By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Editor’s Note: Due to the larger number of holiday events, we’ve broken our listings into two entries: this one for the local Chester County, Delaware County and Delaware and a second for events around the greater Philadelphia region.
Yuletide at Devon
Christmas Day is looming on the horizon.
Holiday celebrations in Chester County are everywhere – providing activities for those who have finished their holiday shopping (and also for those who haven’t).
“Yuletide at Devon” (Devon Horse Show, 23 Dorset Road, Devon, www.yuletidedevon.com) is running now through December 31.
The special holiday event features a European Christmas market, a gourmet farm-to-table dining experience, a series of live music concerts and a community carnival.
There is a giant 65-foot Ferris Wheel that provides the opportunity for aerial views of the twinkling lights – and there are unlimited free rides. The list of featured attractions also includes a fun house, an exciting Himalayan rides and opportunities for Santa photos.
Renowned Chef Chris Nguyen of the Philadelphia catering group Strothers will be providing farm-to-table food offerings. The craft drinks menu features fresh pour coffee, signature holiday drinks, gourmet hot chocolate, and homemade Gluhwein.
More than 35 high-end market shops will also be open five days a week, offering a wide array of unique gifts and keepsakes. Whether you’re looking for a special present for a loved one or a memento for yourself, you’re sure to find something special at these shops.
“Yuletide at Devon” occurs weekly from Wednesday through Sunday, promising endless opportunities for fun, food, and frolic.
West Chester Griswolds
The fabulous holiday light display “West Chester Griswolds” (304 Dutton Mill Rd, West Chester, www.westchestergriswolds.com) opened on Thanksgiving night and is running through January 2.
This year’s display features more than 135,000 lights and 800 smart pixels.
Also featured is a Cosmic Color Ribbon Tree (CCR) to our display. It is an exciting piece of technology with the ability to create any color of the rainbow. The exhibit will be playing throughout the night and “singing” with the bulbs.
Lights will be on now through January 2 — Monday through Thursday from 4:45-9:45 p.m. and Friday through Sunday from 4:45-10:15 p.m.
Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) has shifted into holiday mode with the arrival of “A Longwood Gardens Christmas.”
The festive holiday display at Longwood Gardens, which is running now through January 7, features spectacular lights, lavish decorations, holiday music and colorful displays featuring thousands of brilliant poinsettias, brightly decorated trees and fragrant flowers — all inside the heated Conservatory.
Longwood Gardens
This holiday season, experience a radiance of retro, a bevy of bright, and numerous nostalgic moments with us. Marvel at playful trees draped in throwback baubles to shimmering tinsel to childhood-favorite toys. Stroll through a fab, festive holiday party scene decked out in mid-century magic. Reminisce amid a vintage Christmas street scene, make new merry memories amid dazzling, vibrant light displays—including some super-sized surprises—and revel in the retro fun at every turn.
There will be towering trees adorned in amber to fiery red tones, flickering flame lanterns, and an inviting mountain retreat, complemented by icy-hued plantings, a “frozen” succulent fountain, and a refreshing alpine waterway that is the ultimate winter wonderland.
The colorful annual event, which appeals to the entire family, also has a lot of outdoor attractions such as fountain shows and nighttime light displays. Longwood’s Christmas celebration also includes a wide array of seasonal music — holiday concerts, organ sing-alongs and carillon performances.
When darkness arrives at Longwood, a night-blooming garden of more than a half-million lights strung on close to 100 trees with approximately 40 miles of wire comes to life. A carillon with 62 cast bells plays holiday music every half hour during daylight hours. Longwood’s Open Air Theatre fountains dance to holiday music each half hour — temperature permitting.
As always, admission by “Timed Ticket” — tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed ticketing limits the number of people in the Gardens at any given time and allows guests to enjoy minimal lines and a better viewing experience.
Visitors to “A Longwood Gardens Christmas” can also check out Longwood’s Garden Railway — a whimsical display set into motion with G-scale model trains. This is the 18th year that the railway has delighted visitors with special water features and custom trains traveling in and out of bridges and tunnels.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $30 for adults, $27 for seniors (ages 62 and older) and college students, $23 for active and retired military and $16 for youth (ages 5-18).
