Category: Connecticut Travel

The Palace Theater has a calendar filled with a wide array of holiday themed shows beginning in December to get you into a holiday mood.

The merriment begins with the presentation of MANHEIM STEAMROLLER BY CHIP DAVIS sponsored by Savings Bank of Danbury on Sunday December 4, has been America’s favorite holiday tradition for the past 30 years! Grammy Award-winner Chip Davis has created a show that features the beloved Christmas music of Mannheim Steamroller along with dazzling multimedia effects performed in an intimate setting. The group’s holiday CDs have become synonymous with Christmas and continue to occupy top spots on Billboard’s Seasonal Charts every year. Experience the magic as the spirit of the season comes alive with the signature sound of Mannheim Steamroller!

On December 16 usher in the spirit of the holiday season with SOULFUL SOUNDS OF CHRISTMAS featuring WILL DOWNING & NAJEE presented by ACT Jams Productions. With a career that spans over 27 years and 18 albums, Will Downing is one of the most versatile and loved voices of our time. His repertoire consists of signature interpretations of R&B classics like “I Go Crazy,” “Wishing On A Star” and “I Try,” with original hits “A Million Ways,” “Sorry I” and the show-stopping duet with Rachelle Ferrell, “Nothing Has Ever Felt Like This.” His distinctive baritone voice has resonated in the hearts of women world-wide and carved a unique niche in the music marketplace.

Two-time Grammy nominated saxophonist and flautist, Najee has made a career following his heart and keen musical intuition by pushing musical boundaries, all of which have made him an international pioneer in the music industry. Having collaborated with everyone in the music business from Prince and Quincy Jones to Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and Herbie Hancock, Najee’s technical agility, grace, compositional prowess, unbridled passion and fearless genre bending have made him one of the most sought after musicians of his generation. With two Platinum and four Gold albums under his belt, Najee is an icon whose musical vision spawned an entire new genre by fusing the music close to his heart.

Following the concert, guests are invited to take to the dance floor in the orchestra lobby for an Old School Holiday Dance Party featuring everyone’s favorite R&B, funk, house and holiday classics spun by the evening’s host, Al “DJ ACT” Taylor from 94.3FM WYBC.

December 6 – 11the week-long tour of KINKY BOOTS will make its debt!

Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.palacetheaterct.org, by phone at 203-346-2000, or in person at the Box Office, 100 East Main St.

The Danbury Museum & Historical Society will host their 9th Annual Holiday Tea in the Historic Rider House on Friday, December 2 and Saturday, December 3 with seating at 12 noon each day. Reservations are now being taken for this popular holiday event.

Treat yourself, your Mom, sisters, co-workers, neighbors or best girlfriends to a special afternoon of tea, entertainment and holiday celebration. Chat with costumed museum staff and Friends of the DMHS about tea customs, and take time to shop at our Holiday Shoppe & Craft Fair and museum gift shop.

The cost for the tea is $25 per person and includes a selection of fine teas, sandwiches, savories and sweets. Space is limited and reservations are required. Tickets may be purchased online at http://www.danburymuseum.org or make your reservation today by calling 203.743.5200 or email info@danburymuseum.org

The annual Holiday Shoppe & Craft Fair opens on Saturday, November 26th and runs through Friday, December 23th . You’ll find unique, handcrafted items from dozens of regional artisans and the museum gift shop will be open Monday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Admission is free.
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This year marks the 30th Anniversary Holiday House Tour which has become a highly anticipated December tradition for many visitors and residents alike. This year’s holiday house tour is taking place on December 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will feature six historic houses all built before 1850, in addition to the Adams Academy, Westport’s first school. All the homes and the school will be festooned with festive seasonal décor.

To recognize this special 30th anniversary, each home was carefully selected for its architectural merit and interesting stories. Each house has been preserved to retain its period style facing the street, while the backs have been ” blown out” to create kitchens and living spaces that modern families require. Careful attention has also been paid to preserving and recreating authentic dry stack stonewalls.

Some highlights include:
• A major museum-quality restoration of a c. 1760 house in the Kings Highway North Historic District. Its owner will provide fascinating insights into its history and the restoration process.
• A house noted for its seven hearths all of which will be ablaze on the tour day and features a mystery mural in the stairway.
• The former residence of H. Daniel Webster who designed the Minuteman Monument at Compo; an expanded renovation that includes a tavern room;
• The circa 1700 John Platt House documented as one of the oldest houses in Westport
• The Adams Academy, Westport’s one-room schoolhouse.
• A home featured on this tour 25 years ago that is proposed to be part of the newly designated National Register Historic District on Bridge Street. Let’s see if anyone recalls it from that tour!

