Wolcott Mill Metropark hosts "Heritage Holidays" for three weekends in December, giving children and their families (or anyone feeling the nostalgia) the opportunity to experience old-fashioned Christmas traditions.
“Skip the mall and come to the mill, where our bridge takes you across the river to holidays of yesteryear,” says Bill Thomas, supervising interpreter at the historic mill of Wolcott Mill Metropark.
Guests will do a bit of time travel to holidays past by taking a look at children's games of yesteryear (reaching all the way back to the 1870s), plus discovering how candles and natural elements were used to decorate for Christmas, in particular during the Victorian era.
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Visitors will also look at 1950s television trends and programs, and be schooled in the start of electric lighting in the 1960s. Everyone will be able to see how these traditions still hold root today.
Kids also will have time to play with old-fashioned toys, visit with Santa Claus, and create some holiday crafts indoors.
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All that fun is sure to work up an appetite, so they'll be able to make s'mores outside by the bonfire and sip hot mulled cider.
The mill grounds will be a festive site, as they'll be lit and decorated in 1960s style, accompanied by a synchronized light show set to seasonal music. Exhibits depicting 1870s, 1900 and 1950s Christmas traditions will be on display as well.
Donations to make programs like this possible will be accepted at the door. For more information, contact Wolcott Mill Metropark at 800-477-3175 or visit www.metroparks.com. Metroparks admission is $5 for a daily vehicle pass, or guests may purchase an annual pass good for all 13 Huron-Clinton Metroparks, $25 for adults, or $15 for senior citizens 62 and older.
