Salisbury House & Gardens

This is a stunning place with amazing art as well as architecture and architectural craftsmanship. We visited today, Nov 12 and we went for the first tour. We had a wonderful and knowledgeable guide and we were the only ones there! A private tour! The guided tour is worth the extra expense as you will see more of the home and you will have docent guided tour with background and additional information. Whether you like textiles, paintings, pipe organs (amazing), sculpture or woodworking, you will delight in this amazing home. And we went with very cold weather and it was toasty warm! You will have stairs to climb. And there is parking. I cant say much about the gardens as it was all covered in a beautiful blanket of snow. This is a must see for locals and visitors. Enjoy!

We have toured several mansions as we vacation, this one is definitely in our top favorite. The history of the family is pretty unique. We had to self tour due to covid and the worker was extremely knowledgeable and answered all of our questions.

As a wedding planner, I absolutely love working events at Salisbury. I get super excited when I hear my couples have this beautiful venue booked for their special day. Beth, Keesha, and Lynn are all so helpful and wonderful to work with. The house has beautiful unique touches all over the house. Your photos will turn out beautiful! The team is great to communicate with and they are very helpful and accommodating. I can’t recommend this venue enough! It’s truly an all time favorite! I would recommend Salisbury House to anyone looking for a beautiful venue in the Des Moines area. You will not be disappointed!

Beautiful home built in the 1920s designed to reflect the architecture and feel of a manor seen in Salisbury UK. The home is furnished worn some replicas and some authentic 16th century architecture and furnishings. Some of the paintings on the wall are quite gorgeous. Tours of the full house are only offered three times a day, but you can pay $8 to walk around the first floor only. I opted to self guided tour which ended up being very few rooms and the front garden.

We looked into a visit before we arrived and their official website said there was no admission fee just a strongly encouraged $10 donation. My boyfriend and I both intended to donate $5 and tour the house. But the ‘donation’ is actually MANDATORY and $10 each is not worth it to tour such a small museum with no tour guide. It’s not a donation and it’s not “strongly encouraged”. Its an admission fee so be prepared for that. Beautiful house with neat art but not worth that admission fee.

I enjoyed seeing many historical items in a mansion moved to Des Moines piece by piece from England.

We went to Mysteries at the Castle and had a great time with three of our kids. It was beautiful, fun and festive. The historic backdrop was delightful to show the kids and imagine with them how we would live there if it was our home. Will return to see the House when it is not a Castle :)

Highly recommend the guided tour...takes approx. 1 hour & really fun to hear stories about the art collection displayed in the house!

Always have a great time exploring the history of our great state of Iowa. Salisbury House never disappoints.

Very interesting home with a lot of history and beautiful artwork. The staff are very friendly and informative. It is definitely worth a visit.

Wonderful tour guide- well worth the small fee to get an extensive look at such a unique house

This is a great place to visit if you are at all interested in history and/or architecture. I took the overall tour, and our tour guide was very pleasant and knowledgeable about the house and the family history too. She knew a lot of little details, and made the tour fun. I would definitely recommend it, if you have a few hours spend, and would to get a taste of England right in the heart of Iowa!

This historical home has far more history than what you would normally find in Des Moines, Iowa. Craftsmanship from the 1600s is everywhere, and the flint decorative blocks on the homes exterior is unique. The grounds must be beautiful in warm weather; they were pretty enough in winter.

I visited Salisbury when I was a little girl. It was as amazing as I remember, and our tour guide was outstanding. A must visit!!

What can interesting old mansion. Great family story. Many of the furnishings are original to the house which really made it authentic. Our docent was very knowledgable and answered our questions for the most part. We spent 2 hours on the guided tour.We highly recommend that over the self paced one because you only get to see the first floor on that one. We went to the basement and all 3 other floors. It was a great tour!

Fantastic preservation of a beautiful legacy building. A mini Hearst castle.

Beautiful Place for a Wedding

Beautiful house and collections. We took the self- guided tour, which is good if you cant make the guided tour times. The art is beautiful and the tapestries are very intricate.

Ive always adore this place since I was a child and my mother would take me. Fun half day activity for children 12 and up. Great little piece of history to partake in. Always great to go back for a visit. I recommend always looking at the website for time and date information though, because they do events that may interfere with regular business hours. If your ever in Des monies I highly recommend.

Such a beautiful home! Very impressed by the knowledge of our tour guide. He was engaging, friendly, and you could tell he loves the history of this house.

