Historic holiday house tour planned for December 

The Annual Essex County Historic Holiday House Tour is scheduled for the first weekend in December and will feature 13 historic sites decorated for the holidays and open to the public. 

“The Holiday House Tour is a great example of organizations throughout the county pooling their resources to create a wonderful event for families to enjoy and to provide insight into how past holidays were celebrated,” Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo Jr. said.

The public can visit each site at their own pace. Each site will offer something unique, including musical entertainment, refreshments or educational programs. There may be an admission fee at some locations, according to a press release from the county. 

The tour includes:

• Van Tassel Funeral Home, 337 Belleville Ave., Bloomfield. Admission is free. Open Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

•   Essex County Kip’s Castle and the Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens. The self-guided house tour will be held Saturday, Dec. 7 and Sunday, Dec. 8 at the following locations:

• Essex County Kip’s Castle Park, 22 Crestmont Road, Verona. Admission is free. Open 12 to 4 p.m.

• Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Avenue, Upper Montclair, Admission is free. Open Sunday, Dec. 8, from 12-3 p.m.

• The Ballantine House, 49 Washington Street, Newark. Open Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Thursdays to Sundays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. until the end of December.

• The Blanchard Estate, 100 Blanchard Road, South Orange. Admission is $20 per adult; free for children and students. Open Saturday from 1-5 p.m.

• Canfield-Morgan House and Museum, 903 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove. Admission is free, donations are accepted. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

• Crane Homestead, 289 Westville Ave., West Caldwell. Admission is free; donations are accepted. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

• The Old Force Homestead, 366 South Livingston Ave., Livingston. Open Saturday and Sunday from 2-4 p.m.

• Glenmont at Thomas Edison National Historic Park, 211 Main St., West Orange. Admission is $15 per person and free for children under 16. Tickets must be purchased at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center the day of the tour and includes access to the Laboratory Complex. Open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Grover House, 333 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell. Admission is free. Open Saturday and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m.

• Historic YWCA, 110 Orange Road, Montclair. Admission is free. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-3 p.m.

• The Gypsy Farmhouse, 106 Pompton Avenue, Cedar Grove. Admission is free. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m.

• Kingsland Manor, 3 Kingsland Street, Nutley. Admission is free. Donations are appreciated. Open Saturday and Sunday from 1- 4 p.m.

  Essex County, Holiday House Tours, Van Tassel