Sip on hot chocolate and dance along to your favorite Christmas songs at “Deck the Hall: Lights, Cameras, Christmas,” a holiday event at Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens in Akron. For select nights through December 30, embark on the hour-long outdoor walking experience through one million holiday lights and enjoy the holiday magic of the 70-acre estate.
The estate includes gardens, a greenhouse, and the main mansion, known as the ‘’Manor House,’ one of the largest houses in America. Built in 1912, the home belonged to F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. The 64,500-square-fooot mansion features 21,455 panes of glass, 23 fireplaces, hand-carved paneling of oak, sandalwood and black walnut, a billiard room, and a music room with an Aeolian organ.
The Manor House décor is inspired by the theme of ”Lights, Cameras, Christmas” and classic Christmas movies, such as “Elf”, “Polar Express”, and “A Christmas Story”, and staged in 21 spaces in the house, along with 25 decorated trees.
Guests are greeted with a clapperboard in the room decorated in popcorn kernels that says “Act 12, Scene 25, Take 2021.” The first Christmas tree, decorated with red ornaments, ticket stubs as tinsel, and candies and popcorn boxes, is featured in the reception room. Decorated with mini Oscar statuettes, a mannequin wearing a vintage Hollywood movie theater usher uniform, and a vintage-inspired LED sign that says “Lights, Cameras, Christmas: Now playing,” the room invites guests to explore the historic home.
Following the reception room, guests enter the solarium, which features three Christmas trees decorated with red, white and silver tinsel and ornaments. Guests then enter the music room, which tells the story of ”The Nutcracker”, featuring stage costumes from the Cleveland Ballet. Towards the back of the room, a large bubblegum-pink tree is decorated with donuts, lollipops and gingerbread. More gingerbread and donuts hang from the ceiling, while a young girl is depicted sleeping in her bed, with a teddy bear in a chair next to her holding “The Nutcracker Ballet: A Book, Theater, and Paper Doll Fold-out Play Set,” by Mara Conlon.
The Great Hall, inspired by Harry Potter, features the red, blue, yellow and green banners of each Hogwarts House: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin. With red velvet curtains draped against the large panel windows, the room is illuminated with floating hanging candles and lanterns set upon long tables. Hedwig, Harry’s pet snowy owl, looks onto the crowd from above, and many iconic pieces from the film are on display, including Harry’s wizard robe, broom, and circular framed glasses.
After visiting the Manor House, the tour travels to the Gingerbread Hut and the Salty Reindeer for a hot cider or gingerbread cookie and a chance to take a picture with the large Christmas tree. Next to Molly’s Shop (the gift shop,) two animated shop windows are on display: one depicting a gingerbread bakeshop and the other of Akron in the 1920s, complete with a large, brightly-lit building, vintage cars, and a Goodyear blimp floating just above the city.
Guests can also bring their children to Rudolph’s Corral for a meet-and-greet with Santa.
Gingerbread Land, located near the Corbin Conservatory, is decorated with lights, candy canes, and of course, gingerbread men, and has a vintage light blue car stationed for holiday photos.
Corbin Conservatory has plants and flowers in the greenhouse, and guests can take a photo with the large poinsettia tree (poinsettias are also available for purchase).
A Dazzle light show in the Great Garden features three holiday songs choreographed to the display of lights.
Monday through Thursday, Stan Hywet member tickets are $14 for adults, and $6 for youth ages 6-17; non-member adults are $18, and non-member youth tickets are $7. Friday through Sunday, member adult tickets are $16, youth tickets are $7, non-member adults are $22 and youth tickets are $9. Children 5 and under are always free. Visit stanhywet.org