Events

Campus of History Cheer

  • December 7, 2024
  • LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster, PA
  • 5-7pm
  • $20 Adults (14+) | $10 Youth (6-13) | FREE Children (5 & Under)

Get in the holiday spirit with Campus of History Cheer, a festive evening event filled with fun for the whole family! From twilight tours of Wheatland to live music and kids activities, there’s something merry and bright for everyone.

At Campus of History Cheer, you can move about three locations on Campus and choose your own holiday adventure!

  • Museum & Ware Commons | Check in and purchase tickets. Enjoy hot chocolate and delicious cookies. Get crafting with the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum and make a holiday nature craft in Buckwalter Theater. View exhibits, including “The Store With More,” a special exhibit about Watt & Shand Department Store, based on Nancy Groff’s “Watt & Shand: East, West, Hame’s Best” book. Listen to Music for Everyone’s Ukelele Uprising play a selection of up-beat Christmas songs. Shop local at LancasterHistory’s Museum Store.
  • President James Buchanan’s Wheatland | Enjoy at-your-own-pace tours of Wheatland, festively decorated for Yuletide. Tour guides will be available in each room to talk about Yuletide traditions during the 1870s-80s. A strings duet from Seasons, a local Celtic and American folk music ensemble, will also set the musical ambiance at Wheatland.
  • The Wheatland Carriage House | Holiday shop for the perfect handcrafted, local gifts with a selection of vendors from the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen.

Tickets to Campus of History Cheer are $20/Adults (14+), $10/Youths (6-13), and FREE for Children (5 & Under). LancasterHistory and Friends of the Tanger Arboretum Members receive discounted admission commensurate to the number of individuals on the membership, $5 off/Adult and/or $2 off/Youth tickets.

To purchase tickets to Campus of History Cheer, please click the button below or call (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets are recommended. Walk-in tickets may be available at the door.

Purchase Tickets

Thank You to Our Campus of History Sponsors!

Thank you to our Hot Cocoa Sponsor, Haller Enterprises, for keeping the Campus of History warm!

Featured Event Family-Friendly Holiday In-Person Event Outdoor Performance Tour

‘Urban Alphabet’ Book Signing by Gregory Scott

The cover of "Urban Legend" book with a brown, sepia tone-color and a decorative border.On Saturday, December 7 we’re excited to welcome local author and architect Gregory J. Scott, FAIA for a book signing of his latest book, Urban Alphabet. Scott will be available to sign copies of his books, Urban Alphabet and Urban Legend, at LancasterHistory’s Museum Store from 10am – 2pm.

Urban Alphabet is an illustrated dictionary detailing the work of C. Emlen Urban, the architectural legend who left an indelible and distinctive mark on the City of Lancaster a century ago. The author, Gregory J. Scott, FAIA, connects each letter of the alphabet to the architectural term for a detail or style of architecture common to Urban’s buildings. Urban Alphabet is the second book in a series created by Scott to foster an appreciation and understanding of the inspired work of Lancaster’s most prolific architect.

Urban Alphabet and Urban Legend will be available for purchase at LancasterHistory’s Museum Store while supplies last. LancasterHistory Members save 20% and Friends of the Tanger Arboretum save 10%!

Book Signing Holiday In-Person Event

December 7, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster 10am - 2pm Free to Attend | No RSVP Required

Holiday Greens Sale

Get in the festive spirit and pick up some fresh greens at the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum’s Holiday Greens Sale! Peruse a selection of fresh greenery on Saturday, December 7 from 1-5pm or until sold out. Cash only accepted.

Proceeds benefit the Friends of the Tanger Arboretum, a subsidiary of  LancasterHistory dedicated to the care and conservation of the Louise Arnold Tanger Arboretum as a community asset. Click here to learn more about the Tanger Arboretum.

CORRECTION: In a recent postcard publication, we incorrectly listed the day of the week of the Holiday Greens Sale. The Greens Sale will take place Saturday, December 7. Thank you!

Sale Fundraiser Holiday In-Person Event Outdoor

December 7, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave, Lancaster, PA 1-5pm or Until Sold Out!

Yuletide at Wheatland “Go-At-Your-Own-Pace” Tours

The parlor decorated for Christmas with poinsettias on the mantle and a brightly lit Christmas tree.On Saturday, December 7, join us for “at-your-own-pace” tours of Yuletide at Wheatland! With guides stationed throughout rooms in the historic mansion, you can travel from space to space to learn about how Harriet Lane Johnston and James Buchanan “Buck” Henry, James Buchanan’s niece and nephew, celebrated Christmas in the late 1800s.

At-Your-Own-Pace tours are great for families and those who want to take their time viewing the mansion versus our regular ‘guided tour’ experience. Spend as little or as much (within operating hours!) as you’d like in President Buchanan’s festively decorated mansion!

Yuletide at Wheatland “Go-At-Your-Own-Pace” Tours are only available on Saturday, December 7. Entry times are every 30 minutes from 10am (first tour entry) until 3pm (last tour entry). Ticket purchase also includes self-guided access to LancasterHistory’s museum exhibitions. Tickets are $20/Adult (14+), $10/Youth (6-13), and free for children 5 and under. LancasterHistory Members are $15/person.

To purchase tickets in advance, please go online or call (717) 392-4633. Advance tickets are strongly recommended as tours often sell out during the holiday season.


PLEASE NOTE: These are not tickets for the Historic Preservation Trust of Lancaster County’s “Northwest Lancaster Architectural Tour.” Sales for the Northwest Lancaster Architectural Tour must go through the Historic Preservation Trust. LancasterHistory is selling “At Your Own Pace” tickets for Wheatland on December 7 for customers to visit Wheatland onlynot any of the other sites on the architectural tour.

At Your Own Pace Tour Family-Friendly Holiday In-Person Event Tour

December 7, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Ave., Lancaster, PA Tour Entry Every 30 Minutes, 10am - 3pm See Event Description.

Candy Canes & Cocoa on Campus

A small, young girl in a puffy pink coat lifts a candy cane out of a small conifer tree.Help us on our hunt for candy canes across the Campus of History! Children will listen to a story read aloud, complete a holiday craft to take home, and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa.

The story selected for “Candy Canes & Cocoa on Campus” is Joy to the World!: Christmas Around the Globe by Kate DePalma and Sophie Fatus. The book explores Christmas traditions from 13 countries through rhyming text and detailed illustrations.

Tickets are $5 per child, which goes towards the cost of crafting supplies. At least one adult (18+) must attend per household. To purchase tickets, please click the button below or call (717) 392-4633. Story, craft, and candy cane activity best suited for children 12 years and under, but all ages welcome!

Purchase Tickets

Children's Program Family-Friendly Holiday In-Person Event Outdoor

December 14, 2024 LancasterHistory, 230 N. President Avenue, Lancaster, PA 10-11am $5/Child for Supplies