical and other events on a regular basis!

We enjoyed the tour of the house and grounds. One big bonus surprise was the vintage "man cave" tiki room in the basement. I doubt you'll find many places to see something like it ANYWHERE.

Plan ahead and go on the Tour of the mansion! Beautiful well kept grounds, helpful staff and an overall great experience to have to see a true piece of history!

If in town for a few days or just traveling through spend a hour at this home, you will not regret the time spent. It is so well preserved and the docents give a fantastic tour.

An amazing historical sight that you can visit with your family...me and my husband went there on a beautiful fall day..the lady who gave us the tour was awesome..she told important stories about these extremely charitable and entertaining families who lived in Brucemore over the years. The explanation of how the site was named as 'Brucemore' was nice.. we didn't feel how an hour went by..I personally loved the architecture of Brucemore...you gotta love the swan room over there..they were definitely way ahead of their time in terms of hobbies and decor..liked the green houses a lot..planning to go over there next fall to listen to the Orchestra playing in the ground in front of Brucemore..

Brucemore is a singularly important historic house for reasons I suspect the National Trust for Historic Preservation may be reluctant to make clear to the public. Created by an architect with only a passing knowledge of Queen Anne design, subsequent owners subjected the house to a series of dubious attempts to update and modernize it, resulting in a rather astonishing muddle that includes an elaborate and breathtakingly kitschy Tahitian Room and Bear Bar in the basement. Its initial construction funded by the world's fourth largest hog slaughtering fortune, and its alteration by a huge milling concern that ultimately merged into Quaker Oats, Brucemore is a dramatic illustration that great wealth is no guarantee of good sense or good taste. The house pales in comparison with Chicago's Glessner House as well as the James J. Hill House in St. Paul, but its flaws serve to quietly underscore the touching humanity of its final occupants, who kept lions as pets and played at being the landed aristocracy of Cedar Rapids with nothing more to their credit than the house they left behind. If you're passing through town it's well worth your time, if only to see the stylish visitors center that was created out of the former carriage house.

When we arrived, we were told we were too late for the hourly tour. One of the tour guides took me, my husband and daughter on a private tour!! She was so nice and took her time showing us around.Make sure you have time to find all the pets in the pet cemetery including 3 lions!