The Soiree will be held at the beautiful Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum, in Norwalk on Saturday, December 3, from 6 pm -9 pm. On view will be six beautiful homes on the house tour plus the Adams Academy, Westport’s first one- room schoolhouse!

For ticket information visit http://westporthistory.org. To sign up for our monthly newsletter go to www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

Three museums in Bristol have teamed up to offer a unique way to celebrate the holidays this year with the first ever “progressive dinner on Friday, December 9 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The evening begins at at 5:30 p.m. with playful hors d’oeuvres served at the Imagine Nation located on One Pleasant Street. The Imagination Nation Museum is dedicated to inspire young children and families to investigate tangible, interactive learning experiences.

The next stop is the Carousel Museum for a buffet dinner with all the trappings in the Museum’s elegant ballroom replete with chandeliers and twinle lights. Guests will enjoy dining amid carousel horses that are on display here amid festive holiday decorations. The Carousel Museum is located in a beautifully renovated hosiery factory that dates to 1837 and houses one of the largest collections of antique carousel horses in the U.S. The Carousel Museum is located on 95 Riverside Avenue.

The evening will “wind-up” at the American Clock and Watch Museum located on 100 Maple Street. Guests will be in for a sweet time while enjoying coffee and dessert. This museum is one of the few museum’s in the country dedicated solely to horology which is the history, science and art of timekeeping and timekeepers.

At each location, guests will enjoy drinks and music while viewing the museums galleries. Tickets are $50 per person and proceeds from this event will benefit the educational programming of the three museums.

Tickets are available to purchase at all three museums and reservations are needed by December 5, 2016 to hold your place. Call 860-585-5411 to make your reservation. Or purchase tickets online.

Ridgefield’s Christmas Luncheons and Holiday Boutique at the historic Keeler Tavern Museum have become a holiday tradition. Keeler Tavern is located in the heart of Ridgefield on 132 Main Street.

Guests dine in the festively decorated Garden House overlooking the brick walled Garden designed by American architect Cass Gilbert which is lovely, even in December and especially with a dusting of light snow. The luncheons will be held this year from Tuesday, December 6th to Saturday, December 10th.

There will be two seating’s each day at 11:30 AM and 1:15 PM. The cost will be $25 per person by prepaid reservation. Guests will be invited to visit the seasonally decorated rooms of the Tavern Building.

If making a reservation for more than one person, please list the names of other members of your group. Reservations and payment may be made securely on line at keelertavernmuseum.org or by calling the Museum and paying by charge card or by mailing a check directly to the Keeler Tavern Museum. For further information or the menu to be served call the Museum at 203-438-5485.

Holiday Boutique

The Holiday Boutique in the Gilbert Dining Room and Museum Gift Shop will be overflowing with gifts for everyone and every occasion. A new selection of Christmas ornaments, unique decorations of the season, gifts for children and adults will fill the area. These unusual gifts will make filling your gift giving needs easy. The gift shop will be open from 10:30 AM to 4 PM November 28 through December 21, 2016. In addition it will be open Sunday, December 9th from 1 PM – 4 PM. During these days, talented crafters will bring products that will enrich the variety of gifts available. And, don’t forget to buy a gift for yourself.

For a monthly newsletter on Litchfield Hills and Fairfield County www.litchfieldhills.com

The holidays will crank into full gear at the 8th Annual Greenwich Holiday Stroll Weekend presented by Whole Foods Market with fun for the entire family onSaturday, December 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, December 4 from noon to 5p.m. This highly anticipated event will feature a live Nativity, horse drawn carriage rides, professional ice sculpture demos, music and entertainment, children’s activities, live reindeer and photos with Santa, plus more than 125 Greenwich merchants and restaurants offering special promotions, refreshments and in-store attractions.

The participating retailers and activities can be found on an interactive map accessed online at http://www.GreenwichReindeerFestival.com and by mobile devices. Saturday’s free parking is sponsored by the Greenwich Town Party, Richards and Pray Body Shop. Parking is free on Sundays.

Merchant Highlights

Created and produced by TMK Sports & Entertainment, a Greenwich-based event-marketing company, the event will feature many activities throughout the downtown, such as holiday card writing to service men and women in conjunction with Boy Scout Pack 10 at C. Parker Gallery which will also host The Stanwich School Trolley outside the store. There will be SIPS & BITES – wines, spirits and light bites – featuring 12 Greenwich merchants sponsored by Horseneck Wines & Spirits, Whole Foods Market and Garelick & Herbs. Letter writing to Santa will take place at 24 stores with mailboxes located at 29 stores.

