Guest - Palm Beach Gardens, Florida

The wealthy know how to live!

Wow-we had an incredible tour of this amazingly authentic mansion. After a brief introduction at the museum & ticket office given by the resident owner, Terry Tietjens. Our tour guide Michael escorted us to the home past the porte cochere, where guests could alight from their carriages without descending steps to the front door where only the most esteemed guests could enter when the Seelys owned the home. Even the Eisenhower boys were not welcome as they lived on the wrong side of the tracks!
The home is packed with gorgeous furniture, cut glass, original Edison design light fixtures purchased at the St Louis Worlds Fair In 1904. We learned the meaning of the phrase “turn on the lights” when we saw the original light switches that you had to turn. Nothing is roped off so you feel more like a guest of the owner than a tourist. Original Edison victrolas were played for us. We all loved the basement bowling alley and had a chance to try it ourselves.