hillforest

Beautifully restored Victorian residence of an upper class family. Knowledgeable and friendly docents provide guided tours for a reasonable admission fee. Frequent special events offer new experiences for even former visitors.

A group from work celebrated the season at the Hillforest Tea and Tour. Parking is down at the bottom of the hill, but there were shuttle drivers available to take us up rather than navigating all those steps. The house is impressive and offers a great River view from the front porch. There were approapproximately 50 people at the tea today. Tea was served in the two front parlor rooms at small tables. Once seated we were served a pot of tea and the first course which was a warm a scone with brown sugar cream. Pots of hot tea were constantly being replaced and the second and third courses were served together. The second course consisted of a phyllo cup filled with chicken salad, a small wheat sandwich with a filling and raisin bread with an orange marmalade spread. The third course, dessert, had a bite-size cheesecake, a chocolate apricot cookie, and a third cookie, topped with pecans. After the meal a docent spoke about the history of the house and the large group was divided into four groups for a complete tour of the home. We truly enjoyed seeing the splendor of each room of the house which had been built in 1855. Our docent at possessed an incredible knowledge of the home the family, and history of the town.for those who may have trouble navigating many stairs, there was a video played in the parlor which showed the upstairs rooms. Those involved in the home and the tour obviously care great deal about the history of this property. It was a perfect venue for our Christmas group outing.

This mansion is located in the charming Ohio River town of Aurora. Tours are offered for a small fee and the woman who led us on our tour had an abundance of knowledge regarding the mansion, the family who had the mansion built, and the town of Aurora in general. There is a parking lot on site and you go up to the front door, ring the doorbell, and your tour guide will begin the tour right there. We did not have to make a reservation in advance. The house has been lovingly restored and is also used for weddings and other events. The history is very interesting and the views from the mansion are unbeatable. We stopped here on our way back to Cincinnati - Aurora is located along the Ohio River Scenic Byway so there are plenty of other attractions and small towns to visit along the byway. Highly recommend if you find yourself in Aurora!

This riverboat captain's home is a beautifully restored mansion. It is a jewel in a historic river town's crown and well worth the trip to Aurora, Indiana. The staff know interesting stories of the home's history and enjoy sharing their knowledge with visitors. The home is haunted too - just adds to it's allure!

Beautifully preserved mansion in southern IN. Was the home of the founder of Aurora - an Ohio River ship captain.

I have "toured" here several times...with my husband, friends, and most recently a visitor for California. We saw the "Bridal Gown" exhibit. The tour guides are volunteers, and are very knowledgeable of the mansion, and history of the area. This is an amazing place to visit, and the view of the Ohio River from here is wonderful. They have a nice little gift shop, and I purchased a wonderful signed and numbered James Ruthven print of a bluebird, with the mansion as the backdrop (Indiana Bunting)...it is stunning! They hold events here, and luncheons, and I would certainly like to return to attend one of those. A great treasure.

Every few years, I return to Hillforest Mansion. It is a quaint place of history with very nice docents to greet and give tours.

Terrific place to view the river from an old river boat capain's eyes. been visiting for over thirty years.

Same Old stuff. Literaly. I see the same things in my parent's house, of course it was built by the same guy. The upkeep is not great and the historical value is limited, but if you've got nothing better to do, go ahead.

It was a interesting place to visit and get the historic information that helped to educate me on the old river town

Hillforest is a gorgeous historic home with an fascinating story. It has been restored with loving care. The tour was very interesting and the guide really took the time to answer all questions and shared lots of information. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Gift shop and memberships available.

My wife and I visited Hillforest in late September. We parked by the river in downtown and walked a short walk to Hillforest from there. You can also park at their parking lot.Hillforest is very well kept and our tour guide was knowledgeable and interesting. There are many rooms which are nice by themselves but they also have many interesting objects in the rooms from the period of the house. It was obvious to me that the people who run Hillforest care a lot about it. There are restrooms and a small gift shop but no food or drinks are available. Photos are allowed outside the house but not inside.