AKRON, Ohio — Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens will open its doors for the season on Friday, April 1, reinstating guided tours of the Manor House, which were on hiatus last year because of the pandemic. Masks are currently optional.

What You Need To Know

  • Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens will open for the season on Friday, April 1, reinstating guided tours of the Manor House

  • Throughout April, visitors who donate a nonperishable food item when purchasing a tour ticket will receive a second tour ticket free

  • This year’s theme will showcase the Seiberling family’s social gatherings from 1915 through the 1930s

  • Stan Hywet, a 65-room Tudor Revival Manor House, is Akron’s largest national historical landmark

Stan Hywet, a 65-room Tudor Revival Manor House, is Akron’s largest national historical landmark. It was built between 1912 and 1915 by F. A. Seiberling who co-founded the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company with his brother C.W. Seiberling. F. A. Seiberling’s family lived on the property for 40 years before donating the estate to the community.

Throughout April, visitors who donate a nonperishable food item when purchasing a tour ticket will receive a second ticket free. The food will be donated to the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank.

This year’s theme will showcase the Seiberling family’s social gatherings from 1915 through the 1930s, with emphasis on the roles domestic staff played.

The Seiberling family hosted musical performances, fundraisers and lectures in addition to family get-togethers, and the exhibit will illustrate how domestic staff executed these events, offering a glimpse into the logistics of entertaining in Akron in the early 1900s.

Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron is open for tours April through December. (Courtesy of Stan Hywet Hall)

The Manor House kitchen will allow visitors to see the job description of the cook and food preparation for a large event. The exhibit will illustrate the roles of the immigrant workers the Seiberlings employed.

Duties of the housemaids will be featured in an exhibit showing the library being cleaned while the family is away, and a guest room stripped of its linens will offer insight into the responsibilities of chambermaids.

With activities planned throughout the year, the estate’s public programming will include such annual events as Founder’s Day Weekend, the Father’s Day Car Show, Ohio Mart and Murder in the Mansion.

Stan Hywet is open for tours April through December. Visitors can take a self-guided tour or take one of the guided tours, which include the Guided Manor House Tour, the Nooks & Crannies Tour, and in May, the Grand Estate and Outdoor History tours.

Stan Hywet is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, with the last admission at 4 p.m. The estate is closed on Mondays.

Visit Stan Hywet’s website for details on events. Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is at 714 N. Portage Path in Akron.

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