Stockbridge, North Andover & Canton, MA – Fall/Winter 2019 – The Trustees today announced the return of Winterlights, the multi-week immersive holiday light display which welcomed over 35,000 visitors when it premiered last year. The launch year took place at two popular Trustees historic homes, Naumkeag in Stockbridge and Stevens-Coolidge Place in North Andover and will grow in 2019 to include a third site, the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, a 90-acre country estate off Rt. 128 in Canton and less than 30 minutes from downtown Boston, as well as expanded tours paths and offerings at each property.
Beginning in November and running through the end of December, the gardens at these three iconic homes will be illuminated with tens of thousands of shimmering holiday lights and designed light installations, over 500,000 LEDs in total. Each site will offer seasonal entertainment, children’s activities and refreshments for purchase. And new this year, The Trustees will offer special Member Preview Nights at each site at the beginning of the series. At Naumkeag and Stevens-Coolidge Place, these will be Thursday and Friday November 21 and 22 and at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate Member Preview Night will be Friday November 22.
“We saw firsthand so many memories being made at Winterlights during its premiere season last year,” says Trustees President & CEO Barbara Erickson. “We look forward to welcoming even more families, friends and loved ones during this magical time of year and offering a holiday tradition that brings homesteads and designed gardens to life in the winter months.”
Winterlights at the Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate, presented by Citizens Bank, will feature an illuminated woodland trail as well as light displays and installations throughout the formal Italianate lattice-walled garden, rhododendron walk, and kitchen garden. The first floor of the Georgian-style mansion will also be decorated for the season. Tickets will be available at the Bradley Estate Friday-Sundays November 22-December 29, with Thursday nights available for private rentals, free parking and shuttle service to the event from DCR Ponkapoag Golf Course Parking Lot, 2167, Washington Street.
“The Bradley Estate is delighted to open its doors as the Winterlights site on the south shore—and so close to Boston,” says Director Vidya Tikku. “Eleanor would have loved to see her beloved gardens and trails adorned with twinkling lights and shared with so many visitors during this joyous season.”
This season, Winterlights at the Stockbridge National Historic Landmark, Naumkeag, will expand to include the Chinese Temple Garden, meticulously restored in 2016 as part of an extensive, $3.3 million garden and landscape restoration. Naumkeag will offer additional nights during holiday weeks including New Year’s Eve festivities for the first time. The tour will continue to be a self-guided walking tour through the many garden rooms of the 44-acre estate including the iconic Blue Steps and the decorated greenhouse and first floor of the home. Tickets will be available at Naumkeag Monday, November 23, Thursdays-Sundays November 21-December 29, Monday, December 30 and Tuesday, December 31st, free parking and shuttle service to the event from Marian Fathers, 2 Prospect Hill Road.
“Last year, Winterlights helped us reach new, local audiences through a fun, family-friendly experience,” says Naumkeag Director Brian Cruey. “We heard so often from those who have lived in the area their whole lives that Winterlights was the first time that they had visited Naumkeag. We can't wait to show everyone the expanded experience and for another exciting year of Winterlights.”
The experience at the Stevens-Coolidge Place, an early 20th century ‘country place’ style estate in North Andover, will add a grove of lighted trees in Helen’s Meadow to this year’s tour path, as well offer a children’s area, inspired by classic children’s book by Jan Brett, The Mitten, on the Hemlock Lawn. This interactive woodland creature feature will allow the young and young at heart to become a part of the story. Tickets will be available at Stevens-Coolidge Place Thursdays-Sundays November 21-December 29, with free parking and shuttle service to the event from Franklin Elementary School, 2 Cypress Terrace.
“The Stevens-Coolidge Place had a local following for our Illumination Nights in past years and Winterlights really took it to the next level,’ says Director Kathy Macdonald. “We’re excited to welcome new and returning visitors this holiday season to an even greater experience.”
Tickets are on sale now at thetrustees.org/winterlights. Ticket prices are $12 for Trustees members and $17 for non-members. Children under 12 are free. Pre-registration required. All properties will be closed on Thanksgiving.
Those interested in volunteering at a Winterlights property are encouraged to visit volunteer.trustees.org for opportunities.
More about The Trustees
Founded in the City of Boston by landscape architect and open space visionary Charles Eliot in 1891, The Trustees has, for more than 125 years, been inspiring generations to embrace nature, culture, and the great outdoors. As a steward of distinctive and dynamic places of both natural and historic value, The Trustees is the nation’s first and the Massachusetts’ largest preservation and conservation nonprofit, with 118 publicly accessible parks, gardens, farms, beaches, historic homesteads, campgrounds, inns and recreational sites that welcome millions of residents and visitors annually. www.thetrustees.org.
