DELAND, Fla. — Step foot on to a property where one of the first luxury homes built during the 19th Century was built right here in Florida. The Stetson Mansion, vacation home and winter estate to famed hat maker and philanthropist John B. Stetson, is our destination in this week’s Florida on a Tankful. 

Everywhere you look, a festive and often glittery decoration adorns the walls and halls of this storied mansion this time of year. The Stetson Mansion, a spot built in 1883 and owned for many years by John B. Stetson, is now in the hands of new owners, one of them being J.T. Thompson. 

“So we purchased the mansion 16 years ago, and honestly this hadn’t always been a plan or dream to own a historic mansion," Thompson said. "But we wanted to bring it back and save it from the wrecking ball because one of the people who wanted to purchase it wanted to dismantle it and sell as pieces and parts to different restaurants around the U.S. and Canada."

And after saving it, they preserved it by updating and renovating the site, even adding their own flare for the holiday season. Putting on their “Christmas Spectacular!” event, which has grown over the past 11 years they’ve been hosting it. 

Tens of thousands of lights and decorations, more than 30 trees and 25 Nativity scenes are placed throughout the home., Thompson said he takes three months out of each year to design and create these displays throughout the home that change and develop every year. 

“I literally don’t let anyone in the mansion with me,” he said. “At the end of the third week of July, I lock the doors, blast the music, and I decorate every single vignette, every single room, garland, tree. You name it, I did it.”

And after all that hard work and dedication, you can experience the results of his hard work. With their guided tours throughout the mansion during their Christmas Spectacular giving you a glimpse into a home that was designed with the gilded age in mind. 

“I believe Christmas is a state of mind, not just a holiday, and this place really represents that perfectly,” Thompson said. 

The Christmas spectacular tours run through Jan. 21. Visitors are asked to make reservations online, as they are only offered by scheduling first. The mansion will close for a brief time after Jan. 21 and reopen on Feb. 11, and run historic home tours through April.

These tours are offered Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

For all the information on the mansion and tours, be sure to head to the Stetson Mansion website.