Highlights Archives
It's a Celebration of Autumn at Wade House
As the days begin to steadily become shorter and the colors of autumn decorate the wooded hillsides around Wade House in Greenbush, the historic site will usher in the change of seasons with a festive Autumn Celebration on Saturday and Sunday, October 17-18. The 1860s Wade House stagecoach inn and its spacious, rolling grounds provide the perfect setting to learn about the origins of American Halloween customs, play seasonal games of the period, enjoy hot beverages, experience a leisurely horse-drawn autumn color tour, and listen to hair-raising ghost stories.
Begin the Day with a Horse-drawn Wagon Ride
Treat yourself to a two-mile-long, horse-drawn wagon ride over picturesque tree-lined sunken gravel roads. You'll appreciate the warmth of cozy blankets as the crackle of leaves and the sounds of the horses' hooves transport you back to the 19th century. A variety of unique seasonal activities awaits you on the first floor of the historic Wade House inn. As you enter, costumed staff will greet you inside the historic tap room. Discover how Americans adapted Irish customs and began to use native North American pumpkins as jack-o'-lanterns to celebrate Halloween in a new and unique way.
Curiosity seekers may "take a peek into the future" by stepping into the 19th-century kitchen to contemplate apple peelings, roasting hazelnuts over an open fire, or playing Three Luggies, an ancient divination practice involving the use of three dishes to predict a young man or woman's fortunes in love and marriage. Visitors can carve an Irish jack-o'-lantern from a turnip or may carve the more traditional North American lantern from a pumpkin.
Venture inside the Herrling Sawmill, which will be filled with tales of All Hallows Eve past. Stop by the Dockstader Blacksmith Shop to observe the smithy hard at work, and learn to play a 19th-century game of Snap-Apple or Ducking for Apples. And no excursion to Wade House is complete without taking a moment to explore one of the state's most extensive collections of hand- and horse-drawn carriages and working wagons in the Wesley Jung Carriage Museum.
If You Go
For complete details on admission, hours, a map, distances from various cities, and other information, see the Wade House visitor information pages.
:: Posted October 13, 2009
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