Washington, Ark., will host its annual Christmas and Candlelight on Saturday that allows visitors to Historic Washington State Park to experience Christmas 19th-century style.
During Christmas, the park lights itself up by candlelight. At night, visitors can follow these paths, taking them to homes, courthouses, churches, schoolhouses, inns and various other buildings that are a part of a small town's lifeblood from that span of history. Washington, founded on George Washington's birthday in 1824, preserves history with 20 buildings dating from 1824 to 1900.
As visitors walk around or take a horse-drawn carriage ride, they will interact with park workers dressed in period garments, each with a story to tell about themselves and the buildings they occupy. They will answer questions about who they are and where. The idea is to help the history preserved in those buildings come to life for visitors. As much as they can, they show life happening about the town, with horse and wagon handlers, blacksmiths, cooks, weavers and more giving demonstrations of their skills and again adding to the sense of a time before.
And if you find yourself with an appetite, William's Tavern offers classic southern comfort cuisine. This Sunday, enjoy a specially prepared southern Christmas buffet, but show up early, because there probably will be a line.
This Saturday will be the last Christmas and Candlelight night this year. For more information, go to historicwashingtonstatepark.com.