The Brandywine River Museum of Art Route 1, Chadds Ford 610-388-2700, www.brandywinemuseum.org) is celebrating the 51st anniversary of the Brandywine Railroad holiday train display now through January 8.
A holiday favorite since 1972, the Brandywine Railroad features trains running on 2,000 feet of track and contains more than 1,000 pieces, including locomotives, passenger and freight trains, and trolleys that pass through a small village, a farm, factories, a drive-in movie theater and even a carnival.
A dazzling array of both toy and scale model trains can be seen chugging through the varied scenery, including those made by Lionel, Williams, Atlas, Mike’s Train House, K-line and others. Interactive components are also incorporated into the display to allow for further engagement.
The Brandywine Railroad holiday train display is included in the cost of general admission.
The holiday season at Herr’s Snack Food Factory (20 Herr Drive, Nottingham, 610-932-9330, www.herrs.com) has arrived. The area around the factory site will be illuminated with thousands of lights and holiday displays.
Herr’s “Holiday Light Display,” which is free and open to the public, will be open nightly now through January 2.
Visitors to the site will be able to drive along a trail that is illuminated with more than 600,000 lights.
The special light exhibit will be open daily from dusk to dawn.
Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Festive Faves” on select Saturdays and Sundays in December.
Guests will join the CFW Crew for an intimate and educational 60-minute experience in the Barrel Room. The trained staff will guide them through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse and award-winning wines from across our portfolio. The selections will be paired alongside seasonal local cheeses and other accoutrements to enhance your tasting experience.
The staff will also discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at our partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The following is the 2023 Pairing Line Up – Greeting Wine: 2022 Sparkling White; 2022 Chardonnay with Maine Crisp Buckwheat Crackers (contains nuts), Brie, and Local Smoked Fall Honey; 2021 Pinot Noir with Smoked Gouda and New Jersey Dried Cherries; Spiced Apple with Pumpkin Spice Bon Bon from Éclat Chocolate; and Warm Holiday Spirit with Chocolate Cranberry Scone from OsoSweet Bakery & Café.
There is also a wide array of attractive family holiday activities just over the state line in northern Delaware.
One of the best holiday events in the area is the annual “Yuletide at Winterthur.” This year’s 40th annual staging of the event, which runs through January 7 at Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, www.winterthur.org).
Visitors can revel in the beauty and warmth of the holidays and explore treasures of Christmases past with displays of holiday traditions from the 1800s to the early 20th century, including displays of: the earliest types of colorful lights decorating house exteriors; the du Pont family holiday celebrations; and the evolution of Christmas trees over the decades from the 1880s to 1960s.
This year’s Yuletide Tour features custom fashion by local designers Shawn Pinckney and Asata Maisé Beeks, whose creations reflect the history of Winterthur and the design sensibilities of Henry Francis du Pont and Ann Lowe. The house will be decorated in all its finery with our signature traditions, including the show-stopping Dried-Flower Tree, plus artistic Christmas trees inspired by Ann Lowe gowns.
New this year is a large-scale gingerbread version of Enchanted Woods, made by Bredenbeck’s Bakery of Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. Visitors will also enjoy an outdoor light display, including a 15-foot decorated Christmas tree. The miniature doll house and other holiday favorites will also return.
One of visitors’ favorites every year is the 18-room dollhouse mansion created by designer and philanthropist Nancy McDaniel over a period of 30 ears. It features amazing intricate details in each room and is even decorated for the holidays.
As always, the rooms will be enhanced with the floral displays so essential to du Pont’s decorating, and with special Christmas trees inspired by the beauty of Winterthur’s gardens — including the popular Dried Flower Tree in the Conservatory.
Returning this year is a toy train display, featuring Standard Gauge toy trains. The display is presented by the Standard Gauge Module Association, whose members will construct the display at Winterthur. The display is open from 10:00 am–4:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and Wednesday evenings in December, 5:00–8:00 pm.
Special holiday programs throughout the season include “Wonderful Wednesdays” in December, evening events featuring live jazz performances, caroling, and workshops. In addition to the Wednesday evening festivities, visitors can enjoy a live one-man performance of “A Christmas Carol” by Gerald Charles Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, wine and cocktail tastings, and family events with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.
