Category: Connecticut Travel

Hotchkiss Fyler House Opens for Holiday House Tours

The elegant Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum, located at 192 Main Street, is decorated for the holiday season and will open for tours beginning December 14 and continuing to December 29th, Wednesdays through Sundays.

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Museum staff members will offer guided tours of the house which was built in 1900 and home to the Hotchkiss and Fyler families for more than half a century. The house has been maintained as a museum since 1956 when the last family member, Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss, bequeathed the property to the Torrington Historical Society.

Much of the Christmas decoration is done in turn-of-the-century style with lavish displays of greenery, garlands, wreaths and flowers adorning the staircase, chandeliers, and mantles. This year, several local floral artists have created custom arrangements to set off the home’s rich interior of mahogany woodwork and stenciled walls. Seven Christmas trees, a number of them decorated by private individuals using vintage ornaments from their own collections, are displayed over the first and second floors of the house. Visitors can also view antique toys from the Torrington Historical Society’s collection, arranged beneath the trees.

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The dining room table will be set for Christmas dinner with the linens, china, and crystal that belonged to Gertrude Fyler Hotchkiss.

Guided tours of the Hotchkiss-Fyler House Museum will be available Wednesdays through Sundays, 12 noon to 4 p.m., with tours on the half hour and the last tour each day at 3:30 p.m. The house is closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and on December 25th. Admission is $7 for adults, free for members and children under age 12. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information, call the Society at 860-482-8260 pr visit www.torringtonhistoricalsociety.org. For area information www.litchfieldhills.com

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Holiday Treats at the Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk

Santa Claus will be popping up at The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, including a few scuba dives in with the sharks, as part of the Connecticut attraction’s schedule of bonus holiday offerings in December.

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Back by popular demand, “The Polar Express” steams back onto The Maritime Aquarium’s giant IMAX screen for a limited holiday engagement. Based on the 1986 Caldecott Award-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg, “The Polar Express” follows a young boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus but gets taken on a magical Christmas Eve trip to the North Pole.

Digitally re-mastered into the immersive IMAX format, the animated film has Tom Hanks lending his voice and likeness to several main roles, including the train conductor, a mysterious hobo and Santa Claus.
“The Polar Express” will play through Dec. 22 at 4 & 7:30 p.m. Fridays & Saturdays and at 4 p.m. Sundays. From Dec. 26-Jan. 1, “The Polar Express” will play at 4 & 7:30 p.m. daily (except just at 4 p.m. on Dec. 31). Confirm show times at www.maritimeaquarium.org.

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On select dates in December, Santa Claus will join The Maritime Aquarium’s dive team to demonstrate that sharks aren’t the blood-thirsty killers of myth. Santa will strap on scuba gear and enter the Aquarium’s 110,000-gallon “Ocean Beyond the Sound” exhibit, which is home to 7-foot sand tiger and lemon sharks. It’s all part of the regular dive-team program, in which Aquarium visitors can see – and talk with – divers swimming in the exhibit on Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 12:15 & 2:15 p.m.

Check the Aquarium’s website – http://www.maritimeaquarium.org – for specific dates when Santa can pull himself away from the North Pole and exchange his snow boots for swim fins. Viewing the Santa shark dives is free with Aquarium admission.

While visiting the Aquarium, don’t forget to cast your vote for your favorite lighthouse. Once again the Aquarium displays an imaginative array of handcrafted lighthouses at the 12th annual Lighthouse Holiday Exhibit.

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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Holiday Fun in Norwalk at the Mansion!

The holiday season is in full swing on December 15 from 12 noon to 4 p.m. at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum located on 295 West Ave. in Norwalk http://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion. The Mansion is hosting the annual and very festive Holiday Open House that is fun for the entire family and especially geared toward children.
The celebration begins with Santa Claus who will make his appearance at the Mansion from 12:15 p.m.- 1:15 p.m. Santa will spend a full hour at the Mansion greeting children and hearing their Christmas wishes before he heads back to the North Pole.

Jennifer Rose Photo
Jennifer Rose Photo

Santa’s departure is followed by Story Time at the Mansion from 1:15 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. Kids will listen, sing, dance and “shake” along with Vicki Oatis, Director of Children’s Library
Services at the Norwalk Public Library as she reads books about the holidays, sings classic holiday songs, and moves and grooves with jingle bells and egg shakers. Kids will enjoy the story of Olivia Helps with Christmas, written by Ian Falconer, a former resident of Rowayton. A series of fun and magical books will be read, and stories will be told using a magnetic board. All rhymes and songs will be interactive and easy to follow along.
Making Merry at the Mansion takes place from 2:30 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. and includes the talented voices of the Matthew Surapine Studio. This performance is sure to spread holiday cheer and spirit amid the beautiful surroundings of this landmark historic museum. Selections will be taken from seasonal music and will include favorites from our rich musical theater heritage, as well as from the great American Songbook.

