A long-standing and beloved tradition in Morris County is the historic house tour known as “Holly Walk.” With one admission ticket visitors can tour five local sites which will be decorated for the holidays. New this year, the event has been expanded from one to two days, and is set to be held Sat. and Sun., Dec. 3 and 4, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Participating sites for Holly Walk include: Acorn Hall, the Ford Mansion,
Macculloch Hall, the Schuyler-Hamilton House and the Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms. Each location has been planned special Holly Walk programming just for this weekend. Their gift shops will be stocked with unique items for holiday shoppers.
Advanced sale tickets cost $30 and are available at morristourism.org and at the Morris County Tourism Bureau office in Morristown, until Fri., Dec. 2. During the weekend of the event the ticket price will rise to $35. Children 12 and under are free.
The Morris County Historical Society will have Acorn Hall dressed for a tour of
Christmas through the decades, featuring a lavish Lincoln Christmas in the formal dining room, a mid-twentieth century Christmas in the Library, and an Epstein’s Christmas in the back parlor. Complementing the Society’s current exhibit, Race to the Finish: Presidential Election Newspapers 1789-2008, artifacts, dresses, toys, and photos will illustrate the joy and magic of
Christmases past. The festivities will be accompanied by holiday favorites on Acorn Hall’s 1870 Chickering grand piano.
Morristown National Historical Park, on Sat., Dec. 3, at 10 a.m., will show
its park film followed by a Q & A panel with the film’s director, some of the film’s actors and park rangers. The Ford Mansion will have an open house until 4 p.m. From 5 pm until 6 pm the National Park Service will display a special luminary on the front lawn of the Ford Mansion in honor of its centennial.
Sunday’s activities will feature the Ford Mansion open
house as well as a chance to meet Elizabeth Cobbs, the author of “The Hamilton Affair,” a new biography of Betsy Schuyler and Alexander Hamilton.
Macculloch Hall Historical Museum will celebrate the holidays by fully decking its
halls with a tree in every room. New this year will be the Drawing Room Tree adorned exclusively with origami paper cranes. On Sat., from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., visitors can make a crane for the tree and one to take home. The museum will exhibit many Thomas Nast images showing his best known image, Santa Claus, situated in and around Morristown.
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms will feature its Log House festooned for the holidays in period Arts-and-Crafts style. Visitors may stroll through at their own pace, and the last admission is 4 p.m. Musical entertainment will be provided by the Aubrey Anne Trio and their jazz stylings.
For further information, contact the Morris County Tourism Bureau at 973-631-5151.