Doors to some of St. Paul's grandest old homes swing open this Sunday for the 2026 Historic Hills House Tour, a self-guided walk through the Summit Hill and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods that runs noon to 6 p.m. rain or shine. Tickets run $45 in advance, $60 the day of, or $175 with a VIP brunch, and a free shuttle will loop between stops every 15 minutes.
The tour returns to St. Paul's Summit and Ramsey Hill neighborhoods on Sept. 27. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul reports that the event is back. The Ramsey Hill and Summit Hill Associations describe themselves as excited to collaborate again on the event, per stpaulhistorichilltours.org, which advertises access to more than 15 homes, churches and public spaces.
A Long-Shuttered Staircase Reopens for the Day
One of the tour's rarer offerings sits just outside the James J. Hill House: the Walnut Street Stairs, closed to the public for more than three years, will be on view exclusively for tour attendees, according to myvillager.com. Beyond private residences, ticket holders will also have access to the Cathedral of St. Paul, Summit Manor and the Germanic-American Institute, per Mpls.St. Paul Magazine's account of the route. Ticket pickup this year has moved to the Germanic-American Institute at 301 Summit Avenue, the tour's own website notes.
FOX 9 reports that a home at 881 Lincoln Ave. was built in 1899 and designed by Saunders A. Varnam. The property is a single-family residence.
Brunch, Beer and a Half-Century of Tradition
For an extra splurge, the VIP brunch runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Summit Manor Reception House, 275 Summit Ave., ahead of the general tour, per the same myvillager.com report. Organizers are also offering complimentary beer to the first 500 tour attendees, the outlet adds. The event's website bills the tour as a beloved Twin Cities tradition spanning 50 years, a run that eventvesta.com similarly frames as a historic-preservation tradition spanning five decades.
The neighborhood associations behind the walk describe it as celebrating local architecture and community heritage while supporting preservation efforts, according to ramseyhillstpaulneighborhood.org. For residents curious what lies behind the wrought-iron fences and stone facades along Summit and Ramsey Hill, Sunday offers a rare afternoon to find out — stairs, brunch and beer included.
