Make your way to the Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover this season and you’ll be welcomed by holiday music, hot chocolate, a handful of woodland creatures, and 500,000 Christmas lights. The Trustees have brought back Winterlights for the second year, for what promises to be a holiday family tradition for years to come.
The event premiered last year at both the Stevens-Coolidge Place and Naumkeag in Stockbridge, and this year expands to include the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton. Open tonight, November 22, for a member preview and tomorrow, November 23, for the general public, the event promises to enchant guests as they wind through the pathways of twinkling lights, encounter Birchwood reindeer, and maybe even dance along to the holiday tunes (catch sounds from Ariana Grande and The Carpenters alike).
On view through December 29, this year’s Winterlights at the Stevens-Coolidge Place features a kids’ corner inspired by The Mitten, the iconic children’s book by Jan Brett about a child’s knit mitten and the woodland animals that try to make it home. Find illustrations by four local artists, and a larger-than-life illuminated mitten for children to bring the story alive.
A concession stand, named Ashdale Farm after the former name of the estate, serves up hot libations like cocoa and Brooksby Farm cider, along with some daily specials. On Thursdays, Nothing Bundt Cakes supplies mini bundt cakes; on Fridays and Saturdays, Kim’s Pure Pastry of Beverly serves locally-sourced desserts; and on Sundays, the Stevens-Coolidge Place will supply sugar cookies and popcorn. Also on Saturday, adults can opt for spiked seasonal hot drinks, like ‘Helen’s Apple Pie,’ to bring the heat back to your fingers even quicker while you warm up by the campfires.
The heated barn towards the end of the Winterlights trail houses local craft vendors, and the Gardener’s Cottage will play host to a visit from Santa Claus on Thursdays and Sundays until Christmas, and a special sister duo of Ice Princesses on Fridays plus December 29. Photo ops are in line, of course.
The Stevens-Coolidge Place hasn’t overlooked a single detail—peek in the window of the house and see the dining room table set for Christmas dinner, the way it would have looked two centuries ago, or notice the traditional colonial fruit fan above the home’s front door.
Parking is located at the Franklin Elementary School, a half-mile up the road, and a bus will shuttle guests from the lot to the estate. On-site parking is available for volunteers and those with disabilities.
Tickets are $12 for Trustees members, $17 for non-members, and free for children under 12. The event runs from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays, excluding Thanksgiving Day. Purchase tickets online or find more information at thetrustees.org/winterlights.