Dance It Out to Benefit Kids in Crisis

At Arthur Murray Grande Ballroom of Greenwich, dance fitness sensation Billy Blanks Jr. of Shark Tank fame will conduct his popular Dance It Out class, Saturday, 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and Sunday, 12 to 1 p.m., to benefit Kids in Crisis. All proceeds from the $20 per person class fee will go to the organization. On Saturday at 5 p.m., Billy will join the merrymaking at the Delamar for holiday caroling and wine and cheese.

Live Nativity and Horse Drawn Carriage Rides

A live Nativity will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at several churches including First United Methodist Church of Greenwich, St. Paul’s Church in Rye Brook, Second Congregational Church in Greenwich and Greenwich Baptist Church. There will be a blessing of the animals, which will include a camel, llama, cow, donkey and five sheep, lessons and carols and a live Nativity photo booth. Horse drawn carriage rides will operate from noon to 3 p.m. each day. Carriage stops will be located at Amogerone Crossway and Greenwich Avenue, Fawcett Place and Greenwich Avenue, the Village Square parking lot on Mason Street and in front of Cavalier Galleries on Greenwich Avenue.

Arts and Ice Sculpture

The Greenwich Arts Council will offer a complimentary photo collage family workshop, Saturday, 1 to 2 p.m., and an ice sculpture demonstration by professionals from Apple Ice in New York City will take place at McArdle’s Florist & Garden Center from noon to 2:30 p.m. each day.

Live Music and Entertainment

Two live entertainment tents – one at 240 Greenwich Avenue sponsored by Greenwich Hospital and another at 1 Pickwick Plaza sponsored by Sotheby’s International Realty – will feature performances by 18 music groups, made possible by Entertainment Curator Barbara Occhino of BarbaraEntertains.com. Groups will include the Greenwich Public Schools Honor Choir, Ridgefield Chorale, Grace Notes, The Pop Music Academy, Higher Ground, That Virginia, Brantah, Exit 5, The Bows, Connecticut Playmakers, Barbara Occhino’s Serenade, Matt McDonald and Friends, Riverside Chorus, Cody Carver, John Cloonan, Johann Flores, Charlie HappyLife and Kismet.

Food and Treats

To satisfy shoppers’ appetites, many of the stores will offer special treats from Greenwich restaurants and caterers. A Food Truck Village with trucks in several locations will include Christie Caters Farm to Truck, Pappi’s Mediterranean, Wendy’s Weenies, Dough Girls, Fryborg, LobsterCraft, Taco Pacifico, Tony’s Square Donuts and Chicken Joe’s On the Go.

8th Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Village

And not to be missed are live reindeer and photos with Santa, train and carousel rides at the 8th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Village at Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, 437 North Street, just minutes from downtown Greenwich, Monday through Saturday, November 25 to December 24. Photo packages begin at $29.99 and include a Shop and Dine Greenwich gift bag filled with promotions redeemable at participating downtown Greenwich stores. On Saturday, December 3, $5 from every photo package and $5 from every wreath over $50 purchased at Sam Bridge will be donated to Kids in Crisis.

The 8th Annual Greenwich Holiday Stroll Weekend is made possible by the following sponsors: Sam Bridge Nursery & Greenhouses, Whole Foods Market, Pepsi, Mercedes-Benz of Greenwich, Greenwich Hospital, Sotheby’s International Realty, Citarella, M. H. Heaven Real Estate, Delamar Greenwich Harbor, Faces by Wells, Kempo Academy of Martial Arts, David Lerner Associates, Venture Photography, Val’s Putnam Wines & Liquors, Greenwich Town Party, Richards and Pray Body Shop. Community Partners include the Greenwich Arts Council, Barbara Occhino of BarbaraEntertains.com, Arthur Murray Grande Ballroom of Greenwich, Greenwich VIP.com, Eagle Fence & Guardrail, b.good and Greenwich Garden Design. Media Sponsors are Greenwich Magazine/Moffly Media, The Advocate/Greenwich Time/Brooks Community Newspapers, Fairfield Parent, News 12 Connecticut, 95.9 Fox, Star 99.9 and AM1490 WGCH. This event was created and is produced by TMK Sports & Entertainment, a Greenwich-based event-marketing company. For more information, visit www.GreenwichReindeerFestival.com or call 203-531-3047.

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