ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Celebrate the holiday season by participating in the annual Essex County Historic Holiday House Tour. This year, the tour includes 15 Essex County historic sites, which will be decorated for the holidays and open to the public for a weekend tour. The tour includes 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. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4, at the following locations:
- Essex County Kip’s Castle Park, 22 Crestmont Road, Verona; call 973-433-7469, visit www.essexcountynj.org. Admission is free. Open noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Ave., Montclair; call 973-783-5974, visit www.presbyirisgardens.org. Admission is free. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Groups over 10 should make a reservation.
- Ballantine House at Newark Museum, 49 Washington St., Newark; call 973-596-6550, visit www.newarkmuseum.org. Suggested admission fee. Open noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Canfield-Morgan House and Museum, 903 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove; call 973-239-5414, visit www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org. Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, 89 Ridge St., Newark; call 973-484-4600, visit www.cathedralbasilica.org. Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open year-round.
- Crane Homestead, 289 Westville Ave., West Caldwell; call 973-364-0155. Admission is free. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Glenmont at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, 211 Main St., West Orange; call 973-736-0550, ext. 11, visit www.nps.gov/edis. Admission charged. Tickets can be purchased at the park’s Visitor Center and include access to the laboratory complex. Glenmont is open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday by tour only. Laboratory complex is open by tour only from 11:30 a.m. 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Greenwood Gardens, 274 Old Short Hills Road, Short Hills; call 973-258-4026, visit www.greenwoodgardens.org. Admission charged. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Grover Cleveland birthplace, 207 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell; call 973-226-0001, visit www.presidentcleveland.org. Admission is free. Donations are accepted. Open Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
- Kingsland Manor, 3 Kingsland St., Nutley; call 973-661-3410, visit www.kingslandmanor.org. Admission by donation. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
- Montclair Historical Society properties; call 973-744-1796, visit www.montclairhistorical.org. Suggested donation. Open 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Properties include the Crane houses, 108 and 110 Orange Road, Montclair; and Charles Shultz House-Evergreens, 30 N. Mountain Ave., Montclair.
- Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center, 240 Belleville Ave., Bloomfield; call 973-429-0960, visit www.oakeside.org. Admission is free. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.
- Salvatorian Fathers, 23 Crestmont Road, Verona; call 973-746-8770. Admission by donation. Open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Members of the public can visit each site at their own pace. For more information, call 973-433-7469 or visit www.essexcountynj.org.
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