With its sturdy stone walls and massive fireplaces, it’s not unusual for visitors to comment on how much room there is for Santa Claus to visit the Whitfield
House. While Puritan minister Henry Whitfield, the house’s first owner, didn’t celebrate Christmas, later residents did. To celebrate the holiday season, the public is invited to readings of Clement Moore’s classic holiday tale The Night
Before Christmas inside Connecticut’s oldest house. Readings will take place on the hour from 11:00 to 4:00. The program is included with regular museum admission.
Visitors can also explore Holidaze: The Real Story of Halloween, Thanksgiving, & Christmas, an exhibit that reveals the myths and realities of
these three holidays. Write a letter to Santa Claus and learn about how holiday traditions have evolved over the years (and why the Puritans didn’t celebrate Christmas).
In the museum gift shop, as part of the storytime program, there will be a 10 % discount on all children’s toys, games, and books. The shop also carries Guilford ornaments, pins, magnets, and hand-painted place name signs. It has
unique reproductions, Native American-related items, candles and candle stands, CDs of traditional and holiday music, lighthouse and pirate related items, Stony Creek granite, and new and antique books featuring Guilford, Connecticut, history, cooking, and children’s stories and activities.
Find out what's happening in Guilfordfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Admission: $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and college students, $5 for children ages 6 to 17 and free for ages 5 and under. The museum is located at 248 Old Whitfield Street in Guilford (exit 58 off I-95). Free parking. For more information, call (203) 453-2457, e-mail whitfieldmuseum@ct.gov, visit www.cultureandtourism.org or join us on Facebook.
