Holiday Lights, Tours Celebrate The Season At Doylestown's Fonthill

DOYLESTOWN, PA – The holiday season arrives at Henry Chapman Mercer's Fonthill Castle beginning this weekend with Winter Wonderland tours and Holiday Lights.

This year, there are three different ways to visit Fonthill Castle, the home and showplace of Henry Chapman Mercer located at 525 East Court Street, Doylestown.

Daily Winter Wonderland Guided Tours

• Weekdays starting Saturday, Nov. 19. The cost is $15 for adults, $13 for senior (65+), $10 for students, $8 for youth ages 6 to 17 and free for children five and under and BCHS members. The tours begin on Saturday, Nov. 19 and continue weekdays throughout the holiday season. Daily one-hour guided tours of historic Fonthill Castle showcase Henry Mercer’s home decked for the holidays while sharing the history of Mercer and the construction of this unique property. Tours are 60 minutes and guided. Fonthill Castle’s interior features Mercer’s renowned, handcrafted ceramic tiles designed at the height of the Arts and Crafts movement, and the castle serves as an early example of reinforced concrete architecture with 44 rooms, two hundred windows, and eighteen fireplaces.

Holiday Lights Meander Days

• Saturdays and Sundays, Dec.3 and 4, 10 and 11 and 17 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 7:30 pm. Time slots begin every 10 minutes. Special Dates and Times include: Saturday, Dec. 24 (Christmas Eve Day) and Saturday, Dec. 31 (New Year's Eve Day) 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Time slots begin every 10 minutes. The cost is $20 for adults, $15 for BCHS members, $10 for youth (6-17) and $5 for children (five and under). Tours will be offered Saturdays and Sundays from Dec. 3 through 31. These special days allow you to explore the 2022 Holiday Lights Meander tour route at your own pace. Knowledgeable tour guides are available along the holiday route to answer questions and make this a seasonal experience to remember for the whole family.

Fonthill Castle Guided Evening Tours

• Thursday, Dec. 8, 15, 22 and 29, and Wednesday, Dec. 28. Tour times begin at 5 p.m. with the last tour at 6:45 p.m. The cost is $25 for adults, $20 for BCHS members, $10 for youth (6-17) and $5 for children (five and under). Delight in the splendor of a guided historic evening tour at Fonthill Castle decked out for the holidays. Fonthill Castle was the home of Henry Chapman Mercer and an early example of reinforced concrete architecture. Discover Mercer’s renowned ceramic tiles during these intimate 45-minute guided historic tours of the castle’s unique rooms and artifacts.

Holidays at Fonthill Castle is supported by Penn Color, Bountiful Acres, Fred Beans, Happ Contractors, and Sovereign Insurance Group. Advanced tickets are highly recommended for all of these holiday events as they sell out every year. Book early to avoid disappointment.Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for a new date or time.

Guests should arrive 10 minutes prior to event start time, and late arrivals may not be accommodated. Parking is available in the Fonthill Castle parking lot off of the main site entrance on Swamp Road (Rt. 313) and check-in is located at the Fonthill Castle Welcome Center.

Due to its historic nature, Fonthill Castle has very limited accessibility with steep stairs and narrow, uneven passages throughout the site.

Fonthill Castle is closed on the following holiday days: Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving Day), Sunday, December 25 (Christmas Day), Monday, December 26, Sunday, January 1 (New Year's Day) and Monday, January 2 . Up-to-date schedules and tickets are at mercermuseum.org/holidays.