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Marshmellows & Bonfires at Blithewold
Sparkle! is a marshmallow-roasting, Christmas-carol-singing, cocoa-sipping, strolling-through-the-twinkling-garden-paths, fun-for-the-whole-family event held at Blithewold during the Christmas season. Each Friday night a different group will present two performances of carol singing, from 6:15 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. & 7:15 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. around the bonfire. Free Hot Cocoa! S’mores kits are one for $2, and three for $5 (part of the proceeds benefit the Girl Scouts). Last tickets sold at 7:30 pm. Click on the dates to register: December 9, December 16, December 23.
Member adult $2; Member Child (3 yrs and older) $1; Member family (2 adults + 2 children) $5; Non-member adult $14; Non-member child $3; Non-member family (2 adults + 2 children) $28.
Theater time at Aldrich House!
The Rhode Island Historical Society will open the doors of the Aldrich House to all on Saturday, December 10, with festivities including food, crafts, music, and special guests! Trinity Repertory Company Artistic Director Curt Columbus and Assistant Artistic Director Tyler Dobrowsky will present “Fashioning a Christmas Carol,” a talk about the creative process behind producing annual performances of the treasured Dickens classic. In addition, the Very Merry Dickens Carolers will perform. Throughout the afternoon, guests will enjoy handmade cookies prepared by RIHS staff, docents, and volunteers, while getting crafty with holiday ornaments. The RIHS’s annual Holiday Open House is free and open to the public, 110 Benevolent Street, Providence.
Music, cider and Santa at Hearthside
A selection of seasonal sounds will be featured on Hearthside’s antique piano, only played at Christmastime. Later in the afternoon, the music room is filled with the beautiful sounds of the harp performed between 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Guests are invited to enjoy the music and to stroll through the house in a self-guided tour to discover the dazzling beauty that each room holds and learn about the beginnings of where popular Christmas traditions came from. This is the last chance to visit with Santa before Christmas so be sure to have those last minute gift wishes (and cameras!) ready. General admission, $8; Seniors 62+, $6; Age 10-17, $4; under 10 and members of Hearthside free.
An Old Fashioned Christmas
Experience the warmth and charm of an old-fashioned Christmas at the 1810 Hearthside House. The elegant stone house will be lavishly decorated, live music will be performed throughout the day, and costumed interpreters will help bring the magic of the holiday season to life! Prior to Christmas, stroll at your own pace through the house and a visit with Santa for a traditional family picture.
Holiday Storytime at Blithewold
Come gather around for a reading favorite holiday stories accompanied by soft piano music. After story time, enjoy a cookie with hot cocoa and make a craft. Donate a new or gently used storybook for a child in need this holiday season and get in Free! This program is best suited to children 4 years old and up, but all are welcome.
Music in the Living Room
Blithewold Mansion has been transformed to celebrate the magic of Christmas. Each room is filled with elaborate holiday decorations and tells the story of the Van Wickle’s Christmas through exclusive photographs and artifacts from the historic family’s world travels. Dazzling decorations include a two-story tall tree decorated in shades of gold and green. You can enjoy Blithewold’s special “Music in the Living Room” series with a performance on December 15, featuring Silver Belles; and December 29, featuring Jane and Donald Rankin. Admission: Family (2 adults, 2 kids) $34; Adult $16; Senior $15; Full time student/Military $14; Youths 6-17 $8. To register for the December 15th performance, click here.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with Celtic tunes
Inspire your children with the spirit of the season by stepping into Christmas at Linden Place. The mansion is decorated in every nook and cranny, and on table tops you’ll find imaginative Christmas-styled landscapes created by designers and florists. During the evening on Friday, December 16th, Robbie O’Connell will lend his vocals and guitar, along with master-fiddler Rose Clancy, to perform Celtic classics and Irish American songs. The performance will celebrate the traditions surrounding the winter solstice and the spirit of the Christmas season.
The Linden Place Museum Shop is stocked with tons of gifts, from Rhode Island history books for dedicated history-buffs, to fun gifts for children and babies. Explore the mansion’s parlors, bedrooms, and magnificent chapel-like rooms at your own pace before or after the concert, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Admission: Tickets are $25; $20 for Linden Place members. For more information, call 401-253-0390.
Farmer’s Market Family Fun
The Mount Hope Farmers Market is a year-round community market, happening every weekend in every season. This December, there are some great reasons to bring your whole family to the market. On December 17th, take advantage of free disposal of e-waste, courtesy of Indie Cycle, and teach your kids about why we want to properly dispose of our digital waste and how to do it! Bring your old computers, laptops, servers, routers, TV monitors, motherboards, printers, cables, CD/DVD players, and even household appliances. Check the list for what to bring, and get rid of it before you peruse the bounty offered by local growers and artisans who provide their goods and wares each week! You can see a list of vendors and where they are located on the map below. And make sure to catch the special Holiday Farmer’s Market on Friday, December 23rd too!
Exploring undecked halls’
Rough Point’s popular seasonal event “Undecked Halls” will take visitors behind the scenes of a Newport estate after it closes down for winter. See the decorated staff wing, and learn how Rough Point’s winter caretaking traditions have remained the same for the past half century. Tour the first floor of the house and enjoy refreshments in the staff dining room, not normally open to the public. If warm enough, or if the kids are dressed for the seaside air, visitors who purchase tickets are invited explore and play on the estate grounds after the tour.
Tours take place every half hour from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17th & Tuesday, Dec. 27th
Admission: $10 per adult; children 12 and under free.
Questions? Email Liz Spoden at Liz@NewportRestoration.org or call (401) 846-4152 ext. 122.
Where do holiday traditions come from? Find out!
Admission: $10 adults, $5 students, free for children under 12 and active military personnel with ID