Magical destination, literally magical

Very polite staff and well manicured grounds!

Beautiful home with a great staff that wants to help make the most of your visit. Enjoyed a self-tour but unable to get in on the guided one. The guided one was already full so get there early so you dont miss out on the library and 2nd floor. We will have to go back.

We went there for the Halloween event. It was great. Loved the Mansion.

My school age son and I went there the other day. Our tour guide was Sheila and she was amazing. She had so many details and tailored the tour to fit both my son and I (like stories about the boys who lived in the house. My son is still talking about them riding motorcycles through the front and back doors). We also got to see things you don’t get to see in the self guided tour. This was a great experience for us and I would recommend a visit to anyone!

Truly a beautiful home. Lots of interesting stories about the Weeks family.

This looks like a lovely place to visit! so easy to get to in West Des Moines and I cant wait to visit it!

I had my wedding and reception at the Salisbury House. I enjoyed every bit of our time there!!! They were organized and adjusted to the needs of the day that arose! I could not suggest a better place!!! They are extremely kind people!

Amazing home right in the middle of Des Moines! The history is stunning and you really need to absorb each room. The entryway which has wood from Shakespeares time is breathtaking and the pipe organ is immense. I would highly recommend taking a tour of this beautiful mansion.

Interesting, casual tour. I didnt know what to expect, but it exceeded my expectation.

Really great place to visit. Jill was a fantastic docent, very friendly and informative.Always like to learn something new.

Great museum, beautiful grounds and architecture. Would be a great place for engagement or wedding photos

David the tour guide very friendly and house is beautiful worth the extra money for full tour.

Awesome place... We Spend few hours here in a rainy day.. Recommended this place..

A miniature imitation of Salisbury Cathedral.However no replicas of the Magna Carta . A lovely residence for one of Des Moines entrepreneurs.Having visited Salisbury Cathedral,this pales to the original presentation.Perhaps this lovely miniature presentation is nearly a-memory to the reflection of a visit by the owner.Another symbolism of limited history and architecture!

The Halloween event at the Salisbury house was GREAT! I only wish we could have gotten there earlier.

Phenomenal. Any one who loves history, England, or beauty should check it out. I was blown away. The story of the home and how it came to be is incredible to me. People with incredible sums of money these days would never build anything so amazing. A very unique find in the middle of Iowa.

The history was neat. Paid 12 bucks for the tour. Well worth it!!!

We love the history of this place, but also so many of the quality events.

It was beautiful and interesting. Tour is the way to go . Ask for Corydon.

Very interesting to tour, read about the history of the home and family. Home is well kept. The lady welcoming us and selling the tickets was very friendly. You can self tour or have a tour guide for a little more. Tour with guide allows you to go into the library, basement and few other rooms. All 42 rooms are not open to view, but enough are.

Excellent place to visit, extremely great people working there, Kathy is one great tour guide...

Interesting place to visit with lots of history. A bit on the spendy side though. Guided tour was informative.

A true gem in Des Moines. A great example of people with impeccable taste from the 20s.

A beautiful home with a lot to see! I wasnt sure what to expect, but I was thoroughly impressed by how much fun it was to explore this place. I would recommend it to anybody looking for a simple yet fun way to step back in history and enjoy some lovely art and history. :)

So neat. Wasnt expecting so much information. Loved it.

Its a nice way to spend an afternoon... Wish more of the house was accessible to the public however...

Loved my tour guide, Stuart Walker!

Had the most wonderful tour of this historic house. Our tour guide, David, was incredibly knowledgeable and went above and beyond the call to provide us with the most information and best experience possible. Please take the time to visit this enchanting mansion and make sure to give whatever donation you feel comfortable, so that future generations can enjoy this marvel as much as we have.

Beautiful setting for Macbeth with tall trees as three witches run thru the nite. Food delicious by HyVee. Young thru older came for Macbeth. 1st timers will return, maybe Christmas Tea. Enjoy.

What a great DesMoines treasure! More people should check it out and take one of their interesting guided tours! They also have great events!

Lovely lady shes patient and understanding with your questions and concerns with any and all things. We booked this location for our wedding (has not happened yet). But done with ease!

The tour was a lot of fun and very informative.

No tours Mondays and during special events, so check the website calendar first! However, the staff is extremely friendly, accommodating and knowledgeable. Great place to explore history, art, curation and the minds of a unique set of architects in a magnificent estate which provides for weddings and other events. Definitely worth a stop.

Nice place to visit.

