March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 51 F

Enjoy a candlelight holiday stroll with tour of Hammond-Harwood House

Annapolis Tours by Watermark’s period dressed guides will take guests on a festive Holiday Candlelight Stroll during the month of December. Photo by Webster Wright.

Annapolis Tours℠ by Watermark® is happy to announce the return of its Holiday Candlelight Stroll for the 2017 holiday season. Take a memorable journey of our holiday traditions! On this walking tour, a Colonial period-dressed guide leads guests by candlelight through Annapolis’ historic district – trimmed in holiday greenery and lights – and shares the origin of many holiday customs. The tour also includes a guided tour inside the historic Hammond Harwood House decorated for the holidays. Holiday Candlelight Stroll is a pleasant remembrance of Christmas past!

Heather Skipper, Director of Land Operations for Watermark says, “Annapolis’ historic district, decorated beautifully for the season, serves as a perfect backdrop for an evening stroll. Learning the origin of holiday traditions as you walk by candlelight is a special way to enjoy the season. The Hammond Harwood House is one of our most treasured homes and is the perfect way to cap off a night of festivities downtown. Each year the decorations are different so you always discover something new.”

On the tour, a glowing lantern lights your way as you take an evening stroll around Maryland’s historic State Capital, all trimmed in holiday greenery.  During the jolly 1 ½ hour tour you will learn about the origin of many holiday customs. From the significance of evergreens, yule logs and even Christmas trees to the song “sing a song of sixpence, pocketful of rye…,” there is no better way to get into the holiday spirit than a glimpse into what made Christmas what it is today.

Garden clubs around the region have decorated the Hammond Harwood House according to this year’s theme, “An 1820s Dutch American Christmas with the Loockerman Family.” The traditions introduced by Dutch settlers are the basis for many of the customs celebrated in an American Christmas. The Hammond-Harwood House takes a look back in time to the 1820s when the young Loockerman family lived in the mansion. The father, Richard, had Dutch ancestry and would have been familiar with Dutch beliefs, foods and stories. The tour will include time in the home’s gift shop and holiday greenery sale.

About the Hammond Harwood House: The Hammond Harwood House is a landmark of Colonial architecture. The Hammond-Harwood House is a museum of 18th century architecture and art standing as a testament to the importance of preservation to the residents of Annapolis, and America. Built in 1774, this National Historic Landmark presents a window into the lives of the people who built the house, lived in it, and ensured that it would be enjoyed by future generations for years to come. Tours of the House highlight its refined design, unique history, and incomparable collection of paintings by Charles Willson Peale and furniture by John Shaw.

Offered on Friday and Saturday evenings from December 1-16 (except December 9). Tickets are $21/Adults, $12/Children 3-11, Free 2 & Under. Tours depart from the City Dock Information Booth at 7 p.m. 1 ½ hour tour. Advanced reservations are recommended and available online at AnnapolisTours.com. Private tours are available anytime.

Plus celebrate the holidays on the water with a Jolly Express Cruise! Cruises on the Bay℠ by Watermark® offers Spa Creek sleigh rides on weekends in December. Captain Santa, hot cocoa, holiday music and beautiful Spa Creek at night! $23/Adults, $13/Children 11 and under. For more information about the Jolly Express, visit CruisesOnTheBay.com. Private charters are available.

 

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