Verified Company
Such a beautiful home and well loved by the guides. The haunted attic tour is a must and the trolley tour was so fun and informative! Our guide was amazing 💙💜 Thank you so much for an incredible night! -Celeste (ghost tube girl)
So much fun! Great mix of history and spooky. Love supporting local family owned. Plus the food and cocktails are awesome!!!
A group of us got tickets to the Candlelight Ghost Tour to celebrate spooky season and a birthday. The outside of the Pillsbury Mansion was decorated with a huge skeleton scarecrow and a shack with a witch. It was very cool. You are allowed on the first floor, which is mainly the Halloween themed gift shop. We had fun looking at everything and loved a lot of the items, but we couldn't afford the souvenirs. There was also a room with a fireplace and another room with a restaurant/bar area. On the website, it says you need a reservation to get in and your ticket counts, but that the club only opens an hour before your tour. So, we went right at the one hour mark hoping to get food, but it was actually already open and all the tables and booths were full. No one was checking reservations or who entered the mansion either. The restaurant/bar area was small and quickly got cramped with attendees. We struggled to figure out where to go and how to order. We eventually got drinks, but didn't have service to pay by the QR code on the receipt and then struggled again to pay with a debt card up at the bar due to how busy it was. We were going to get some apps to go because the waiter said you can take them on the tour, but after bringing the menus, he didn't return to take an order. So, we waited about 20 minutes hoping he would and then they called our tour to board. I was still waiting at the bar to pay for the original drinks and walked away because we were boarding when the waiter found us in the lobby area inquiring about our food order and our drink tab. It was kind of awkward, but we just said we wouldn't be putting in a food order because we were boarding and asked him to quickly run my card for the drinks. Also, there was another tour 30 minutes after ours, so there was a lot of attendees waiting in the lobby area and some people were confused. There was an area to pick up a "boarding pass" with a number of it, but not everyone had seen it or grabbed one. And, some people had grabbed the wrong time slot because it was self service. So, it was crowded with confusion and no set area to form a line. Our numbers were called and we were seated. From then on, the actual tour was very good. It had good stories, with news articles to back them up. Our tour guide was very lively and fun. I was impressed that everything lined up so well (stories to locations) and how the bus maneuvered so easily even in traffic and construction. They also gave us some light-up fake candle sticks. Our group had fun with that and were sad that we had to give them back. Once back, we unloaded and confusion set in again. People were saying they don't know where to go. Some walked back around to the front of the mansion and then someone asked if we could go back in the way we came out the back. The tour guide said yes, so the rest of us we went back inside the mansion through the back. But, they had put a podium in the hallway there that entered into the lobby area and we all had trouble scooting around it to get back inside. Someone eventually moved it. Once inside, they must have been getting ready to board another tour because it was busy again. We had purchased a tour of the other floors so we had to wait around awhile. We had no idea where to go for that. Eventually the women that sold us that extra perk saw our neck lanyards for it and told us to meet at the bottom of the staircase at 7:30 for it. I used the bathroom, but they purposely kept it very dimly lit. I actually had trouble because of it. Then, we went into the room with the fireplace to get a breather from the crowd, the music in the lobby, and lights from the disco-ball. The tour of the upper floors was disappointing. We rode an elevator, which we didn't know about. My friend is very anxious about them, but did it. We were told it was an untouched attic, but it obviously was altered. Then, the tour guide had a remote in his pocket to trigger different things from happening and a few jump scares too. That part was very gimmicky and we left shortly afterwards.
This trolley tour was AMAZING! The guide (whose name we did not get, sadly) is the main driver/guide for the historical Mpls tours - amazeballs. He wore a red jacquard vest and tie- ASK FOR HIM. Three of the 4 of us on the tour were from Mpls and learned so much. Can't wait to take my other family in the Spring. Worth every penny.
Maybe don't talk negatively about ppl from the suburbs (Anoka area) who came to have fun & enjoy an evening at your small family business?
Got up to use the restroom and came back to a completely cleared table. Drinks and food all tossed. Was offered replacements at 50% off. Completely joke ruin ruined the whole experience.
What a fun, informative and exciting tour! Been on many tours and this was the best. Tour guide answered many questions I had about Minneapolis and Minnesota in general. Extremely knowledgeable and fun fun fun tour guide. I highly recommend this tour not only for visitors but Minnesotans also.
We had so much fun on the candlelight ghost trolley! The tour guide was very funny and entertaining. We live in Minneapolis and loved hearing the spooky stories.
My daughter recommended the Trolly Ghost Tour. It did not disappoint!!! I booked the tour for me and a friend. We really enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. What really made it exceptional was the tour guide as well as the greeter/bar tender at the mansion. They were fabulous!!!
Super fun trolley tour. Our tour guide was top notch, entertaining and very knowledgeable. Will definately try another tour with them
Highly recommended! The historical trolley tour was fun and incredibly informative. The mansion is gorgeous. I could spend hours looking at all of the beautiful details inside this one-of-a-kind feast for the eyes. It is lovingly cared for and decorated. The trolley tour, itself, lasted about an hour. We saw so many Minneapolis landmarks. For me, it was the intimate stories and their delivery that really stood out. Thank you for a wonderful time! 100% will go on other tours with you all. Can’t wait to sign up for the haunted tour.
A Labor of Love
After our Trolley tour and enjoying John’s fascinating narration, I wondered how he came to such a sensitive and through understanding of Minneapolis’ unusual history. I later learned that John is pretty much self-taught. “He doesn’t watch television or spend much time looking at his phone,” explained Norman, John’s partner. “He spends all his time reading, mostly about Minneapolis and history.” John talks a lot with older residents, Norman added, and the couple have varied business interests across the city that keep them busy. Whatever those interests are, introducing people to Minneapolis’ spirited history is John’s passion, a true labor of love.
Date of experience: 27 September, 2026
Date of experience: 27 September, 2026
Did the Ghost tour, we had a BLAST! Do the extension of the attic- the driver was great and funny, drinks were fantastic- just a fun thing to do with a fun group, first date, our just whatever!
CRIME TOUR IS NEXT!
Best trolley tour experience!
The tour exceeded our expectations! Having been on similar tours in over 10 cities, this was by far the best one. The trolley was spotless and in perfect condition. The driver was both highly entertaining and impressively knowledgeable. It was an absolutely fantastic way to explore the city!
Date of experience: 26 September, 2026
Date of experience: 26 September, 2026
Knowledgeable, entertaining tour guide on the Candlelit Ghost Trolley. Interesting/gruesome history! We know the trolleys are used for daytime tours, too, (our tour was after dark), so they have tinted-windows. Unfortunately, tinted-windows and interior illumination (even tasteful illumination - which was the case here) are not conducive to both seeing, and taking pictures of, some of the subjects of interest within the darker neighborhoods. We wish this company much success! Thanks for the good time.
Such a fun and informative experience! Our guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. We saw so many things in downtown Minneapolis - this was a great way to kick off a visit to the city. Highly recommend!
Would highly recommend this tour. Our driver/guide was exceptional. He was extremely knowledgeable and presented information about Minneapolis that was insightful, well researched and well presented. We learned so much about this city and are grateful for the passionate and articulate tour guide.