Candlelight Christmas returns Dec. 12-13
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Families check out the toys for sale in the gift shop at the Museum of Appalachia during last year’s Candlelight Christmas event, which will return this year on Dec. 12-13 from 4-9 p.m. - G. Chambers Williams III
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The Candlelight Christmas event at the Museum of Appalachia features Christmas merchandise and more. - G. Chambers Williams III
The Museum of Appalachia’s annual Candlelight Christmas event, whose aim is to bring the nostalgia of Christmases past, will return on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 12-13.
In an announcement, the museum invites guests “to step back in time and experience the warmth and wonder of an old-fashioned Appalachian Christmas.”
Tickets are already on sale for the event, which features “an evening tour of the museum grounds, beautifully illuminated for the season,” the museum said.
“Visitors can stroll through the pioneer village, where historic log structures are adorned with simple, handcrafted decorations inspired by 19th-century holiday traditions,” the announcement reads. “Select exhibits will highlight artifacts from the museum’s collection that are tied to Christmas, offering a glimpse into how early settlers celebrated the season.”
The special holiday event, which will run from 4-9 p.m. each day, annually draws thousands of visitors to the museum on Andersonville Highway in Norris.
In the museum’s pioneer village, the cabins will be adorned with old-fashioned Christmas decorations, and festively lit for the occasion.
Activities each evening will include live music, traditional dancing, wagon rides, Christmas storytelling, holiday arts and crafts for kids, and demonstrations of blacksmithing, sorghum making, apple butter churning, popcorn stringing, wildlife education, live animal meet and greets, and more.
Inside the main museum building and gift shop, visitors can sip sassafras tea, visit with Santa Claus, and browse the Holiday Market, featuring handmade gifts, baked goods, and the works and wares of local artisans.
The museum’s restaurant, also in the main building, will be open throughout the event, serving hearty soups, hot meals, and other seasonal favorites. The gift shop will offer an array of regional crafts, books, clothing items and holiday merchandise.
Tickets may be purchased and additional information may be found online at museumofappalachia.org. Prices are $20 for adults (18-64); $18 for seniors, military and first-responders; $10 for youth (6-17); and $50 for a family of two adults and up to six kids (ages 6-17). Under 6 are admitted free.
The Museum of Appalachia, a Smithsonian affiliate, is 16 miles north of Knoxville, one mile east of Interstate 75, off the Clinton/Norris Exit (122).