Celebrate the Holidays with Historic Columbia! Holiday House Tours Start on Friday
November 19, 2013
COLUMBIA, SC – November 22, 2013 – The holiday season is nearly upon us, and Historic Columbia is pulling out all the stops. Starting Friday, Nov. 22, view a variety of holiday decorations and traditions in the Robert Mills House, Hampton-Preston Mansion and Mann-Simons Site. Guides will provide stories of holidays past in Columbia and discuss how families decorated and entertained during the 19th and early 20th centuries. Holiday house tours are free for HC members, $5 for youth and $8 for adults, and tours run through Jan. 5 with special events and programs happening along the way:
Family Day: Historic Holidays. Saturday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. Enjoy the holidays in the decorated Robert Mills House and learn about the history of several holiday traditions while enjoying holiday crafts and activities as a family. Family Day is free for HC members, $6 for the first child and $3 for each additional child.
Choir Showcase & $1 Tours. Saturday, Dec. 7 at noon. Local elementary schools will provide musical entertainment in front of the Robert Mills House for the community. This event is free and open to the public, and HC invites you to enjoy special $1 Holiday House Tours during the event.
Candlelight Tours & Carriage Rides. Friday, Dec. 20 at 5:30 p.m. Visit the decorated halls of our historic house museums on a guided candlelight tour. Enjoy musical entertainment and children’s activities while celebrating the holidays with HC. Before or after your house tour, enjoy a carriage ride through the Robert Mills historic district. Carriage rides are $5 per person, and tours are $8 for adults, $5 for youth and free for HC members.
Breakfast with Santa. Saturday, Dec. 21 at 8 a.m. Enjoy a continental breakfast in our cozy Carriage House while listening to seasonal music. After breakfast, take a festive tour through Hampton-Preston Mansion, see a Victorian Christmas tree and make a holiday craft. Don’t forget to get a picture with HC’s Victorian Santa Claus! Admission is $10 for HC member adults, $2 for HC member youth, $12 for non-member adults and $3 for non-member youth ages 4 to 12 and free for kids 3 and under.
For more information on these events or to reserve your spot, please call 803.252.1770 ext. 23 or email[email protected].
Events aren’t the only way to celebrate with HC this season. Give a one-of-a-kind present and support Historic Columbia by shopping at the Gift Shop at Robert Mills; visit historiccolumbia.org to find more about upcoming sales and events.
Thinking about renting a Historic Columbia property for your holiday party? Schedule your event by Nov. 30 and save 15 percent. For more information, contact Amy Kinard at [email protected], and learn more about the properties available for rent at historiccolumbia.org.
About Historic Columbia: In November 1961, a small group of individuals intent on saving the Ainsley Hall House from demolition officially incorporated as the Historic Columbia Foundation. Over the next five decades the organization, which was founded on the premise of preservation and education, would take on the stewardship of seven historic properties in Richland County. Today, the organization serves as a model for local preservation efforts and interpretation of local history. Visit historiccolumbia.org or find us on Twitter,Facebook or Instagram for more details.
