‘Candlelight Christmas’ on tap Friday, Saturday
Visitors to the Candlelight Christmas event at the Museum of Appalachia last year check out the goods for sale in the market area, which is in the community room at the rear of the museum’s main building and gift shop. (photo:G. Chambers Williams III )
Seeking to bring out nostalgia during the holiday season, the event is designed to help visitors experience the “warmth and wonder of an old-fashioned Appalachian Christmas,” the museum says.
Held from 4-9 p.m. each day, Candlelight Christmas features “an evening tour of the museum grounds, beautifully illuminated for the season.”
“Visitors can stroll through the pioneer village, where historic log structures are adorned with simple, handcrafted decorations inspired by 19th-century holiday traditions,” according to the museum.
“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.”
Scattered across the grounds, the museum’s pioneer village cabins will be decorated and festively lit for the occasion.
Guest activities will include live music, traditional dancing, wagon rides, Christmas storytelling, holiday arts and crafts for kids, blacksmithing, sorghum making, apple butter churning, popcorn stringing, wildlife education, live animal meet and greets, and more.
In 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.
Ticket 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, on Andersonville Highway (Tenn. 61) one mile east of Interstate 75, off the Clinton/Norris Exit (122).