Holiday Tours at the Eustis Estate in Massachusetts
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If you’re looking for a historic home to check out during the holidays, the Eustis Estate in the Greater Boston area is a great spot to check out. Throughout the holiday season, the house is decorated with festive decorations that complement the details of the house. What’s nice about this house museum is there are both guided and self-guided tours available.
History of the House
The Eustis Estate was built in 1878 as a lavish stone mansion designed by the well-known Boston architect William Ralph Emerson. The mansion was the home of William Ellery Channing (W.E.C.) Eustis and his wife Edith Hemenway Eustis.
The mansion is a rare surviving example of late nineteenth-century architecture and design. The inside and outside of the home feature intact architectural and design details. Its historic significance and well-preserved architecture led to it being listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The estate was in the Eustis family for four generations before it was sold to the preservation organization Historic New England in 2012. Historic New England restored the property and opened it to the public as a museum and study center in 2017. It is the most recent property they’ve acquired.
About The Event
In December, the Eustis Estate gets decorated for the holidays. You can do a self-guided tour, or you can sign up for guided tours such as the Design Tour or the Servants Tour. The perk of the Servants Tour is you’ll be able to see the Servants Quarters, which is not accessible on the self-guided tour.
The self-guided tour is a good option if you’re looking to explore the house and decorations at your own pace. There are kiosks around the house with information about the rooms and areas that you’re in. In addition to the kiosks, there are docents around the house who are more than happy to answer any questions that you might have as you make your way through the house.
While I didn’t have children with me during my visit, there were some families there with children while I was visiting. There was a scavenger hunt for children to do during their visit and an area with coloring pages upstairs.
What’s really interesting about this particular mansion is you’re allowed to sit on furniture in most areas of the house, so you don’t need to worry about younger children climbing on things. Anything they can’t sit on will be roped off.
If you’re looking to get on a guided tour, I’d recommend buying tickets ahead of time to ensure you get a spot on the tour. You can do this for the self-guided tour as well, but it’s not as necessary. I’ve visited the Eustis Estate twice and both times I’ve just showed up to do a self-guided tour without issue. If you’re a member of Historic New England like I am, this tour is free.
Getting There
This historic house in Milton, Massachusetts is about ten miles south of Boston. It’s easily accessible from I-93. It’s only a couple miles off of Exit 2B.
There is a parking lot at the museum. When you get there, you will check-in at the Visitor Center that is next to the parking lot. Once you’re checked in, you’ll be able to head into the mansion for your tour.
My Experience
When I went, I did the self-guided tour. I didn’t buy tickets in advance, but I was able to get tickets with no issue at the Visitor Center. I simply had them scan my membership and I was given my sticker to head on into the mansion.
The nice things about doing a self-guided tour is that you can take your time, tour the house in whatever order you want, and you don’t have to be in a group with strangers. When I entered the house, I was greeted by a docent who let me know they’d be available to answer any questions. I’d been to the house previously, so I didn’t really ask a lot of questions during my visit for the holidays.
The first time I visited, my boyfriend and I spent a lot of time talking to one of the docents. While there are kiosks with a ton of information, I prefer to get my information from a human instead of reading it. During our first visit, my boyfriend did read the kiosks and he thankfully relayed the interesting information to me.
Perhaps my favorite decoration for the holiday tour was the large Christmas tree by the staircase. I took photos of the tree from ALL angles. It was a great center piece in the hall when you first enter the house.
The decorations really complemented the design elements throughout the house. The house features numerous fireplaces and each of the mantels throughout the house were decorated so beautifully.
Below are some of the photos I took during my visit.
Is This House Worth Visiting During The Holidays?
If you love the holidays and are interested in historic homes and architecture, this is absolutely worth a visit. The decorations are so thoughtful and really complement the beauty of the house. However, I will say that this house is worth visiting any time of year. In the warmer months, it’s a bit easier to explore the grounds.
