A Golden Celebration: The Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour® Celebrates 50 Years
Enjoy the majesty of the holiday season Dec. 11 & 12.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Every year since 1971, visitors have strolled the streets of the Historic Oakwood neighborhood to enjoy intimate tours of the lovely, historic homes decked out in their Christmas finery for the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour®, one of Raleigh’s longest-held holiday traditions. This year’s tour is a golden celebration as it marks the 50th Annual Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour®, which will take place on Saturday and Sunday, December 11 & 12, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Homes featured in the tour date from late-1800s to mid-1900s, and range in style from Queen Anne cottages to Neoclassical Revival and Italianate residences. This year’s tour will even include a brand-new home. Attendees will enjoy a mix of holiday décor, either mirroring the home's yesteryears or matching today’s modern lifestyle of the homeowners. Docents at each stop offer insider information such as the home’s unique features, the family lineage and surrounding community.
“It feels wonderful to be able to open up our neighborhood and our homes again for the Candlelight Tour,” said Kurt Hurelbrink, tour chairperson. “Last year, we were pleased to offer a walking tour version of the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour, and it was an astonishing success. But the real beauty and warmth of this event – and this neighborhood – is welcoming people and giving them the chance to enjoy these beautifully decorated homes.”
Ticket holders are welcome to tour the properties at their own pace, typically allowing three to four hours to view all the featured homes and the neighborhood. Please note that masks WILL be required to enter each of the properties. The annual Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour benefits the nonprofit organization The Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood. Advance tickets are available now for purchase for $30 online at www.historicoakwood.org. Group rates are also available through November 28. Day-of tickets will be available at The Tucker House, 418 N. Person St. Tickets are on sale now and advance purchases are highly encouraged as recent in-person tours sold out.
About the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour®
The 50th annual Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour features different homes each year, and visitors can tour them at their own pace. Get a glimpse of past tours on the Oakwood Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HistoricOakwood/) and by visiting www.historicoakwood.org.
About the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood
Historic Oakwood is now one of Raleigh's tourist attractions – but that wasn’t always the case. The 1972 announcement of a major thoroughfare planned through the heart of the neighborhood united residents, and the Society for the Preservation of Historic Oakwood, a nonprofit corporation, was formed. The thoroughfare plan was thwarted, and the neighborhood revitalization continues to this day through projects such as supporting the construction of a Habitat for Humanity house and facilitating the major restoration of an endangered home on Person Street.
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