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Yuletide at Wheatland holiday tours return to President James Buchanan's Lancaster home for 2021

The guided tour features a historically costumed guide who will share stories of Buchanan's public and personal lives through the lens of Yuletides past.
Credit: LancasterHistory.org
President James Buchanan's Wheatland decorated for the Yuletide celebration.

LANCASTER, Pa. — After a one-year, virtual hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Yuletide at Wheatland will return with in-person tours of President James Buchanan's home on the outskirts of Lancaster City, LancasterHistory, formerly the Lancaster County Historical Society, announced this week.

The guided tour of the holiday-decorated mansion features a historically costumed guide who will share stories of Buchanan's public and personal lives through the lens of Yuletides past, LancasterHistory said.

Tours will run from Nov. 24 through Dec. 30.

Tours are available Wednesdays through Saturdays, on the half hour, from 10 a.m. (first tour of the day) until 3 p.m. (last tour of the day). 

LancasterHistory will offer additional Yuletide tours on select Mondays and Tuesdays of Dec. 20, 21, 27, and 28 only. LancasterHistory will be closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.

"From time-honored details such as gift giving to how the Civil War affected Christmas, visitors during the holiday season will learn how Yuletide traditions developed over the course of the mid-Victorian era in America," LancasterHistory said in a press release. "Each room of the Wheatland Mansion has a specific story to tell. 

"In the dining room, visitors will learn how a Christmas meal was prepared and how the Wheatland household functioned during the season," the release went on. "In the sitting room, tours will explore the rise in popularity of the Christmas tree in England while Buchanan was Minister to Great Britain as well as the Yuletide traditions of German immigrants coming to the United States."

After their Yuletide tour, visitors can enjoy "Season's Greetings from Lancaster," LancasterHistory’s special holiday exhibition, in the museum’s Groff Gallery. 

The exhibition features a selection of historic artifacts that showcase social and economic responses to the holidays when cold weather and merriment brought people together, LancasterHistory said. 

"Learn about snowstorms that stopped traffic, what was on Lancastrians’ list for Santa, and tasty holiday recipes," the organization said. "Historic objects and ephemera from Lancaster throughout the 18th and 20th centuries will be on display."

Last year, the pandemic forced LancasterHistory to switch to a virtual tour format. While in-person tours are back this year, they will be held at reduced capacity with safety protocols in place.

More information about LancasterHistory’s health and safety policies, including their mask mandate, can be found here

For those who may be unable to travel this holiday season, LancasterHistory will offer virtual tours of Yuletide by appointment only. To book a virtual tour, click here.

Yuletide at Wheatland General Admission tickets include a guided Yuletide at Wheatland tour plus self-guided access to LancasterHistory’s museum exhibitions, including "Lancaster in the 60s" and "Season’s Greetings from Lancaster."

Tickets are $17/Adults (14+), $8/Children (6 to 13), and free for small children (5 and under), with the purchase of a paying adult ticket. 

Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling (717)-392-4633. 

A Family Pass (2 adult and 2 child tickets for $40, a savings of $10) are also available. To purchase the Family Pass, please call (717)-392-4633 to purchase over the phone or use promo code 21YULEFAM at checkout to receive the discount online. (Valid 10/1/21 through 12/30/21) 

Advance tickets are highly recommended.

Tickets and more information, including Frequently Asked Questions, are available here

Download the FOX43 app here. 

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