$144

About this trip

Christmas in a “European Castle” in the backyard of Philadelphia

Cairnwood Estate and Glencairn Museum (Christmas Castle) 

Tuesday, December 16, 2025 

Celebrate the season at Cairnwood Estate with a guided tour during their most sparkling time of the year! Discover the elegant rooms of the Estate with eight professionally decorated Christmas trees, twinkling balustrades, festive mantels over nine 1895 fireplaces, and the exhibition of period fashions, worn by the ladies of Cairnwood. Cairnwood Estate was designed by Carrère and Hastings in the Beaux Arts style. The meticulous decorative elements blend influences from classical Greek and Roman architecture with French Renaissance ideas. John Pitcairn’s considerable fortune allowed him to build Cairnwood Estate in 1895 as a home for Gertrude and their children. You will enjoy a deluxe box lunch in the Garden House or Main house before a guided tour of the Glencairn Museum. Glencairn Museum hosts an annual "Christmas at Glencairn" event featuring the "World Nativities Exhibition". This exhibition showcases a diverse collection of nearly 50 nativity scenes from around the world, highlighting the various ways artists interpret this traditional Christmas display. For forty years (1940s to 1970s), the Raymond and Mildred Pitcairn family celebrated Christmas at Glencairn with a concert, a large three-part Nativity scene, a decorated tree that reached beyond the second-floor balcony, and a Christmas Day meal. This guided holiday tour visits different floors throughout the building, including the tower and main bedroom suite. Your guide will take you on a journey back through time to explore how the Pitcairn family celebrated Christmas in their 20th-century castle. At the conclusion of the tour, you can enjoy self-guided access to the World Nativities exhibition.Package includes motor coach transportation, driver’s gratuity, lunch, guided tours, admissions, trip leader, games, prizes and snacks on the bus. 7:45 AM Celia Cruz Service Center 8:00 AM Target, RT 70, Brick  8:30 AM GSP Park and Ride Exit 98 6:00 PM Approximate return $144 

Bus departures

7:45 AM Celia Cruz Service Center (formerly Forked River Rest Area) 

8:00 AM Target, RT 70, Brick 

8:30AM GSP Park and Ride Exit 98 (use gps park and ride, exit 98, Wall, NJ)

6:00 PM Approximate return