The Oliver Mansion

Visited on 6.17.2025. The tour of the mansion is a Must when you visit South Bend. Each room is unique and the interior and exterior are extremely well kept. Highly Recommend!!

The Oliver Mansion is a well-maintained Victorian-era mansion. When the house was gifted to the history museum the Olivers donated everything in the home, so pretty much everything you see is original, which is kinda rare in historic house museums. The tour guide, Judy, provided a lot of great information on the house and the family that built it. If you like historical houses, check this one out! You can tour the mansion, Studebaker Museum, and History Museum all for $16! Totally worth it!

My first house tour and it was amazing! Yes the place is beautiful! But the tour guide was also very knowledgeable and friendly. He didnt rush and had loads of information! I would visit again

Very affordable & very cool !!! I've gone twice. Once with my daughter and once with my wife. Will go again for more extended tours when offered.

It was a a great time learning about the architecture; as well as, the history and contributions of the family. Well worth the time. The staff is welcoming, knowledgeable, and full of tidbits that draw the visitor in. Highly recommend.

Our tour guide was exceptional. She knew everything very knowledgeable. Was entertaining, educative, and a lot of fun Bravo

As soon as we got in the car after the tour, I said this is an absolute MUST SEE if you’re in the area. My husband and I came here for “Christmas at Copshaholm” and it was truly magical. We are both born and raised in Elkhart but neither one of us had ever been here. I saw that it was decorated for Christmas (my favorite holiday) and decided it would be the perfect first visit for us. As soon as you walk in you’re hit with the beauty of all the original woodwork in the home. It’s absolutely stunning. We learned that all of the furniture is original to the house, which is such a rare and special touch when looking at a historical home. We take historical home tours all over the U.S. and it’s very rare that all the furniture is original to the home. We will absolutely be back! I didn’t take many pictures because I was taking in all the beauty!

Absolutely a phenomenal house to tour. Immaculately taken care of over the years. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and provided great information during the tour. Provides free admission for active duty service members and discounts for veterans.

This was a beautiful house to tour. Our tour guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. I learned so much about the history of this family between the house and the museum. I visited while the house was decorated for Christmas, which I highly recommend. The decorations were gorgeous.

My husband and I came here for "Christmas at Copshaholm" and it was truly magical. We are both born and raised in Elkhart but neither one of us had ever been here. I saw that it was decorated for Christmas (my favorite holiday) and decided it would be the perfect first visit for us. As soon as you walk in you're hit with the beauty of all the original woodwork in the home. It's absolutely stunning. We learned that all of the furniture is original to the house, which is such a rare and special touch when looking at a historical home. We take historical home tours all over the U.S. and it's very rare that all the furniture is original to the home. We will absolutely be back! I didn't take many pictures because I was taking in all the beauty!

I enjoyed this tour of the mansion and learned a lot about the history of Southbend and the Oliver family. The tour guide was not the friendliest though:(. Other than that, I would recommend you visit and note that the mansion can get pretty warm inside so dress appropriately. There are some stairs but nothing too crazy and there is free parking in the lot. Come on time because they start the tour promptly. Enjoy!

What a wonderful tour. The house itself was fantastic, but our docent was very knowledgeable and extremely personable. We had a wonderful time there.

Love this place! Have you seen it decked out for Christmas during the Holidays?!?!? Amazing. Immerse yourself in a different century! So much more than plow stuff or farm equipment - that was a surprise. *The hidden treasures* were most impressive. This place is a gem! Gift yourself the charmed favor of a ticket today! Thank you, Tourguides!

Very nice way to learn about some history and the mansion is crazy cool. The tour guide was very informative. I really enjoyed it.

I lived in the area for over seventeen years and never once visited Copshaholm. Nearly seventeen years later, during a recent vacation back to visit family, we decided to tour the house and museum. I enjoyed myself learning about the Oliver family, their business, and the property. The guide was fun, very informative and I didn't feel rushed. The group was small which made it even better. The family and the group running the operation today had definitely taken very good care of the house. It is in great shape for its age and what it has gone through. Save yourself a couple hours to complete the entire tour. It is worth it.

What a spectacular house! Every item inside is original to the Oliver family who built it and lived in it for many, many years. The colors and furnishings are beautiful and make the house feel very welcoming. Our docent (Kenny) provided many interesting details about the family throughout the tour. He made it feel like the Olivers would be returning at any moment! Well worth the time and nominal ticket price.

My rating has to do with our particular tour guide. The house and grounds are fabulous and the woodwork inside the home is just beautiful. Our tour guide mentioned that she has done middle school groups so maybe that could explain why she treated our group like we were all children. She barked orders at everyone and we actually had a man leave our tour because he became so annoyed with her behavior. There was one little girl in our group and she was clinging to her mom because I think she was simply afraid of this woman. At the end of the tour, the guide said how good the little girl was but earlier in the tour, the guide made a comment for the girl to get a little closer or move forward to see something. When the child stayed by her mom's side, the comment was "well then don't complain if you can't see". Could she have been any more rude? I had brought a camera to take photos - before I paid for our tickets, I specifically asked at the front desk/entrance if I was permitted to take photos in the museum and on the tour. An employee told me yes, just no flash photography so I did not use any flash at any time. I took some photos initially on the mansion tour but then she leaned in and told me I "better be careful" with that camera?? and then in a lower tone of voice told me she didn't want me taking photos??? So I tried not to take any while she was right in front of me but seriously, what the heck was that all about... She really was quite obnoxious and everyone in the group was tense and afraid to say anything or move out of line. She did have some very interesting facts to share but it was her 'bedside manner' that needed an adjustment. Very sad...I was in the area for work and live about 6 hours away so I won't be visiting again. I seriously considered asking for my money back...terrible to treat paying customers so poorly. I was actually in a bit of a bad mood when we got in the car to drive home because of this experience. When the man on the tour asked to leave the tour, she did seem to tone down a bit but she really should not be conducting tours. She apologized and asked if she had offended anyone else because she didn't mean to...at that point, we all wanted to just finish the tour and get the heck out of there. So, if you visit the home, and they tell you Shirley is your guide - run, don't walk and ask for a different guide. If you do visit, I would recommend getting a ticket for all three attractions at the History Museum - the Mansion tour, the Studebaker museum (very cool) and the main building of the museum. There is an exhibit coming soon on Downton Abbey fashions that sounds interesting.

Went with the grandkids. It was a really cool house. Jim Fox was a fun and informative tour guide. Having the original furnishings was great.