Photo credit Jennifer Rose
Photo credit Jennifer Rose

After all this entertainment, what could be better than the Doll and Teddy Bear Victorian Tea Party that begins at 3:15 p.m. and ends around 4:00 p.m. Children are encouraged to dress up, bring a favorite bear, a doll, or a toy, and practice good etiquette, as the Mansion continues its tradition of high tea during the holiday season. A tea party bingo will end this playful event with lots of prizes. Seating is limited. Please RSVP.

General Admission tickets to the Holiday Open House at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum are $5. Tickets to the Victorian Tea are $10 (advance ticket reservation and purchase required).

For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

About the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum
The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum is a National Historic Landmark. Tours for the museum and holiday exhibit are offered Wednesdays through Sundays, at noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. Admittance is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and $6 for children. Children under 8 are admitted free. For more information, visit http://www.lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, e-mail info@lockwoodmathewsmansion.com, or call 203-838-9799.

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BRING THE KIDS FOR HOLIDAY LIGHTS, DELIGHTS IN WESTERN CONNECTICUT

Imagine a park wonderland aglow with thousands of twinkling lights and a show every half hour when glittering lights dance to holiday music.

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That is the thrill awaiting families when Lake Compounce, New England’s family theme park, inaugurates its first Holiday Lights season on weekends beginning November 29. The park, located in Bristol, in Western Connecticut’s Litchfield Hills, is one of a trio of special events for families in Litchfield and Fairfield Counties.

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Lights are not the only fun planned at Lake Compounce. Family rides and Kiddieland rides will be in operation, strolling carolers will fill the park with song, an ice carver will create frozen sculptures, and the park’s train will be transformed into the North Pole Railway, operated by a certain special bearded conductor dressed in red. Indoor activities will include cookie decorating, gingerbread house making and the chance to send a letter to Santa, with a guaranteed reply to come in the mail a few days later. Santa himself will be waiting in the Starlight Theater to pose for pictures with his young fans.

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Holiday Lights will be open 5 p.m. to 9 pm. on Friday, and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, November 29-December 1, and December 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22. For more information, see www.lakecompounce.com

See Santa’s Village, Meet Santa’s Reindeer

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No need to travel to the North Pole to visit Santa this holiday season. Every year since 1947, Santa and Mrs. Claus have been at home in Torrington’s Christmas Village, greeting friends in a “living room” where a log fire crackles in the fireplace and the ceiling sparkles with tinsel and lights. After a chat with Santa and a small gift, kids can head for the toy-filled workshop where local “elves” from the Parks and Recreation Department are busy with toys destined for youngsters in the town hospital. Live reindeers are waiting in a pen outside.

It is wise to come early as families do line up for this special event, but all declare it is worth the wait. The Christmas Village is located at 150 Church Street in Torrington. It will be open daily from December 8 to 23 from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Christmas Eve from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Entrance is free. For information, check www.torringtonct.org

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Santa and his reindeer do get around in December. Over in Fairfield County, the 5th Annual Greenwich Reindeer Festival & Santa’s Workshop will be on from November 29 to December 24 at McArdle’s Florist & Garden Center, 48 Arch Street in Greenwich. Santa and his reindeer, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Blitzen, arrive on November 29 at 2 p.m., riding down Greenwich Avenue to the Garden Center where refreshments are served to welcome the start of the festival. They remain for all to enjoy through Christmas eve. Feeding times for the reindeer are 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily. For more information, see www.greenwichreindeerfestival.com

For more information about holiday activities and a free copy of UNWIND, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties in Western Connecticut, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-45606, or visit their web site at www.visitwesternct.com

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Celebrate the holidays PT Barnum Style!

During December, Bridgeport’s Barnum Museum is offering a limited, yet glorious, series of Victorian Christmas events as part of the Celebrate the Season programming.

On Wednesday, December 11, at 11 a.m. the musuem is hosting a reading of The Night Before Christmas by Sonya Finch Bridgeport’s First Lady. Mrs. Finch will read Clement Clarke Moore’s timeless holiday tale, the enchantingThe Night Before Christmas, under the twinkling lights of a Victorian Christmas tree. Children attending the nearby Early Learning Lab at Housatonic Community College have been invited, but the public is also encouraged to bring their pre-school children for a $2 suggested donation to participate in this traditional way to ring in the holidays.

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If you are a fan of Tom Thumb, don’t miss Eric Lehman’s Tom Thumb Lecture on Sunday, December 15, at 2 p.m. . Attendees will get a first look at Eric D. Lehman’s new biography of Bridgeport’s own Charles Stratton, Becoming Tom Thumb. Lehman tells the full story of this iconic figure for the first time. The book details his triumphs on the New York stage, his epic celebrity wedding, his meetings with Abraham Lincoln and Queen Victoria, and his around-the-world tour, drawing on newly available primary sources and interviews. From the mansions of Paris to the deserts of Australia, Stratton’s unique brand of Yankee comedy not only earned him the accolades of millions of fans, it helped move little people out of the side show and into the lime light. Eric D. Lehman teaches travel literature, history, and creative writing at the University of Bridgeport. He is the author of seven books about Connecticut, including A History of Connecticut Food andInsiders’ Guide to Connecticut. Admission $5.