Marietta, or tour guide, was very enthusiastic and knowledgeable!

This house it a must for someone looking for a cool historical place to visit in Des Moines. The house is inspired by Tudor architecture and its amazing. It has to be the coolest historical homes Ive ever visited. I took the self tour of the first floor and the booklet you get has the backstory and map for the self guided tour. I would definitely suggest a visit!

Fantastic visit, exceptional tour guides and staff. Lots to learn and enjoy. Well worth the time.

Need to take a more expensive guided tour to see the most, as many parts of the house are off limits otherwise. Its quite impressive either way, though, and its easy to let yourself believe that youre in England instead of Des Moines. Very beautiful and worth it!

A perfect gem in the heart of DSM! A must visit!

Great historical house with many things to look at. We went on the guided tour and the guide was able to give lots of insights on the house and family. The library and its collection is amazing.

Enjoy the great architecture of this house that sits majestically on a hill. See something different every time I visit.

Its a sight to see. It will leave you in a transtic state of mind. The family and house gives you a true understanding of the family values, and beliefs. I recommend a tour guide. Its a couple, individual, or family event to attend.

Went to Shakespeare on the Lawn. Wonderful performance, beautiful grounds.

The house itself is fascinating with lots of English & French decor. The self guided tour was fairly easy to follow and the staff was very friendly and informative. Definitely worth a visit.

Alto of history. Great excperience.

It is always fun to visit old mansions and the staff knows their history well.

Beautiful house with an interesting history. Make sure you take the guided tour because you will get access to rooms you would not see on the self guided tour.

Such a beautiful place with interesting stories and history!

Wonderful staff. Easy to work with. Beautiful, historical venue.

Great historical property with a garden. They also host quite a few different activities!

What a treasure grove in des moines. Love the history and beauty in a single place nestled deep in south of grand. From Shakespeare on the patio to dinners in the dining room, the place always impresses.

Enjoyed my time at the Salisbury House. I went for a wedding. Fascinating history. Major kudos to the historical society that restored this treasure. I highly recommend this for a wedding venue!

Great local history in a beautiful setting

Fabulous venue for educational trips and high end events. This place transports you back to Tudor era England, surrounded by charming gardens and walking paths. Lots of great opportunities for kids events.

The murder mystery night was great. My wife and I had a blast!

Very cool castle!

Wonderful!

Such a cute place, and having events here makes timeless photos

Beautiful facility with fun and unique opportunities.

I could spend all day here. The tour guides are great!

Im not one for historic things but this house is pretty amazing. we went there for a trick or treating event. its more for little kids. my son is 8 bit he still made the best of it. it was $5 per person for this event not a bad price and out waa interesting to see once for me.

Neat place and a must see if visiting Des Moines.

Just because you can build a house doesnt mean you should build a house.

I love this place.

Amazing tour of rare antiques, and a pretty interesting story of the houses history.

Beautiful piece of Des Moines history. This is a must see!

Totally surprising experience. I had no idea it would be as cool as it was. And the library is amazing!

Beautiful place. Its a huge mansion with ancient architecture and beautiful furniture. You can see hoe different life force back in the early 20th century. You can see appliances from the 1920s. You can take the guided tour and its nice but its not necessary. You can walk around and explore the house. However, if you dont take the guided tour, youllon the library which has some really ancient books and artefacts.Must visit if you are in Des Moines.

A fascinating place to visit.

Beautiful old mansion and gardens

If youre an Iowan and havent seen this, run...do not walk!

Best Salisbury steak in town!!!!! I recommend visiting Steve Bunces page dedicated to Salisbury steaks (with garnish) with an honorable mention to hamburger helpers Salisbury mix Facebook page for all things Salisbury (as long as its Salisbury steak) and the world of Salisbury steaks!

Definitely take the guided tour, it was amazing.

Beautiful Mansion & great tour, thank you Sarah!

Great place lots to see best kept secert

Couldn’t go to basement:(

Wonderful visit and tour. A beautiful estate.

Sad. My father went here 40 years ago,I was there 20 years ago. After seeing it today to show it to my children was heart breaking, it has gotten worse over time. Grand old mansion that was robbed of it treasures when it was given to the teachers union and even what was left is now stored away. It is deteriorated and much is now closed off. The limestone is cracked and I dont know if it can ever be restored at this point. The best collection was the antique weapons and armor which is now not even on display. Will not return.

Really interesting snd lovely tour today. Thank you, Jill and all!