Timed Yuletide Tour reservations are required.
Admission to Winterthur is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors and students and $8 for children.
The annual staging of “Holidays at Hagley” is an event that is always one of the most eagerly anticipated holiday attractions in this area every year.
The popular Brandywine Valley exhibit, which is included with regular admission, is running now through January 1 at Hagley Museum and Library (Route 141, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org).
“Holidays at Hagley” returns with the theme, “Treasures and Traditions,” and will feature Holiday Home and Garden Tours, the sixth-annual Gingerbread House Contest, Santa Day, Holiday Nights Tours, and more.
It would be worth the trip to the museum just to check out Hagley’s Sixth Annual Gingerbread House Contest.
This year’s entries reflect the theme, “Treasures and Traditions.” Local amateur bakers were challenged to create a gingerbread house that includes a wonderful treasure—maybe an heirloom or traditional decoration that holds special meaning during the holidays. Visitors can see how the entrants used their imaginations to capture the spirit of the season.
Entries will be on display throughout the holiday season in the Hagley Barn and can be viewed during Holidays at Hagley and Holiday Nights at Hagley.
This year’s edition of “Holidays at Hagley” features tours of Eleutherian Mills, which is the first du Pont family home built in America. The tours, which will be presented each day from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., feature decorations in a combination of styles from both the 19th and 20th centuries.
During the Victorian years when candle-lit tabletop Christmas trees were the norm, hand-made gifts were attached to tree branches, and winter scenes were displayed underneath the tree. The upstairs Victorian Library shows how magical that looked with its mid- to late-nineteenth-century toys, games and dolls. The upstairs Parlor features a case filled with small ceramic animals well-loved by some of the du Pont family children.
Early du Pont family French holiday traditions are remembered with a display of gifts that were given to E. I. du Pont’s children on New Year’s Day as well as the Twelfth Night party illustrated by the ornate French dessert service in the Dining Room.
Well-loved displays returning include the elaborate Twelfth Night celebration in the dining room and the Victorian library’s Christmas for children with its table-top tree surrounded by toys and games. Of course, there will be warm glowing lights and poinsettias.
Admission is $20 for adults, $16 for seniors and students and $10 for children (ages 6-14).
“Holiday Magic” is in full swing at Riverfront Wilmington (Christina Riverwalk, Wilmington, Delaware, riverfrontwilm.com).
Riverfront Wilmington has always been one of the centerpieces of the greater Wilmington area during the holiday season with festive events and activities throughout the area.
The Riverfront Development Corporation of Delaware (RDC) has dramatically increased that presence with the introduction of “Riverbright Wilmington,” a full lighting of the Riverwalk and surrounding amenities.
At the end of November, the Christina Riverwalk was transformed into a walk-through holiday light display, with trees and archways wrapped in holiday lights, holiday décor throughout the area, and holiday-themed events throughout the season. The almost two-mile Riverwalk from Tubman-Garrett Riverfront Park to the DuPont Environmental Education Center will be lit, offering guests a chance to stroll along the river and enjoy the festive display.
The illumination of the Riverwalk will create a magical winter wonderland for all ages to enjoy.
The Historic Odessa Foundation’s 2023 Christmas Holiday Tour is a bicentennial event.
To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the enduring Christmas poem “Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” the Historic Odessa Foundation is making it the centerpiece of its 2023 Holiday Exhibit and Tours, which is running now through December 31 in the foundation’s 249-year-old National Historic Landmark Corbit-Sharp House.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of Historic Odessa’s unique holiday tradition of celebrating classic literature through festive scenes and interpretive vignettes throughout one of the foundations historic homes.
“Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas,” or commonly known as “The Night Before Christmas” and “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” was written by Clement Clark Moore, and first published anonymously in December 1823. Historic Odessa’s holiday tradition began with the iconic poem in 1988. This year’s exhibit will feature vintage Christmas decorations on loan from members of The Golden Glow of Christmas Past organization.
All of Historic Odessa’s museum properties will be adorned with thousands of lights, and on full festive display for the 2023 holiday season.
