Are you a family that dreams of Christmases past? Experience the holidays like you never have before during a Holiday Walk at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester.
These festive self-guided tours run 11 a.m.-4 p.m. daily – 8 p.m. during the special “late night” events – Nov. 29-Dec. 23, 2019, and bring the magic of the holiday season to life with magnificent displays of trimmings, lights and more.
Among the decorations are more than 150 live plants, including a 10-foot-tall poinsettia tree, and more than 50 decorated Christmas trees.
“We really go above and beyond with the Christmas trees,” Shannon O’Berski, the director of external relations for Meadow Brook Estate says.
As part of the tour, kids can go on Cleo’s Adventure, which is a scavenger hunt named after the Dodge family dog. During this hunt, kids search for clues throughout the house and see if they can find a special ornament on each tree. If they find them all, they win a sticker.
“It gives kids something to do while parents take in the house and teaches them a bit of the history of the house,” O’Berski explains.
After they complete the hunt – and when mom and dad are done with the indoor tour – O’Berski suggests families head outdoors to Candy Cane Cottage, usually known as Knoll’s Cottage, which has been festively decorated for the holidays.
Here, they can turn in their scavenger hunt sheet to pick a prize out of the box and see what they can win from the gumball machine.
She also recommends taking a walk to Danny’s Cabin, which is called Dodge Lodge during the holidays and is also festively decorated for the holidays. And on the last weekend, Dec. 21-23, 2019, stop by for a bonfire, hot cocoa and visits with Santa and his reindeer.
“Holiday and family tradition is important and touring a place like Meadow Brook could become a tradition because it changes every year. (Plus), you get to learn the history of Meadow Brook and of Michigan, so I think it’s a great opportunity to start a tradition,” O’Berski says.
You can start this tradition with your family daily Nov. 29-Dec. 23, 2019, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Special late night events run until 8 p.m. Dec. 7, 14, 16 and 18-23, 2019.
Admission to the Holiday Walk at Meadow Brook is $20/adults and $7.50/kids 6-12. Prices go up by $2.50 on the final weekend. Kids 5 and under are free.
For more information on Meadow Brook Hall, or to snag a ticket to this year’s Holiday Walk, visit them online at meadowbrookhall.org.
