Salisbury House & Gardens

Salisbury House & Gardens is a historic English Tudor-style estate and museum set on nearly ten acres of private woodland in Des Moines' South of Grand neighborhood. Built between 1923 and 1928 by cosmetics magnate Carl Weeks and his wife Edith, the 42-room, 28,000-square-foot mansion was modeled after the King's House in Salisbury, England, and features authentic 16th-century English oak woodwork, English flintwork, and rafters dating to the time of Shakespeare. Today the estate is owned and operated by the Salisbury House Foundation as a historic house museum and private event venue. The property offers both indoor and outdoor settings for weddings, receptions, social gatherings, business meetings, and photography sessions. Indoor events accommodate up to 100 guests, while the formal gardens and grounds — featuring over 9,000 square feet of English and French landscape design, terraces, Greco-Roman statuary, and rolling lawns — can host up to 250 guests outdoors. The estate also supports micro-wedding packages for groups up to 30 and provides an on-site ordained officiant with advance notice. On-site amenities include WiFi, audio/visual technology (projector, screen, podium, microphones, and speakers), general electricity indoors and out, and designated getting-ready spaces. Catering is arranged through a selection of five preferred caterers, with outside catering permitted for an additional fee. The estate is located approximately ten minutes from downtown Des Moines.