Few communities have the rich legacy of historic houses that Salem, Massachusetts boasts. These homes, spanning four centuries, help define the character as well as the appearance of the city, and every year some of their owners invite visitors in to view their homes decked out in full holiday regalia. To cap off the 350th anniversary celebration of the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion, The House of the Seven Gables is delighted to be the headquarters for the 2018 Christmas in Salem celebration.
The preview kicks off on Friday, November 30 from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Selected homes will twinkle in the winter twilight and tour goers will be able to enjoy a mini Salem Food Tour, and a wine tasting at Salem Wine Imports. New this year is the Salem History Meetup at the Salem Waterfront Hotel at 8:00 p.m.
On Saturday and Sunday, 15 private homes and historic sites will be open to Christmas in Salem attendees. Other events happening include the Salem Garden Club Boutique; Ye Olde Pepper Companie Open House; Salem Trolley rides; and Hawthorne Hotel History tours. For full details, be sure to visit www.christmasinsalem.org.
Gables’ members are welcome to purchase tickets at the member price as a little thank you from Historic Salem, Inc. for sharing our historic site for this year’s tour. Additional festivities happening at The Gables include a new lecture by lead researcher David Moffat entitled – Nathaniel Hawthorne and Utopia, which will be held in the cozy Hooper-Hathaway House on Saturday at 1:00 and 2:30pm. On Sunday at 1:00, Board of Trustees’ member Ken Turino will get you into the holiday spirit with his unique talk, The Spirit of Christmas Past: Four Centuries of Christmas in New England.
We hope that you’ll join our wide historical community for this fabulous event. We look forward to celebrating both the 350th anniversary of one of Salem’s most beloved historic homes and the importance of preservation in our fair city.