hearthside house

The title says it all. This house gave me a serious case of the warm and fuzzies. Me and my husband visited during Christmas when they had it all decorated up. It was nice that they let you stroll through the house on your own instead of a guided tour. They had costumed docents in period clothes in most of the rooms. We plan on visiting again in the Spring. We won a year membership.

The docents are dressed in period outfits. They are very knowledgable. They offer a variety of events . the Holiday music is well received.

Hearthside House is a great place for adults and children because they hold many events there from Civil War reenactments to American Doll Tea Parties. It's a 19th C Federal Style house that has a story behind it. Stephen Hopkins Smith built it for his love but when she saw the location she thought it was too isolated. They never married. The house has docents that give you a tour of the rooms while telling the story of the house. Some say it's haunted.A good time to go is around Halloween when they have an exhibit on Victorian Funereal customs called "Mourning Exhibit & Candlelight Tour. We went last year and look forward to going again.The Civil War encampments are a great learning experience. People dressed in costume gave information pretending they actually were in the time period. They even asked what a woman had in her hand when her cell phone rang.They ask for donations so you should check their web site for events and cost at hearthside.org