As we wish you Happy Holidays, we would also like to remind you of an architectural holiday tradition: visiting historical homes! There are a number of historical home tours in the area that occur around the holidays. Some are listed below:

The Connecticut Yankee Christmas Dinner Tours at The Mark Twain House

On two Saturdays this December, The Mark Twain House & Museum will join with The Kitchen at Billings Forge to present a new holiday tradition, The Connecticut Yankee Holiday Dinner Tour.  The two-hour, reservations-only package will include a savory buffet dinner in The Mark Twain Museum Center’s ultra-modern café followed by a Christmas-themed tour of Samuel Clemens’ historic residence.  After dinner, guests will tour Mark Twain’s house, decked out in Victorian Christmas splendor.  Interactive features, including caroling in the Clemens’ drawing room around the piano and a reading of Twain’s Christmas letter to his daughter, will play a large part of this seasonal tour, not normally available to the public.

Reservations are required for the package, and can be made by calling 860-280-3128. Tickets, which include the buffet dinner, soft drinks and tour, are $50 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under. Dinners will begin at 5:00 p.m. and seating will continue through the evening.

Location:The Mark Twain House, 351 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105

Date: December 12th&19th, 2009

Time: 5:00 p.m.

Admission: $50 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under

Phone: 860-280-3128

 

The Child & Family’s 10th Biennial Holiday House Tour

The Child & Family’s 10th biennial Holiday House Tour will take place on Saturday, December 12, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The tour will feature seven beautiful, historic village homes that date from the 18th and 19th centuries. Essex Historical Society’s Pratt House, Hill’s Academy and the Connecticut River Museum will also be included. All the homes on the tour will be on or close to West Avenue and Main Street for easy access as well as for the enjoyment of village shopping and dining. Enticing boutique wares, table top trees, silent auction items, and refreshments, will also be available at the Town Hall.

Location: Essex, Connecticut

Date: December 12th, 2009

Time: 10:00a.m.-4:00p.m.

Admission: Tickets available at $25 each in advance or $30 on the day of the tour (sold at the Essex Town Hall)

Phone: (860) 443-2896. (extension 901)

 

 Gillette Castle Holiday Tours

Gillette Castle in East Haddam will be “adorned in its holiday finery” for special tours complete with live musical performances. Evening tours are scheduled for the first three Friday evenings in December from 4-8 pm. Daytime tours are scheduled for the first three Saturdays and Sundays as well as December 28-30 from 10-4.  A free day of children’s programs takes place on December 28 from 10-4.

Please visit their website for more details.

Location: Gillette Castle in East Haddam, CT

Date: December 11th&18th, 2009

 

Tour of Litchfield Hills

This tour features some of the town’s most exceptional homes decorated with traditional holiday decorations.

Location: Litchfield Hills in Woodbury, CT

Date: December 12th, 2009

Time: 10:00am-4:00pm

Admission: $20 in advance, $25 day of tour.

Phone: (203) 263-3181

Tags: Architecture, Child & Family's 10th Biennial Holiday House Tour, Connecticut River Museum, Connecticut Yankee Christmas Dinner Tour, Essex Historical Society's Pratt House, Gillette Castle, Gillette Castle Holiday Tours, Hill's Academy, Historic Holiday House Tours, Holiday House Tours, Litchfield Hills, Mark Twain House & Museaum