New Tours Offered at Barker Mansion during Summer of 2016

Barker-Mansion-Old-Summer-Kitchen_01The historic Barker Mansion is offering expanded tour options this summer, designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences and interests.

New this year, a self-guided tour of the first floor and garden will begin at 10 am, Tuesday through Saturday. On this exploratory tour, visitors are given guide books which point out interesting facts about each room and tell the story of the Barker legacy. Visitors also encounter “Discovery Baskets” filled with replica items from the time period, which can be touched and examined. Plan to stay 45 minutes for this tour; cost is $5 for adults and $2 for youth, ages 15 and under. Reservations are not needed and doors open promptly at 10 am for this tour.

Barker-Mansion-Old-Summer-Kitchen_02The guided mansion tour, which has been a standard offering for decades, will begin at 1 pm Tuesday through Saturday. Visitors view all three floors of the mansion on this tour, which is led by a trained interpretive guide. The tour lasts one hour and costs $8 for adults and $5 for youth, ages 15 and under. Reservations are not needed and doors open at 12:45 pm for this tour.

Back by request, a guided Wednesday evening tour will take visitors behind the scenes of the historic home at 7 pm. Guests will venture into all spaces normally off-limits, including basement, closet, and storage areas. The tour will visit the old laundry room and summer kitchen and former servants’ quarters. The two-hour two costs $15 for adults and $10 for youth, ages 15 and under. Space for this tour is limited to the first 15 people to walk-up that evening; reservations are not accepted. Doors open at 6:45 pm for this tour.

The aforementioned tour times and prices are valid through Labor Day 2016. Please note that the mansion is closed on Mondays for upkeep.

The Barker Mansion is located at 631 Washington Street in Michigan City, IN. The 38-room mansion was built by freight car industrialist and philanthropist John H. Barker in 1905. Visit www.barkermansion.com for details.