Lemp Mansion
4.6(1,811)4.6 out of 5 stars, 1811 reviews St. Louis, MO
About Lemp Mansion
Lemp Mansion primarily offers unique haunted mansion tours for older children, teenagers, and adults, featuring informed ghost hunters, night vision equipment, and historical tales of the Lemp family's spooky demise. It also serves as a popular dining spot, particularly praised for its all-you-can-eat Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner and other celebration meals known for attentive service and historical ambiance.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Older Kids/Teens/Adults interested in paranormal/history: The haunted mansion tours with ghost hunting and historical narratives are a strong draw for those seeking spooky, educational entertainment.Family Celebration Dinners: Especially the Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner or other large family meals, given the positive reviews for service and specific dishes.Unique Date Night: For couples interested in a haunted experience followed by dinner.Event Bookings (Weddings/Parties): Based on positive feedback for event planning staff.Teens (12+) / Adults: Haunted mansion tours are ideal for this age range due to the themes of ghosts, 'chills and thrills,' historical 'demise,' and the use of night vision equipment. Content is likely too intense or conceptually challenging for younger children.
Why families love it
- In-depth Haunted Tours: Led by informed ghost hunters using night vision videos, offering historical context of the Lemp family and their 'demise,' with mentions of specific ghostly figures ('Lady in White, Zeke, children from the nursery').
- Exceptional Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner: An all-you-can-eat spread including fried chicken, pineapple baked ham, roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, string beans, coleslaw, cucumber-tomato salad, stewed apples, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and biscuits. Described as 'fresh, great quality and delicious' and 'reminiscent of a holiday meal.'
- Delicious Desserts: Lemon cake and chocolate cake specifically called out as 'really good.'
- Historical Ambiance: Beautiful mansion, gorgeous architecture, and parlor decor contribute significantly to the experience, with servers often sharing history lessons.
- Attentive & Knowledgeable Staff: Tour guides are 'incredibly informed.' Restaurant servers are 'great' and provide history lessons. Event planning staff (Patty) is 'delightful' and 'upfront about pricing.'
- Reasonably Priced Wine: 'Unbelievable wine prices' mentioned for dinner service.
Insider tips
- Dine for the Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner: This specific meal receives consistent high praise for quality, variety, and value (all-you-can-eat).
- Confirm Food Timing/Freshness for Regular Dining: If dining for a non-Sunday meal, consider dining during peak hours or inquire about preparation times to avoid 'room temperature' or 'leftover-tasting' food as reported at 3 PM.
- Dress Warm on Cold Evenings: Be aware of potential drafts from the front door during chilly weather if dining in certain parlors.
- Inquire About Tour Suitability for Children: Given the 'chills and thrills' and 'demise' themes, parents should specifically ask if the haunted tour content is appropriate for their children's age and sensitivity levels.
- Don't miss the desserts: Lemon cake and chocolate cake are highlighted as very good.
Good to know before you go
- Very Young Children for Haunted Tours: The content (ghosts, demise, chills) is likely too scary or inappropriate for toddlers and young elementary school children.
- Dining at off-peak times like 3 PM for main meals: One review suggested potential food quality and temperature issues at this time for non-Sunday meals.
- If expecting gourmet cuisine: While good, the food is described as 'not gourmet' but 'higher end of quality for St. Louis.'
- If sensitive to drafts: Avoid colder evenings if you're sensitive to cool temperatures, especially if dining in parlors affected by the front door draft.
- Inconsistent Food Quality/Temperature: One review reported 'room temperature' food served family style, lacking originality, salty, and tasting like leftovers when eaten at 3 PM.
- Crowds
- No specific details on crowd levels for tours or dining, though a 'mystery dinner next door' was heard, indicating multiple activities can occur concurrently.
- Value
- Dinner pricing varies: One negative experience reported $102 with tip for 2 people (2 beers, 1 piece of cake), finding the main meal overpriced for its quality. However, the 'Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner' is 'all you can eat' and described as 'definitely worth it,' implying good value. Other celebration dinners were noted for 'very reasonable prices' for higher-end quality. Wine prices are considered 'unbelievable' (positively). Specific pricing for haunted tours and 'kids activities' (if any) is not mentioned, making it hard to assess overall value for children's specific entertainment.
- Food
- Restaurant on-site: Offers nightly dinner reservations, specific Sunday Fried Chicken Dinner, and other celebration dinner options.
- Accessibility
- No specific accessibility accommodations mentioned in the reviews. Given it's an older mansion, specific inquiries may be needed for guests with mobility challenges.
- Safety
- No specific safety features for guests were mentioned in the reviews. Haunted tours involve 'night vision videos,' suggesting low-light conditions, but no explicit safety protocols like staff ratios or first aid are noted.
What parents say
"The Lemp Mansion offers nightly stays, dinner reservations, and haunted mansion tours! Explore the mansion with informed ghost hunters, take night vision videos, and be on the look out for anything that goes bump in the night! The guide was incredibly informed, the mansion was beautiful, and the architecture is just gorgeous. Walking around on a stormy evening with night vision cameras, learning the history of the Lemp Family and their demise, seeing pictures of the Lady in White, Zeke, and the children from the nursery brought chills and thrills! I will definitely be back! And the food is abs"
a month ago
"Haven't stayed here but am helping plan my friends wedding. We spoke to Patty and she was the most delightful host I've ever spoken to! Upfront about pricing, no hidden anything to speak of, and sincerely just a wonderful person to speak to. It's safe to say they will be having the wedding there if not just because of Patty selling us!"
2 months ago
"The food was room temperature served family style. Ate at 3 pm. The food lacked originality and was salty. It tasted like leftovers not like it was prepared that day. Service was good. Our bill was $102 with tip for 2 people because we had 2 beers and 1 piece of cake. The lemon cake was really good! But will not go back. Cant say how blah the food was, tasted cheap."
4 months ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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