Ohio's largest historic home is decked out for Hollywood-inspired Christmas tours
Akron's stately Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens is once again aglow in holiday lights and decorations.
But this year's Deck the Hall has a bit of Hollywood magic mixed in, too.
The theme of the decorations inside the estate of Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. co-founder F.A. Seiberling is "Lights, Cameras, Christmas!" with decorations and displays throughout the 64,500-square-foot historic home.
There are nods to some 13 classic Christmas movies with 30 decorated trees scattered about the home.
The Reception Hall — the first space on the tour — is appropriately decorated like an old-time movie theater lobby.
The grand Music Room is a nod to the classic Nutcracker Ballet and its many movie incarnations with costumes on display from the Cleveland Ballet Company.
Guests then take a stroll down the red carpet where they pass some original Hollywood dresses worn by the likes of Mae West, Ginger Rogers and others by famed designer Bob Mackie.
The dresses are part of a collection curated by a Stow resident who has loaned the pieces to Stan Hywet for the holidays.
And then you make a grand entrance into the aptly named Great Hall that looks like you've walked into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as everything Harry Potter is on display from floor to ceiling with some magical assists from the Akron Makerspace.
There are even floating candles just like in the movie.
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The main dining room next door has been taken over by Buddy the Elf of Will Ferrell fame.
The dinner being served consists of milkshakes, candy and, of course, maple syrup.
Members of the area Lego enthusiast group, NEOLUG, have been toiling away for weeks to re-create the Lego City skyline that Buddy built in the movie. The creation is on display in the formal dinning room.
And, no, you're not crazy.
You are smelling gingerbread coming from the kitchen.
Tomas Padegimas, an engineering student at Cleveland State, has re-created a scale replica of Stan Hywet Hall built out of gingerbread. It's on display in the kitchen as a nod to the "Polar Express" book and film.
And guests on the nightly tour will once again be allowed to venture upstairs.
Because of COVID concerns last year, Deck the Hall tours were limited to the first floor.
Many of the upstairs bedrooms are also decked out, including Frank's master bedroom that has been ransacked by the Grinch who Stole Christmas.
Across the hall, the newly restored bedroom of the couple's youngest daughter Virginia is themed to a Hallmark Christmas movie.
The displays are literally years in the making.
Chloe Wingard, curatorial projects specialist, said the tinsel hasn't even settled with this year's display and the staff is already planning for next year's theme.
"Christmas is an all-year extravaganza here at Stan Hywet," she said. "My office is a 24/7 Christmas explosion and I don't mind it at all."
And it is truly a community effort to decorate 20 of the home's 65 rooms that is the largest historic home in Ohio and the sixth largest in the country open for public tours.
From the countless volunteers to help fluff everything from fake snow to putting up hundreds and hundreds of ornaments, Wingard said, there are community partners that include area florists and interior designers who literally remake the rooms and spaces in the home into truly magical spaces.
Wingard said it is also a dangerous time to be a friend or acquaintance of hers as she is always looking to borrow an item or two or three to add to the displays to help fill the home that dates back to 1915.
"A lot of different talents are needed to pull off an event like this," she said.
And the decorations extend outside the house, too.
There are more than a million Christmas lights outside the manor house and its gardens.
The Carriage House Courtyard is home to a large Christmas tree along with Santa and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer where guests can pose for a picture or two.
Masks are not required outdoors but must be worn in indoor spaces at the estate.
The courtyard is also where guests can purchase a warm gingerbread cookie along with a warm drink or even a adult beverage.
The event, which requires that tickets be purchased in advance at https://www.stanhywet.org, runs from 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 26-28, Dec. 2, 9-23 and 26-30.
The Gingerbread Land is back for outdoor tours along with the large poinsettia tree inside of the Corbin Conservatory.
The Dazzle light show set to Christmas music runs every 15 minutes and has been given a complete makeover this year.
Wingard said the fun part is watching the reaction on guests' faces as they make their way through the home.
"It's always exciting to see which room creates the log jam," she said. "Sometimes it is surprising. I guess it always just shows we are doing our jobs right."
Craig Webb, who particularly enjoyed the leg lamp in the "Christmas Story" room, can be reached at cwebb@thebeaconjournal.com.
Details
What: Deck the Hall
Where: Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, 714 North Portage Path, in Akron.
When: 5 to 8 p.m. Nov. 26-28, Dec. 2, 9-23 and 26-30.
Cost: Monday-Thursday $18 adults, $7 youth. Friday - Sunday $22 adults, $9 youth. Children ages 5 and under free.
Tickets: Must be purchased in advance at stanhywet.org or by phone at 330-315-3287.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio's largest historic home Stan Hywet is decked out for Christmas tours
