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You can visit these festive New England mansions this holiday season
Plan an outing at one of these eight stunning holiday destinations.
New England is full of historic mansions, and many of them host special programming during the final months of the year. Add a little luxury to your holiday season at one (or all) of these eight gorgeous properties.
Castle Hill at Crane Estate (Ipswich)
The 1920s Tudor Revival mansion hosts “An Enchanted Christmas” during the month of December where each room is elaborately decorated for the holidays using inspiration from favorite stories. The event takes place through Dec. 31. (290 Argilla Road, Ipswich)
Hammond Castle (Gloucester)
This coastal castle is full of holiday spirit during the month of December. Guests are treated to “Holiday Lights & Illumination,” billed as an “outdoor, magical holiday wonderland,” taking place between 4 and 10 p.m. through Jan. 1, 2023. The castle comes alive with twinkling lights, streaming Christmas music, and festive projections. Inside, during the castle’s annual “Deck the Halls Holiday Celebration,” guests can view Christmas trees in nearly every room, wreaths, and candlelight throughout. Santa will make an appearance at the castle on Dec. 16. (80 Hesperus Ave., Gloucester)
Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home (Manchester, Vt.)
Step back in time at Hildene: Once again, the 412-acre estate, built in 1905 by Abraham Lincoln’s son Robert Todd Lincoln, is decorated for the holidays as it might have been in 1912 in “Christmas Eve in 1912.” While you’re there, explore 12 miles of walking trails by foot, on snowshoes, or on cross-country skis. (1005 Hildene Road, Manchester, Vt.)
Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum (Norwalk, Conn.)
This 19th century mansion is full of holiday cheer this season during its “A Holiday Wonderland at the Mansion” event, taking place through Dec. 31. The exhibit features historic-era trees, a festive holiday dinner party display, Victorian gowns, and a 19th century skating scene. (295 West Ave., Norwalk, Conn.)
Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens (North Andover)
The immersive holiday light display “Winterlights” is again illuminating the Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens with hundreds of thousands of lights across 91 acres. In addition to the outdoor light display, visitors can experience the newly renovated historic home on the property that belonged to Helen Stevens Coolidge and her husband John Gardner Coolidge, a diplomat and nephew of Isabella Stewart Gardner and descendent of Thomas Jefferson. Guests can enjoy hot cocoa, cookies, cider doughnuts, and more. (153 Chickering Road, North Andover)
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“Winterlights” also takes place at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton and Naumkeag in Stockbridge.
The Breakers, The Elms, Marble House (Newport, R.I.)
The already-fabulous Gilded Age mansions The Breakers, The Elms, and Marble House are dressed to the hilt for the holidays during “Holidays at the Newport Mansions.” Feast your eyes on dining rooms set with period silver and china, as other rooms burst with poinsettias and Christmas trees, including the 15-foot-tall poinsettia tree in the Great Hall of The Breakers. The Breakers exterior is also lit up for “Sparkling Lights at the Breakers,” where guests stroll a half mile long path twinkling with hundreds of thousands of holiday lights to the sounds of holiday music. Visitors can also get a family photo taken at the Children’s Cottage, stop by a fire pit, and make s’mores. “Holidays at the Newport Mansions” was recently named one of the most spectacular light displays in the U.S. by Frommer’s. (The Breakers, 44 Ochre Point Ave.; The Elms, 367 Bellevue Ave.; Marble House, 596 Bellevue Ave., Newport, R.I.)
The Mount (Lenox)
View an “ethereal winter landscape” at The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home in Lenox this season. The outdoor event, called “NightWood,” immerses visitors in light, sound, and color. Guests experience music, sculptures, and plenty of lights on this festive walk of the grounds. The holiday event takes place through Jan. 1, 2023, and advance purchase of timed tickets is highly recommended because dates and times frequently sell out, according to the event website. (2 Plunkett St., Lenox)
Holidays in New England:
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