leduc historic estate

I met 15 former high school female classmates for "tea" that included five courses of food and beverages. The five courses included appetizers, sandwiches, nuts, cheese, dessert, and various teas. We were also given a tour of the very interesting Leduc Mansion.

This estate was hosting a local art exhibit so we stopped in. The home was a delight to see and the docent volunteers were warm and welcoming. Interesting history, architecture and artifacts. With more time, we would have explored the grounds a bit more too.

I hosted a Bridal Shower at the mansion and it was wonderful to have the old world charm, beautiful parlor all decorated for Christmas. The staff and volunteers are so helpful I felt like I was in my own home

My boyfriend grew up in Hastings and wanted to take me there to see this town on the Mississippi. I thought it was going to be 'less than,' but it was actually quite charming. The highlight for me was seeing this lovely mansion and estate. Last weekend was their annual Civil War re-enactment. When he told me about the event, I wondered what Minnesota had to do with the Civil War? Like most people, I know little about the Civil War [thank you, American History teachers] so was game to learn more. This is a lovely home and the tour guides are excellent! I was on a tour with a 12-year-old girl who seemed mermerized by the whole thing, until Andrew told her that she was the perfect age to be working in the kitchen - pumping water and stoking the fire! I had a great time. Vermillion Falls is also definitely worth a stop.

Not a huge mansion, and not super historic though the first Presidential visit was made to this house, but it is an old house for the area, stands pretty much as it did when the LeDuc's lived there, has a nice story to go with it, and there is a really neat presentation at the beginning of the tour. Price was very reasonable for a family. Was a great stop on a Sunday day trip.

The LeDuc Historic Estate is located near the center of Hastings right on Highway 61 (also called Vermillion Street). It is about a half mile north of the Vermillion River and Vermillion Falls Park. A large parking lot is behind the house off of 17th Street. The four bedroom Gothic Revival house was built in 1865 for William and Mary LeDuc. Most of the house was built while General Leduc was serving in the Union Army and Mrs. Leduc was staying with her family in Ohio. The estate is very interesting and sits on 4.5 acres.I visited the estate on a Sunday afternoon with my wife in early October and we went on the 2:30, one hour guided tour with Amy. Since we were the only two on the 2:30 tour, Amy was our personal tour guide. Amy was very knowledgeable, enthusiastic and did a great job. They have an interesting 15 minute video that tells you a little about the house and the family history. The guided tour is only of the house but we toured the outside buildings on our own. The outside buildings include a renovated stable, a rebuilt chicken coop and a renovated old icehouse. The entire estate is maintained by the Dakota County Historical Society and they have done a good job as the entire house looks great.While I enjoyed the tour of the house and estate I would not make a special trip to Hastings to see it (but recommend you stop if you are already in town). The cost is reasonable as adult tickets are only $6 and student tickets are $3.

This is a worthwhile stop in Hastings for adults who appreciate history. The 1-hr tour takes place in the mansion. I thought perhaps the tour would also include the outside buildings on the estate. You can walk through the outside buildings on your own after the tour. I brought my 8 and 10-yr old kids. They did well but we wouldn't go again because we spent 10-15 min. in each room listening to stories about the family. It's not fast-paced enough for children younger than mine. In the library you get to watch a very well-done video about the history of the mansion. Very interesting.

The tour was among the best! Great property! The history was very fun to learn about. We loved that the property remains very unchanged since the days the house was first occupied.

The tour guide is a treasure of information and made it interesting and fun to see.She gave us so much history about the people who built the house and their lives. Very interesting!

We had a fantastic experience at the LeDuc mansion recently - out tour guide, Andrew, was one of the best tour guides we have had for tours such as this. Not only was Andrew great - but the professionalism (15 minute video of background was very well done - concise and entertaining) and depth of the tour itself. The entire tour was about 1 hour and only had one set of stairs to navigate, ending at the gift shop upstairs (nice little gifts available). It is definitely worth the admission and a charm in the midst of Hastings. If you are passing through, you must stop in!!

This beautiful 1860s estate house is full of history and great charm. Now maintained by the Dakota County Historical Society, it is open to the public from late May through October, and often features special weekend events, including a Civil War weekend in September (General LeDuc served the Union Army during the time the house was being built). Worth a trip, especially in the fall color season.

Took the tour a number of years ago, and it was led by an informative guide and was not strenuous.