November 23 – December 21, 2024 @ Southwest Virginia Museum
The Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park presents “The Festival of Trees: An Evening Aglow” Nov. 23 and Dec. 21 from 5 to 8 p.m. For these two evenings only, visitors have an opportunity to view the museum in a different light. With overhead lights turned off, glowing luminaries and flickering candles guide the way through more than 80 differently decorated trees and displays. It’s a unique way to enjoy one of the longest-running holiday traditions in the area.
Night viewings are offered each Friday and Saturday from 5 to 8 p.m. through the end of the year, but Nov. 23 and Dec.21 are the only opportunities to tour the museum with most of the overhead lights off.
The tradition of the Festival of Trees began to celebrate the holiday traditions of the Victorian era as well as to honor the role that C. Bascom Slemp—the driving force behind the establishment of the museum—played in establishing the American tradition of a “national Christmas tree.” Slemp served as the personal secretary to President Calvin Coolidge. In 1923, a group from the Electrical League and the Washington, D.C. public schools approached him with an idea for a Christmas tree to be erected on the White House lawn. Slemp took the idea to First Lady Grace Coolidge, who took up the cause. She recommended that the tree be placed on the ellipse south of the White House, and a tradition was born.
Regular admission rates apply: adults $5, children 6-12 $3, under 6 free. Group rates are available for parties of 10 or more. For more information about the Festival of Trees, contact the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park at (276) 523-1322.
Category: Festival