Essex County Holiday House Tour: 15 Local Landmarks Do Christmas

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Essex County residents seeking a family-friendly holiday activity will have 15 local reasons for a field trip on Saturday, Dec. 2 and Sunday, Dec. 3, when the county’s annual “Holiday House Tour” returns for 2017.

This year, the tour includes 15 Essex County historic sites, which will be decorated for the holidays and open to the public for a weekend tour. Each site will offer something unique, including musical entertainment, refreshments or educational programs. There may be an admission fee at some locations. For more information, call 973-433-7469 or visit www.essexcountynj.org.

“The Holiday House Tour is a great example of organizations throughout the county pooling their resources to create a wonderful event for families to enjoy and to provide insight into how past holidays were celebrated,” Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. said.

The self-guided house tour will be held at the following locations.

• Essex County Kip’s Castle Park: 22 Crestmont Road, Verona, 973-433-7469; www.essexcountynj.org - Admission is free. Open 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens: 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Upper Montclair, 973-783-5974; www.presbyirisgardens.org - Admission is free. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Large groups should call to make a reservation.
• Ballantine House at Newark Museum: 49 Washington Street, Newark, 973-596-6648; www.newarkmuseum.org - Admission is $15 for adults, $8 for children, seniors and students with a valid ID, and free for Newark Museum members, Newark residents, active duty military, students attending colleges and universities in Newark, and children ages 2 and younger. Open 12 Noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Canfield-Morgan House and Museum: 903 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove, 973-239-5414; www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org - Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
• Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart: 89 Ridge Street, Newark, 973-484-4600; www.cathedralbasilica.org - Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open year round.
• Force Homestead and Museum: 366 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston, 973-533-0211; www.livingstonnj.org/historicalsociety.htm - Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open 2 to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
• Glenmont at Thomas Edison National Historical Park: 211 Main Street, West Orange, 973-736-0550, Ext. 11; www.nps.gov/edis - Admission is $10 per person and free for children under 16. Tickets can be purchased at the Park’s Visitor Center and include access to the Laboratory Complex. Open by tour only from 11:30 a.m. 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Greenwood Gardens: 274 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills, 973-258-4026; www.greenwoodgardens.org - Admission is $10 per person and free for children under 12. Open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Grover Cleveland Birthplace: 207 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell, 973-226-0001; www.presidentcleveland.org - Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
• Kingsland Manor: 3 Kingsland Street, Nutley, 973-235-1549; www.kingslandmanor.org - Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Montclair History Center: 973-744-1796; www.montclairhistorical.org - Suggested donation is $5 per person and free for Montclair Historical Society members. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
• Crane House and Historic YWCA: 108 and 110 Orange Road, Montclair
• Charles Shultz House-Evergreens: 30 North Mountain Avenue, Montclair
• Salvatorian Fathers: 23 Crestmont Road, Verona, 973-746-8770 - Admission by donation. Open 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
• Zenas Crane Homestead: 289 Westville Avenue, West Caldwell, 973-364-0155 - Admission is free. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

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