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An Akron castle icon

In the early 20th century, Akron, Ohio, was the national center of rubber tire production. One of the richest men in town was F.A. Seiberling, founder of Goodyear Tire, who built the Stan Hywet mansion in 1912 as a monument to the company’s success.

The sprawling 65-room home features an English Tudor motif, with 23 stone fireplaces and more than 100,000 leaded glass windows. Today, the mansion is open for tours and is outfitted with many of the furnishings originally used by the Seiberling family.

Visitors touring the home can see such uncommon areas as the palatial three-story great room and “the plunge,” the family’s private indoor swimming pool.

Groups with more time to spend can opt for a detailed tour such as the “Nooks and Crannies Tour,” which takes groups into back-of-the-house areas to learn about the lives of the people who worked at Stan Hywet.

Groups can also take a tour of the gardens, the gatehouse and the conservatory on the property.

www.stanhywet.org

Brian Jewell

Brian Jewell is the executive editor of The Group Travel Leader. In more than a decade of travel journalism he has visited 48 states and 25 foreign countries.