Nights Before Christmas Home Tour

The holiday season is already kicking into gear in Madison. Nights Before Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes takes place November 29 & 30 and December 6 & 7 in historic Madison, Indiana. This year’s holiday tour features six beautiful private homes, five public sites, a church and 2 hospitality sites.

Madison is known for its outstanding collection of 19th century architecture and the six private homes on the tour (built between 1850-1911) represent varying architectural styles from Italianate to Cottage. Many architectural elements like turned posts, scrolled brackets, spool work, highly decorative embellishments, fine woodwork, 10 foot high curved and sliding doors and Greek inspired exterior columns will be on display. Tour Coordinator, Marci Jones said, “Each home is different and brings something special to the tour. Each homeowner brings his or her own unique holiday traditions and decorating style to the event.

The five public historic sites on the tour are the Lanier Mansion, the Schofield House, The History Center and the Costigan House.

The Ebenezer United Methodist Church, organized in 1866, is the caroling stop on the tour. Tour goers can take a few minutes to listen to the beautiful music and admire the restoration work before continuing on the tour.

The Seifert-Short Museum and Learning Center, located in the Greiner House built in 1829-30, and BLUSH, a unique, trendy, downtown boutique, will serve as hospitality sites providing free refreshments and a chance to take a break along the tour route. The upstairs gallery in the Seifert & Short Museum features over 800 crèches and nativities from around the world, over 800 Santa figures, and a smaller collection of snow people and Christmas trees and a twelve foot Christmas tree with over 500 ornaments. In the lower gallery, over 1000 folk art and folk doll pieces from various countries are on display.

This is a self-guided tour but tour goers have the option to take the tour by trolley or wagon with advance reservation and for an additional fee.

Your stroll through Madison’s historic downtown with its beautiful lights, shops, and astounding architecture will definitely kick off your holiday season.

Tour tickets are $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ages 5-15. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Visitors Center, 601 West First Street or on line at www.nightsbeforechristmas.com. For more information please call 800-559-2956 or visit www.nightsbeforechristmas.com.