Holiday Tours at Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park
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Did you know that Eolia Mansion at Harkness Memorial State Park gets decorated for the holidays? The Friends of Harkness offers holiday tours of the mansion. It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit leading up to the holidays.
About The Mansion
Eolia Mansion in Waterford, Connecticut was one of Edward and Mary Harkness’s seven homes and it was said to be their favorite. They resided in the mansion from May until September. So while it wouldn’t typically be decorated for the holidays since it was just a summer home, it’s nice that the Friends of Harkness decorate it now for the public to enjoy!
You might be wondering, how did this mansion become accessible to the public? Upon the death of Mary Harkness, the Harkness Estate was given to the people of the State of Connecticut. In 1952, it became a Connecticut State Park. Today, the mansion is open for tours seasonally and the mansion is also a wedding venue!
About The Holiday Tour
In December, Eolia mansion gets decorated by the Friends of Harkness. Christmas trees are put up around the house in addition to other festive decorations. To take the guided tour, you will need to make a reservation on their website. It is completely free to visit, but they do accept donations to support the Friends of Harkness as well as toy donations for the Waterford Youth Service.
My Experience Going To The Holiday Tour
This was my first year going to the holiday tour at the mansion. It had snowed here recently on the southeastern Connecticut shoreline, so I was treated to a blanket of snow in the park. The mansion looked absolutely beautiful with the snow and it really helped with the festive vibes.
There weren’t really instructions for where to go for the start of the tour, but I figured I was supposed to go in the front door like when I toured it before. There weren’t any signs, but this was the correct move. I was greeted by a docent who let me in and then I checked in for the tour.
During the tour, you’ll be guided through house by a knowledgeable docent. You’ll learn about the history of the house, the Harkness family, and interesting features of the house. Additionally, you’ll of course get to see festive decorations throughout the house.
Touring this mansion isn’t quite like touring historic house museums. There isn’t furniture set up on the first floor because the mansion is now used as a wedding venue. It can be a little jarring walking through the empty first floor.
During the holiday tour, it’s less empty because there are some Christmas decorations. Even with the first floor being pretty empty, the charm is still there in the details like the molding and light fixtures throughout the house. Plus, the docent does a great job of painting a picture of what would have been in the room and what the rooms would have been used for.
While there isn’t furniture on the first floor, the second floor does have furniture in the rooms. The second floor has the female servant rooms, Mr. and Mrs. Harkness’ rooms, and an exhibition room. One of the guest rooms on the second floor is a bit more modern because it is now a bridal suite. But otherwise, it feels a bit more like a house museum up there. But, there were not any festive decorations on the second floor.
Below are some photos I took during the holiday tour.
After I finished the tour, I decided to take a quick walk around the gardens and to the old farmhouse on the property. I don’t think many people know about the farmhouse because it’s not close to most of the points of interest in the park. But, the farmhouse is definitely worth taking a peek at.
Below are some of the photos I took walking the grounds after the tour.
Is This Holiday Tour Worth Doing?
Yes!! The decorations are charming, but you’ll also learn so much about the mansion and the family who lived there. The tour is extremely engaging and the docents are happy to answer any questions you might have. Even as someone who had toured the mansion before, I loved hearing the docent talk about the house and the family. I was actually the only person on my tour who had been before, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy the tour as well.
