Standing on 70 acres of land, and consisting of five historic buildings and eight gardens, Stan Hywet is the 6th largest home in the United States that is open to the public. Every year in December, volunteers decorate the estate with Christmas decorations of all kinds, including over one million lights and a choreographed light show to various Christmas songs. If you’re ever near Akron, Ohio during the month of December, I highly recommend paying a visit!
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The Experience
I always loved seeing Christmas lights as I drove around town, but this was the first time I had gone somewhere specifically to see Christmas lights, and I was not disappointed.
The Christmas Tree Lighting
When I first entered Stan Hywet, I immediately made my way to the main Christmas tree where the lighting would be held. There, Santa and all the children gathered around and gave their “Christmas energy” to this small box that. With enough energy, this box would light the tree. However, the kids’ energy wasn’t enough, so all the adults/parents had to stretch out their hands and send their “energy” as well. Together, we were able to light the tree.
Choreographed Light Show – “Dazzle”
From there, we quickly made our way to “dazzle,” the choreographed light show. I’d seen some pretty awesome videos of choreographed light shows, but never in person, so I was quite excited for this.
Gingerbread Land
As the name would suggest, this area was decorated with a “gingerbread man” theme. They had all sorts of gingerbread man cutouts surrounded by various props: houses, cars, etc. And of course, these decorations were surrounded by plenty of beautiful lights.
The Conservatory
Right next to Gingerbread Land is the conservatory. This too was all decked out. The ceiling of the conservatory even changed colors. In the below picture its green, but it changed between green, blue, and purple. Inside, many of the plant life had been decorated with lights similar to the way you might cover a Christmas tree with lights.
The Grounds and Gardens
Much of the gardens and the grounds in general are closed off during this time. However, the path from the conservatory and gingerbread land is open and fully decorated. The path takes you through one of the gardens behind the manor house and ends at the front of the manor.
Inside the Manor
At the manor, there was a little bit of a line to get to the front door. The tour of the manor is included in your tickets. However there was still a line because they only permitted so many people to enter at a time. Thankfully, they had small heating lamps set up along the way so you could enjoy at least a little bit of heat while standing in line.
Inside the manor house, they had ropes set up so that you had to walk single-file through the house. Unfortunately, you didn’t have the freedom to walk around or set your own pace. Your pace was determine by the pace of the line. If there was something that wasn’t interesting to you, you couldn’t just move onto the next thing because you had to wait for the people in front of you. You also couldn’t linger in one particular spot, unless of course you want the people behind you to get mad at you for holding up the line.
In this particular scenario, I was actually thankful they had the ropes set up the way they did. The manor house was PACKED, and I can’t image what kind of chaos it would be if that many people were allowed to roam free. Besides, with me being so short, no doubt I would end up behind somebody taller than me and I wouldn’t really be able to see and appreciate the various displays. The way the ropes were set up kept people back and away from the displays, so everybody would be able to get a good look at things. Still, I would love to go back one day when the Deck the Halls event wasn’t going on and having more time to explore the manor.
Times
Deck the Hall is generally held the entire month of December (there may be one or two dates that they are not open for various reasons, so make sure to check the schedule in advance).
The event runs every evening starting from 5pm (after it gets dark). The last admission is at 8pm and the estate closes at 9pm. In my opinion, you should plan on getting there closer to 5pm. The estate is quite large, so you’ll want to give yourself plenty of time to walk around and enjoy everything without feeling rushed.
Only a few of the main attractions are at a set time. The Christmas tree lighting with Santa is held at 5:30pm, and the choreographed light show occurs every 20 minutes, so make sure you pay attention to the clock if you’d like to see those.
Also, be prepared for a little bit of a wait to get through the entrance. The main parking lots were full, so many people had to park at nearby establishments that were designated as overflow parking and catch a shuttle to the estate. Once we arrived at the estate, we also had a short wait in line to purchase tickets.
Tickets
I’ll admit that when I first saw the ticket prices, I felt that they were a bit pricey. However, after visiting the estate, I definitely feel like it was worth the money.
Ticket prices as of December 2018:
| Sun-Thurs | Fri-Sat | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult (18yr+)(Stan Hywet member) | $14 | $16 |
| Adult (18yr+)(non-member) | $18 | $22 |
| Youth (6-17yr)(Stan Hywet member) | $6 | $7 |
| Youth (6-17yr)(non-member) | $7 | $9 |
| Children (5 & under) | Free | Free |
What do you think of Stan Hywet? Have you ever been to their Deck the Hall even? Let me know in the comments below!
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I lived in Stow for a few years yet I never made it out to Stan Hywet at Christmas. If I make it back to Ohio during the holidays sometime, I’ll have to go visit.
This is so cute! I’d love to see the gingerbread land and the choreographed light show.
I’d seen YouTube videos of choreographed Christmas light shows, but this was the first one I got to see in person, so I definitely thought it was pretty cool.
Such a nice place to visit! This place is so lovely and the lights are everywhere. I really love the decorations, they are making the ambiance perfect. For sure this will be a relaxing place to stay with the family. Thanks for sharing this post!
Wow my girls would love this! The light show sounds amazing and look at all those Christmas trees. Thanks for putting this on our radar!
Love the looks of these Christmas lights. Loving the photographs. 🙂
Glad you like them!
We would def try and be there for the Christmas tree lighting! We love traveling to other towns during the Christmas season.
I definitely agree being there for the tree lighting is a great way to kick things off and really get you in the mood for exploring all the great sights Stan Hywet has to offer during the Christmas season. I definitely recommend visiting!
I love the Christmas spirit – the music, the mulled wines, lights and decorations. While I’ve never heard of Stan Hywet, I’m putting it on my radar for next Christmas. Your pictures do a great job of bringing the experience to life. Looking at them makes it feel like Christmas all over again!
I felt as if I had fallen asleep and woken up in a dream and found myself in a fairyland. The Christmas lighting in the grounds and the exquisite decor inside the manor is unbelievable. What a glittering display, Stan Hywet is indeed a revelation and something that seems to bring alive the sprit of Christmas in spectacular and dazzling colour.
I Have a friend in Akron and he was telling me about the Christmas Lights, lovely! In regards to the price it has to be paid for some how. I live in Colombia and in Medellin – the christmas lights get paid by the residents (in our utility bills) but it is certainly a wonderful, and festive part of our lives every year.
This is a pretty incredible display! I love holiday decor, so I know I would absolutely love this! I don’t think that the prices are too intense considering how much other Christmas light displays cost. Plus, it’s all in one place and you don’t have to drive around!
Youe post just cheered me up! The lights look so stunning! 🙂 amazing colours. Loved the Christmas tree, no matter how old you are the Christmas tree just brings in a lot of cheer.
Loved the dancing lights, had seen them last in the Sharjah light festival. The whole place has a happy vibe and I am glad they allow people inside the manor house in a line:) makes it so organised!
The show ‘Dazzled’ looks pretty amazing! I always love Christmas-related events and activities and this one seems like a pretty cool one that I’d like to be a part of. The manor house looks incredible, those trees are magical! What a cool idea.