Contact:  Marci Jones

                 Madison Area Visitors Center

                 812-265-2956 or marci@visitmadison.org

Nights Before Christmas Candlelight Tour Of Homes

Madison, IN- Step into a Christmas wonderland during Nights Before Christmas Candlelight Tour of Homes.  This Christmas spectacular will be held November 23, 24 and 25 and November 30, December 1 & 2 in historic Madison, Indiana.

This holiday tour features four public historic sites, including the Lanier Mansion, the Lanier Schofield House, the Sullivan House, and the Jefferson County Historical Society Museum all decked out in Christmas finery.  You’ll see church members in period costumes at The First Baptist Church along with music, caroling and refreshments.  At The Seifert- Short Museum and Learning Center, a hospitality site, you’ll be stunned by the sight of 1000 ornaments from all over the world along with 300 nativities.  Madison Mercantile, another hospitality site, will be serving refreshments.  

The tour also highlights five beautiful private homes not normally open to the public.  The Garber Courtney home is an American 4-square home built in 1920 by Michael E Garber.  The Garber family was well known in Madison for their involvement in politics and as owners of The Madison Courier. The Eblen Home (Lottie Mae Inn) was built in 1892 by John and Sarah Sage.  The floors throughout the home are some of the most outstanding in Madison, inlaid with different varieties of light and dark woods.  The wood floor in the kitchen is made from a type of pine now said to be extinct.  The Scroggins Home is a one story shotgun style dwelling.  Charles & Pam have painstakingly restored the interior floors, walls, fixtures, and opened up fireplaces that had been closed for over thirty years.  On the hilltop, The Flanigan Estate, an 1840s Greek revival on 31/2 acres, has just undergone an extensive four year renovation.  The walls and ceilings were re-plastered then hand painted in historic glazes and stenciling.  The 48 foot ballroom, dominated by four massive columns, has walls of gold Venetian plaster.  A winter sky mural on the ceiling adds to the opulence.  The Ford Home at the Rivercrest Condos is a diversion from the typical home featured on the Christmas tour.   Christmas at this condo will reflect the river at night with contrasts in color and sparks of light interspersed throughout the open floor plan.

Enjoy the sense of time gone by as you make your way from site to site.  Savor the taste of the holidays at one of Madison’s unique restaurants and wineries.  Your stroll through our historic downtown with its beautiful lights, shops, and astounding architecture will definitely kick off your holiday season.

Advance tickets can be purchased for $12.50 through November 9th, otherwise tickets are $15.00 for adults and $5.00 for children ages 5-15. Tickets can be purchased at the Madison Visitors Center, 601 West First Street or on line at www.visitmadison.org.  For more information please call 800-559-2956 or visit www.nightsbeforechristmas.com.