If you’re looking for a vacay pilgrimage that celebrates 160 years of hatmaker John B. Stetson’s iconic company and gets you within striking distance of Orlando and gorgeous Florida beaches, head for DeLand and “The House That Hats Built.”
While the name Stetson naturally conjures the West, company founder John B. Stetson grew up in New Jersey, set up shop in Philadelphia, and dodged the winter months in a palatial Florida pad tailor-made for a Gilded Age hat baron. “He created a hat empire, but he was also one of the original snowbirds of that era,” says Kayla Jennings, resident guide at the Stetson Mansion — aka “The House That Hats Built.”
Home to Stetson University (the state’s oldest private college, named after its most influential founding trustee) and a popular annual Fall Festival of the Arts (November 22 – 23, 2025), DeLand, Florida, also wins our vote for the coolest visitor-friendly historic property hiding in a small town 50 miles north of Disney World that one might otherwise overlook.
Built in 1886, the three-story, 10,000-square-foot Victorian showstopper on Camphor Lane with hints of Gothic, Moorish, Polynesian, and Tudor accents, 10,000 panes of antique Tiffany glass, six Italian marble fireplaces, an Escher-scape of 16 individual parquet flooring patterns, and exquisite wood detailing throughout has been tapped by VisitFlorida as the state’s “first luxury estate.” Listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, the Stetson Mansion’s formidable guest list included President Grover Cleveland, King Edward VII, and a turnstile of Vanderbilts, Astors, Tiffanys, Carnegies, and Mellons back in the day, plus John B.’s handy friend, Thomas Edison, who outfitted the place with electricity — making it one of the world’s first wired homes.
Remarkably restored and preserved in recent years by property co-owner and designer JT Thompson, the Stetson Mansion remains a private home, offering seasonal tours run by the current residents. This was confirmed when we phoned to check on upcoming tour times and the warm owner herself fielded the call. “The room that will blow everyone away this year is John’s Master Suite — which will be decked out with a variety of classic hats and other memorabilia to commemorate the 160th anniversary,” said Jennings, who’s busily preparing the Stetson Mansion for its famous Christmas tours (November – December), covering the first two floors of the property and featuring over 100 decorated trees. Historic tours (February – May) add the third floor, which includes several designer-decorated bedrooms as well as the Stetson “Boardroom” and “Memories Room.”
Stetson Mansion, 1031 Camphor Lane, DeLand, Florida. 386.785.3961, stetsonmansion.com.
PHOTOGRAPHY: (ALL IMAGES) COURTESY STETSON MANSION
