10 Hartford-Area Holiday HappeningsCelebrate the Season in Greater Hartford, ConnecticutDateline: 11/27/07
The countdown to the holidays has begun! Here's a quick look at 10 Hartford-area events that are sure to put you in the holiday spirit. (c) 2007 Kim Knox Beckius The Connecticut Trolley Museum in East Windsor celebrates Winterfest on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings November 23 through December 29, 2007. Climb aboard the "electric sleigh," a restored antique trolley, for a three-mile ride through a "tunnel of lights" featuring more than 6,000 bulbs. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for those 62 and over, $6 for children ages 2 to 12 and $3 for children under 2. If you're going, print this online coupon to save $1 on admission. For more information, call 860-627-6540. |
A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story of Christmas, adapted and directed by Michael Wilson from the story by Charles Dickens, runs November 23 through December 29 at Hartford Stage. Michael Wilson's staging of the classic holiday story is always one of the hottest holiday season tickets in Hartford. For prices and ticket information call 860-527-5151. The Harriet Beecher Stowe Center in Hartford delves into the 19th-century origins of our modern Christmas celebrations with a holiday season exhibition, "Reforming the Season: Nineteenth-Century Reformers and Christmas," featuring rarely seen items from the Stowe Center collections and archives. On display December 1 through January 5, the exhibit in the Stowe Visitor Center is open free to the public Tuesday through Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon until 4:30 p.m. Visitors can also enjoy a holiday tour of Stowe's house. Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 5 to 12. For details, call 860-522-9258. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra teams up with the Hartford Chorale, the Connecticut Children's Chorus, soprano Sarah Callinan and ballet dancers from the Hartt School Community Division for holiday concerts on Saturday, December 15 at 3 and 8 p.m. at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 860-244-2999. Catch the Essex Steam Train's Santa Special for a holiday train ride with Santa Claus. Mrs. Claus, Rudolph and Christmas Penquin will be on board, too. Departures are available Saturdays and Sundays through December 23 at 1 and 2:30 p.m. It's a good idea to buy your tickets online in advance. For further information, call 860-767-0103 or toll free 800-377-3987. The Hill-Stead Museum in Farmington recreates the mansion as it looked to American novelist Henry James when he visited 100 years ago. Visitors will have the opportunity to see holiday decorations and many objects that are exhibited just once a year. Hours are 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays through January 6. Museum admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for students, $4 for children ages 6 to 12 and free for children under 6. For details, call 860-677-4787. The Albano Ballet Company will perform its version of the classical holiday ballet, The Nutcracker, with live orchestra accompaniment at two Connecticut venues this season. Performances are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, December 8 and 9, at 3 p.m. at the Welte Theater at Central Connecticut State University in New Britain. Call 860-232-8898 for tickets. The ballet will also be presented at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Saturday and Sunday, December 15 and 16, at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Box Office or online at ticketmaster.com. Hartford is home to America's oldest continually operating public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum, which hosts its 34th annual Festival of Trees & Traditions December 1 through 9 (closed December 3) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. The festival celebrates the diversity of the American holiday experience. Hundreds of colorful and creative decorations include Christmas trees, beautiful wreaths, garlands and period mantels. Performing groups entertain daily, adding to the festive atmosphere. Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (62+), $8 for college and other students 13 and older and $3 for children ages 2 to 12. Call 860-278-2670 for more information. The Mark Twain House in Hartford invites visitors to celebrate Christmas with the Clemens family from Monday, November 19 through Monday, January 7. Throughout the holiday season, Twain's 19-room, Tiffany-decorated mansion is decked as it was for holiday celebrations from 1874 to 1891, when the author, his wife and their three daughters lived in the house. The Mark Twain House is open daily in November and December. Guided tours are conducted from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon until 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. The museum is closed December 24 and 25 and January 1. Admission is $13 for adults, $11 for seniors (65+), $8 for children 6 to 16 and free for children 5 and under. For more information, call 860-247-0998. From November 30 through December 2, see the Georgian-Revival home of Governor M. Jodi Rell at 900 Prospect Street in Hartford decorated for the holidays by Connecticut florists, greenhouse growers, nurserymen and Christmas tree growers. Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. on Sunday. Several musical groups will entertain. Admission is free. Guests are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy for distribution via the YMCA of West Hartford to families in need throughout the Hartford region. A special collector's ornament featuring the Charter Oak will be available for purchase for $15, with proceeds benefiting the Governor's Residence Conservancy. For more information, call 860-566-4840. | 
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