Ring in the Holidays with Candlelight Tours at the Chief Vann House

 Candlelight Tours will be hosted the second weekend of December, Friday the 8^th and Saturday the 9^th, 5 – 9 p.m. Arrive by 8p.m. to best enjoy your experience. No reservations are needed for this event; if you are bringing a large group, try to arrive earlier in the evening. There is no rain date for the event, and it will be held rain or shine.

The cool winds are settling in, and the holidays are here. Ring in the season with Candlelight Tours at the Chief Vann House to see the historical plantation house decked with boughs, bows, greenery, and other decorations inspired by a 19^th century Moravian Christmas celebration. Visitors attending the event will tour the lovingly decorated house by the light of more than 100 candles while listening to live music, sponsored by the Friends of the Chief Vann House. The tour doesn’t end there; visitors are invited to enjoy a cup of hot cider and Moravian cookies while touring the Vann Kitchen exhibit and the 19^th Century Cherokee Farmstead Exhibit, also illuminated by candlelight. Of course, the Visitor Center will also be open for a viewing of our site film and gallery.

This annual event celebrates the many Christmases hosted by the Moravian missionaries who operated a western-style school (sponsored by the Vann family) for Cherokee children from 1801 until 1835. It is likely the missionaries were hosting the first formal Christmas celebrations within the Cherokee Nation. In the early 1800s, the Moravians at the Springplace Mission recorded that their Christmas service was one of the most well-attended services of the whole year. Traditional gifts were often paper scrolls with beautifully scripted bible verses inside a painted wreath border, and a small candle for each service attendee. A traditional Moravian Christmas is often accompanied by a “Lovefeast” and “Singstunde” wherein the merriment was singing, praying, and the sharing of food and drink.

If you can’t make it to Candlelight Tours, the rest of December will also be a beautiful time to tour the Vann House Historic Site.  Our natural, hand-crafted decorations will remain in place until December 23rd. They can be viewed during an hourly guided tour, included in admission. On December 8^th and 9^th, we will not host a 12p.m., 1p.m., 2p.m., 3p.m., or 4p.m. tour in preparation for the event. Stay tuned on our Facebook, Friends of the Chief Vann House, for updates on this event. Admission for Candlelight Tours will be $7 per person, no tax. Children 5 and under are free, Georgia Historic Site passes will not be accepted for this event. The Vann House will be closed Thursday, November 23^rd to observe Thanksgiving with our families. From December through March, the Vann House will be closed on Sundays.

Regular hours: Thursday-Saturday 9-5, Sunday 1-5. December-March: closed on Sunday.

Last tour of the day always begins at 4 p.m.

Visit us on Facebook at ‘Friends of the Chief Vann House,’ or on Instagram at ‘Vann_House_Park,’ or online at www.gastateparks.org/chiefvannhouse

82 Hwy. 225 N. · Chatsworth, GA 30705 · 706-695-2598 · [email protected]