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 self-guided house tours will be held Saturday, Dec. 7, and Sunday, Dec. 8, at the following locations:
- Essex County Kip’s Castle Park, 22 Crestmont Road, Verona; 973-433-7469, www.essexcountynj.org; admission is free; open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
- Walther House at the Essex County Presby Memorial Iris Gardens, 474 Upper Mountain Ave., Upper Montclair; 973-783-5974, www.presbyirisgardens.org; admission is free; open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 2 p.m.
- Ballantine House at the Newark Museum, 49 Washington St., Newark; 973-596-6648, www.newarkmuseum.org; admission is charged, excepting, Newark residents, Newark college students with valid IDs and children 2 years and younger; open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
- Canfield-Morgan House and Museum, 903 Pompton Ave., Cedar Grove; 973-239-5414, www.cedargrovehistoricalsociety.org; admission is free, donations are accepted; open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
- Force Homestead and Museum, 366 South Livingston Ave., Livingston; 973-533-0211, www.livingstonnj.org/historicalsociety.htm; admission is free, donations are accepted; open Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m.
- Glenmont at Thomas Edison National Historical Park, 211 Main St., West Orange; 973-736-0550, ext. 11, www.nps.gov/edis; admission is charged, though 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; tickets are limited; open Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Grover Cleveland Birthplace, 207 Bloomfield Ave., Caldwell; 973-226-0001, www.clevelandbirthplace.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; 973-661-3410, www.kingslandmanor.org; admission is free, donations are accepted; open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
- Montclair Historical Society properties: Crane House and Historic YWCA, 108 and 110 Orange Road, Montclair, and Charles Shultz House-Evergreens, 30 North Mountain Ave., Montclair; 973-744-1796, www.montclairhistorical.org; admission is free, donations are accepted; open Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.
- The Salvatorian Fathers, 23 Crestmont Road, Verona; 973-746-8770; admission by donation; open Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m.
- Van Tassel Funeral Home, 337 Belleville Ave., Bloomfield; 973-743-1234; admission is free; open Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.
- Zenas Crane Homestead, 289 Westville Ave., West Caldwell; 973-226-8976; admission is free; open Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m.
The public can visit each site at their own pace. The houses will be exquisitely decorated for the holidays and be open for public viewing. Each site will offer something unique, including musical entertainment, refreshments or educational programs.For more information, call 973-433-7469 or visit www.essexcountynj.org.
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