Historic Odessa is a member of the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), and is open to the public March through December, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday by reservation. General Admission: Adults, $10; Groups, Seniors, Students, $8; and Children under six are free. Member discounts are available.
Nemours Estate (1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, www.nemoursestate.org), which is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., is presenting “Noël at Nemours” this winter.
Ever since 1910, when Mr. and Mrs. duPont began living in their newly built mansion, the holiday season has been a festive time at Nemours. The Christmas decorations at the Nemours Estate are often inspired by the architecture of the home, the customs of the duPonts or the French influence.
Nemours Estate, which was the estate of Alfred I. duPont, features an exquisite, 77-room mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
Admission to Nemours is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $10 for children.
It’s Christmas week – and the penultimate weekend for holiday attractions.
There are also many non-holiday attractions on tap for the next 10 days.
Christmas-influenced music, advertising, TV shows and events are everywhere. It is virtually impossible not to be affected by the Christmas holiday season — but not everyone celebrates Christmas.
There are many people who get into holiday celebrations but do not celebrate Christmas itself for a variety of valid reasons — most commonly because they are of a different religion. For Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Shintos, Sikhs, and Muslims, Christmas is not a religious holiday.
Fortunately for them, there is a special event in Philadelphia at Christmastime created for people who do not celebrate Christmas.
The long-running annual event is held each year on December 25 at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History (101 South Independence Mall East, Philadelphia, 215- 923-3811, www.nmajh.org).
For years, the event was known as “Being Jewish at Christmas.” Now, the name of the one-day celebration, which will run from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on December 25, is called “Being _ _ _ _ _ _ at Christmas.”
The museum’s website offers the following invitation — “Snowy…Jewish…Happy…Caring…Buddhist…Generous…Family…Creative…Friendly…Sparkly…Fill in your own blank and join us for our annual day of family fun!”
From top to bottom, the Museum will be filled with performances and activities for visitors of all ages.
The visit can start on the fifth floor with exciting live performances, including an interactive and imaginative kids’ music concert with Ants on a Log, a traditional Chinese lion dance demonstration from the Philadelphia Suns Lion Dancers, and a family-friendly drumming workshop led by Joseph Tayoun.
There will also be make-and-take craft activities, including winter-themed foam sticker picture frames, Hanukkah paper lanterns, paper crowns, and coloring sheets.
Families can head to the second floor for storytime and the third floor for a sensory-friendly play zone with a foam floor, Legos, blocks, and puzzles.
As an added attraction, classic winter movies will be screened throughout the day in the museum’s Dell Theater.
Visitors should also explore the Museum’s core exhibition and check out what other fun activities are happening throughout the building.
Regular December 25 pricing is $15 adults, $10 children. All tickets are $20 at the door.
On Christmas Day, there is often a lull between the early morning hours when presents are exchanged and the late afternoon when a multi-course holiday meal is served.
If you’re looking for something different to do during this time gap, consider taking a trip to Washington Crossing Historic Park (1112 River Road, Washington Crossing, www.washingtoncrossingpark.org).
In a tradition that has existed for more than a half-century, the park’s rangers and associates present a program which features a re-enactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River with his troops.
This year’s 71st annual staging of the free event, which will be held weather permitting, will take place at 1 p.m. on December 25 at Washington Crossing Historic Park. Activities will get underway at noon with George Washington delivering an address to his troops.
There will also be presentations of other famous speeches as well as a display by re-enactment groups of what military camp life was like during the era. The focal point of the free event will be when Washington and his men recreate the crossing of the Delaware River in a small group of wooden Durham boats.
River crossings are contingent upon safe conditions for participants. However, even if conditions do not allow for crossing, ceremonies, speeches and commemorative activities still occur.
An interesting and educational special event will be presented at the Ephrata Cloister (632 West Main Street, Ephrata, 717-733-6600, www.ephratacloister.org) December 27-30 – the 2032 edition of the Cloister’s annual “Lantern Tours.”
The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata. The grounds of the community are now administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission.
The tours take guests back in time to visit the Cloister as it may have appeared in the 1700s. Each year’s story offers a cast of junior and senior high school students playing the roles that bring history to life. A different story is presented each year.
