November 15, 1998|By Randi Kest | Randi Kest,Contributing Writer
* Historic holidays at James-town Settlement and Yorktown Victory Centers will be presented during "A Colonial Christmas" celebration Nov. 29 to Jan. 3. At Jamestown Settlement, films, displays and tours will reveal the traditions of not only the English Colonists but also the native Powhatan Indians.
At the Yorktown Victory Center, an Army encampment will be re-created, and interpreters will talk about life in such camps during winter. Demonstrations of 18th-century cooking and candle dipping will be given.
Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center are open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Christmas and New Year's days. Admission to Jamestown, located southwest of Williamsburg on state Route 31: $9.75 for those 13 and older, $4.75 for children 6 to 12, free for children under 6. Admission to Yorktown Victory Center, on old state Route 238: $7.25 for those 13 and older, $3.50 for children 6 to 12, kids under 6 free. Combination tickets for both historical museums are available ($13.50 for those 13 and older, $6.50 kids 6 to 12, free for kids under 6). Call 888-593-4682 or 757-253-4838.
* Just south of Virginia's historical hub, Christmas comes to Smithfield in Isle of Wight County Dec. 5-6. Santa will visit for breakfast, homes can be toured and the Old Towne will be illuminated along with boats on the Pagan River. Hours: 10 a.m. ** to 6 p.m. Dec. 5 and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 6. Admission: $8. Call 757-357-5182 or 800-365-9339.
* Morven Park in Leesburg opens its historical Greek Revival mansion for a 1920s Christmas Dec. 5-20. The former estate of Gov. and Mrs. Westmoreland Davis will be decked with bows, ribbons, a 16-foot tree and wrapped gifts. Hours: noon to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays; 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $6 a person. Call 703-777-2414 or visit www.morvenpark.com.
* The 18th-century home of George Mason, Gunston Hall Plantation in Lorton, will celebrate "A Plantation Christmas" with candlelight tours of the mansion, carriage rides and costumed ,, actors re-creating the era from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Dec. 11-12. A family holiday buffet will also be offered serving traditional, 18th-century foods such as turkey, ham, potatoes and dressing, in two seatings - at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. each night. Reservations are required. Gunston Hall is at 10709 Gunston Road, directly off Interstate 95 in Lorton. Tickets to the dinner and "A Plantation Christmas" are $21 for adults and $10.50 for children. Tickets for "A Plantation Christmas" only are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $2 children. Call 703-550-9220 or 800-811-6966.
WEST VIRGINIA
* Nearly a million visitors a year make the pilgrimage to Wheeling's "American Electric Power City of Lights." where more than 250 decorations line the downtown streets through Jan. 17. Lights are on every night from dusk until 11 p.m. Call 304-233-2575 or 800-828-3097.
Also in Wheeling is Oglebay Resort's Festival of Lights, a 6]-mile light display winding through 600 acres of the resort's parkland. Lights are turned on every night from 5:30 to 11. The drive-through tour on the Oglebay grounds, located on state Route 88, continues through Jan. 17. Admission: $5 per vehicle. Call 888-OGLEBAY or visit www.oglebay-resort.com on the Internet; tour groups call 800-445-2778.
* Eighteenth-century Pricketts Fort, in Pricketts Fort State Park near Fairmont, will be decorated for the holidays and populated by costumed history interpreters on weekends from Nov. 27 through Dec. 13. The nearby Job Prickett House, circa 1860, will be decked in traditional Victoriania. Hours: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Nov. 27, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays, and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission: $5 for adults, $4.50 for seniors, $2.50 for children 6 to 12, children under 6 free. Call 304-363-3030 or 800-CALL-WVA.
* Celebrating the state's Scottish-Irish and German settlers, Salem's Spirit of Christmas in the Mountains provides a glimpse of houses and shops from the 19th century as well as the era's music, food, arts and crafts. The festival takes place weekends from Dec. 5 through Dec. 13 at Fort New Salem, a reconstructed log-house settlement off U.S. Route 50, 12 miles west of Clarksburg. Special food of the season will be available at the Green Tree Tavern, and a candle-trimmed Christmas tree will be lighted at dusk. Hours: 1 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. each day. Admission: $5 for adults, $3.50 for students, $1.50 for children 6 to 12, under 6 free. Call 304-782-5245.
* Parkersburg's Blennerhassett Hotel, at Fifth and Market streets, will present its 12th annual Festival of Trees starting Wednesday and continuing through Dec. 4, when the trees will be auctioned off. Area organizations decorate the trees in different themes, including Victorian and NASCAR. Trees can be visited throughout the day; a silent auction and dessert are scheduled for 6 p.m. Dec. 4 followed by the live auction of the trees at 8:15 p.m. Only admission charge is for the auctions, $15 per person. Call 800-933-2783.
