On Saturday, December 10 and Sunday, December 11, Essex County will once again be holding its Historic Holiday House Tour. Twelve Essex County historic sites will be decorated for the holidays and open to the public for a self-guided tour, including Verona’s own Kip’s Castle. Admission is free at many of the houses, and there are opportunities to make donations at some of the others.
In addition to Kip’s, the properties include the Grover Cleveland house in Caldwell, the Canfield-Morgan house in Cedar Grove, the Force Homestead in Livingston, the three homes that are run by the Montclair Historical Society (the Israel and Nathaniel Crane houses and the Charles Shultz house Evergreens), the Ballantine House at Newark Museum, Kingsland Manor in Nutley, the Walther house at the Presby Memorial Iris Gardens in Upper Montclair, the Zenas Crane Homestead in West Caldwell and Thomas Edison’s home Glenmont in West Orange. We listed the details on each below and put them all on a map for easy navigation.
Kip’s Castle will actually be decorated and open to the public for the entire month of December as it would have been for the holidays around 1928, and you can tour it for free. The Castle will be open Wednesdays to Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m.
Kip’s Castle Park
22 Crestmont Road, Verona
973-239-2485
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
Admission is free. Open 12 noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Ballantine House at Newark Museum
49 Washington Street, Newark
973-596-6550
Suggested admission is $10 for adults, $6 for children, seniors and students, and free for Newark Museum members. Open 12 Noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Canfield-Morgan House and Museum
903 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove
973-239-5414
Admission is free. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Force Homestead and Museum
366 South Livingston Avenue, Livingston
973-533-0211
Admission is free. Open 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Glenmont at Thomas Edison National Historical Park
211 Main Street, West Orange
973-736-0550, Ext. 11
Admission is $7 per person and free for children under 16. Tickets can be purchased at the Park’s Visitor Center and include access to the Laboratory. Open 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday by tour only.
Grover Cleveland Birthplace
207 Bloomfield Avenue, Caldwell
973-226-0001
Admission is free but donations will be 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
Admission by donation. Open 2 to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Israel and Nathaniel Crane Houses
108 and 110 Orange Road, Montclair
The Charles Shultz House-Evergreens
30 North Mountain Avenue, Montclair
973-744-1796
Admission is $8 per site for the general public and free for children and members of the Montclair Historical Society. Open 12 Noon to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
Zenas Crane Homestead
289 Westville Avenue, West Caldwell
973-226-8976
Admission is free. Open 1:30 to 4 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
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