This year’s tours will lead visitors through four of the historic buildings on site as the story unfolds to offer differing views of Conrad Beissel. Refreshments and a chance for conversation will end the evening. Each of the one-hour tours is limited in attendance, and begins each half-hour starting at 6 p.m.
Reservations are required and can be made by calling (717) 733-6600. Tours will depart the visitor center every 30 minutes from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m. The cost is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for students (ages 6-17) and free for children (ages 3-5).
The calendar is loaded with holiday events.
There is a much smaller list of non-holiday events. Many of these activities are limited to just one weekend.
Here is a look at some of these events around the area this weekend.
“TreeTrails Adventures Trevose” (301 West Bristol Pike, Trevose, treetrails.com/trevose-pa) is an adventure park full of fun challenges for outdoor adventurers of all ages.
Participants can experience the rush of TreeTrails Adventures as they swing through the trees of the new adventure park. They will be able to discover the excitement of climbing and zip lining above the forest floor with family, friends, co-workers, or teammates.
The park, which is based at Phoenix Sport Club in Bucks County, offers two ways to experience climbing – TreeTrails Adventure Park and KidTrails Park. Young explorers can enjoy miniaturized courses in the adjacent KidTrails Park.
General Park Admission prices are: Main Park Adult Tickets (Ages 12+), $59; Main Park Youth Tickets (Ages 7–11), $51; KidTrails Tickets (Ages 4–7), $12.
Wonderspaces at the Fashion District (27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.wonderspaces.com) is an experiential, interactive arts venue.
Building on the success of annual pop-up shows in San Diego, and its first permanent location in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wonderspaces opened a 24,000 square foot gallery space in Philly two years ago.
Wonderspaces features 14 art installations that all play with the idea of perspective. The artwork ranges from award-winning virtual reality short film about a dinner party-turned-alien abduction, to a room where visitors digitally paint the walls with the movement of their bodies.
New artworks rotate in and out every few months, creating an ever-evolving, year-round show.
Tickets are for entry at a specific date and time. Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they please during operating hours. The average time spent experiencing the show is 90 minutes.
A few installations contain flashing lights, images, and patterns that may trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. All visitors must sign a waiver prior to being admitted into the space. Adult supervision is required for visitors under 16.
Grim Philly’s “Dark Philly History Tour” (www.grimphilly.com) will be held every evening throughout the fall.
Participants can walk with tour guides from the grounds of America’s first White House, Congress, and Liberty Bell to homes and sites of Hamilton, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and more than 10 other Founding-Fathers. The surprising dirt of espionage, murder, sexual license and blackmail highlight the secrets of 1776 with a ghost story or two along the way. This tour is highly researched. And your guide is a historian.
Tickets are $35.
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia (215-413-1997, www.ghosttour.com), Ghost Tour of Lancaster (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) and Ghost Tour of Strasburg (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) operate throughout the winter and offer an eerily entertaining evening of true ghost stories and real haunted houses.
The Ghost Tour of Philadelphia, which is based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA.,” is a candlelight walking tour along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence Park, Society Hill, and Old City, where ghostly spirits, haunted houses, and eerie graveyards abound.
Participants can discover the ghost lore of America’s most historic and most haunted city with stories from the founding of William Penn’s colony to present-day hauntings.
The activity is open year-round – weekends, December-February; every night, March-November. Tickets are $24.
The Ghost Tour of Lancaster and the Ghost Tour of Strasburg are based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Lancaster, PA.”
Participants in the Ghost Tour of Lancaster explore the long-forgotten mysteries of one of America’s oldest cities, with haunting tales of otherworldly vigils, fatal curses, and star-crossed lovers. The tour provides the opportunity to experience 300 years of haunted history from the Red Rose City’s thorny past. Tickets are $20.
The Ghost Tour of Strasburg is a candlelight walking tour of the quaint and historic town of Strasburg in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Visitors will experience an entertaining evening with a costumed tour guide spinning tales of haunted mansions, eerie graveyards, and spirits that roam the night … in a town lost in time. Tickets are $20.