On Wednesday, December 18, at 12 p.m. Kathleen Maher, the Museum’s Executive Director will present Celebrate the Season. This presentation will take participants on a fascinating journey back in time to holiday festivities of bygone days. Maher will present the evolution of the tales and traditions of a Victorian age Christmas. $2 suggested donation.
The Barnum Museum is located on 820 Main Street in Bridgeport in the People’s United Bank Gallery, entry located at the back of the historic building, or McLevy Green on Dec. 5. Call for more information 203-331-1104 ext.100, M-F, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For area information www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

The Barnum Museum Holiday schedule:
Sat, Dec. 21 through Weds, Dec. 25 – The Barnum Museum will be closed
Thurs. & Fri., Dec. 26 & 27 – Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Weds. Jan. 1 – The Barnum Museum will be closed
Thurs. & Fri., Jan. 2 & 3 – Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The back exhibition hall of the museum, featuring artifacts that belonged to P.T. Barnum, Tom Thumb and others, is open for viewing and exploration on Thursdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To learn more about The Barnum Museum’s current programs visit http://www.barnum-museum.org. You can also visit the museum on Facebook, view past programs at www.barnummuseumexhibitions.org or communicate on Twitter @BarnumMuseum.

The original Barnum Institute building is owned by the City of Bridgeport and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

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GREENWICH, CT SHOWS OFF ITS EXCEPTIONAL HOMES IN 26th ANNUAL HOLIDAY HOUSE TOUR

Many communities have popular house tours during the Christmas season, but few can equal the five spectacularly decorated homes to be seen at the Holiday House Tour on Wednesday, December 11th in Greenwich, a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut famed for its fabulous residences.

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The tour, now in its 26th year, is the grand finale of the annual Antiquarius fund raiser, a series of events to benefit the Greenwich Historical Society, which also includes the Greenwich Winter Antiques show and Design Forum December 7 and 8 and a Holiday Boutique December 10 and 11.

Homes to Tour, Holiday Boutique

The House Tour, chaired by mother/daughter designer team Sandra Morgan and Laird Morgan Tolan, will feature homes from wooded backcountry Greenwich to the shore. Among the show-stoppers are a Hamptons-style seaside home that was featured on the cover of House Beautiful Magazine and a Gustavian-styled Federal era residence surrounded by formal gardens and filled with Swedish antiques, fine art and textiles and rugs hand-loomed by the owner.

Also included in the five homes are a 1930s Georgian with classical details and decor done in collaboration with well known interior designer Bunny Williams, a magnificent Normandy-inspired guest cottage that has been described as “jaw-dropping,” and a post-Civil War jewel with a barn addition showcasing a surprising combination–collections of both American scrimshaw and hot rod cars.

All of the homes will have lavish holiday decorations sure to inspire visitors with ideas for their own homes. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Holiday Boutique, with many original gift ideas, will take place at the Christ Church Parish Hall, 254 East Putnam Avenue in Greenwich on the evening of December 10 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on the day of the House Tour, Wednesday, December 11, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Fine Antiques, Designer Forum

The house tour will be preceded by Winter Antiques Show on December 7 and 8, at the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center in Old Greenwich. The event, which always attracts top exhibitors, this year will feature period to mid-century antiques, fine art and exceptional jewelry. Hours are Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Design Forum, with talks by designers and celebrity guest speakers is a popular feature each year. On Saturday from10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Mary McDonald, a celebrated Los Angeles-based interior designer will talk on A Life in Design, The Honorary Chair of Antiquarius 2013, Ms. McDonald has been ranked as one of House Beautiful’s Top 100 designers, and her work for international clients has been featured in major publications. She will be available after the talk to autograph her book, Mary McDonald Interiors, The Allure of Style.

On Saturday from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., editorial director D.J. Carey of CT Cottages & Gardens will lead a panel discussion with three of today’s most sought-after New York-based designers Amanda Nisbet, Matthew Patrick Smyth, and Ashley Whittaker.

Tickets for the Holiday House Tour must be purchased in advance at http://www.greenwichhitory.org. Admission to the Holiday Boutique is free. Tickets for the Greenwich Winter Antiques Show may be purchased at the door on Saturday and Sunday, December 7 and 8. Space for Designer Forum talks is limited and advance reservations are strongly advised. Further information is available online or by calling (203) 869-6899, ext. 10.

For more information about holiday activities and a free copy of UNWIND, a full-color, 152-page booklet detailing what to do and see, and where to stay, shop and dine in Fairfield and Litchfield Counties in Western Connecticut, contact the Western Connecticut Visitors Bureau, PO Box 968, Litchfield, CT 06759, (860) 567-4506, or visit their web site at www.visitfairfieldcountyct.com

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