November 30, 2017

CONTACT: Katie Peterson

Marietta Visitors Bureau

katie@mariettasquare.com

770-429-1115

www.mariettapilgrimage.com

MARIETTA, GA – Walk through the doors of some of Marietta’s most beautiful and historic homes on Dec. 2 and 3 as the 31st Annual Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour highlights the Whitlock Avenue Historic District.

More than 3,000 ornaments, thousands of magnolia leaves, 500-plus strands of lights and over 100 poinsettias are used to decorate the houses. Several hotel rooms are booked for homeowners for the event weekend to clear the way for the thousands of visitors who will ooh and ah over vintage, traditional and highly-artistic holiday schemes. Dozens of plastic mats will be stashed in closets in case of inclement weather and scads of booties will be stowed in attics to cover shoes for treading on floors that need extra TLC. And then there’s the more than 500 volunteers who will staff the event.

The 2017 Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour features six private historic homes in the Whitlock Avenue Historic District. Each of the homes has been lovingly preserved and restored, filled with antique collections and decorated for the season. Homeowners will invite visitors inside for a unique opportunity to discover how they incorporate these historic treasures into their everyday lives. Along the route, many of Marietta’s historic public buildings will be decorated and open for touring. Hickory Hills Elementary School will house this year’s Bistro, with lunches and restrooms available for those on the tour.

The event activities will begin on Friday evening, December 1st when the Marietta Pilgrimage presents “The Marietta Pilgrimage Gala,” a glamorous black-tie party at The Whitlock Inn. Honorary Gala Co-Chairs are Marietta City Schools Superintendent Grant Rivera and Star94.1 cohost Jenn Hobby. The home tours kick off on Saturday, Dec. 2 with the Day Tour offered from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and a Candlelight Tour featuring three of the tour homes from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. that evening. The Day Tour will resume on Sunday, Dec. 3 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The day tours will offer shuttle service, staffed with informative step-on guides.

Every year, the Marietta Square transforms into a Winter Wonderland with the city center illuminated by thousands of tiny lights and lined with restaurants and specialty shops. Back again this year is the open-air ice skating rink, located in the charming center of Glover Park. Children aged one to 92 will make new memories as they skate among the twinkling lights and holiday music. Santa will light the Christmas tree in the Square on Thursday, Nov. 30. Out-of-towners should plan to spend the weekend to take in all of the sights and activities.

The Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour has been consistently named a “Top Twenty Event in the Southeast” by the Southeast Tourism Society and a “Top 100 Event in North America” by the American Bus Association. The event is co-sponsored by the Marietta Visitors Bureau and Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society.

For more information and to purchase tickets for the Marietta Pilgrimage Christmas Home Tour, visit marietttapilgrimage.com or call the Marietta Visitors Bureau at 770-429-1115.

HOUSES FEATURED:

I. The Paige-Eberhardt- Woodward House, c. 1880 (Also on Candlelight)
Sponsor: Marietta Daily Journal
462 Whitlock Avenue
II. The Reed-Woodruff House, c. 1961
Sponsor: Old Mountain Contracting & Landscaping
529 Pickett Road
III. Chiltmore, c. 1957
Sponsor: Hawkins, Moore, & Cubbedge
407 Chinquapin Drive

IV. The Dawson-Epperson- Smith House, c. 1952

463 Chestnut Drive

V. The Lawrence- McGhee House, c. 1870 (Also on Candlelight)
Sponsor: Little Black Dress | Little Red Wagon

287 Walnut Path SW

VI. Mockingbird Hill, c. 1888 (Also on Candlelight)
Sponsor: Fortress Real Estate

134 McDonald Street

HERITAGE BUILDINGS FEATURED

First Presbyterian Church, c. 1854

St. James Episcopal Church, c. 1878

Old Zion Baptist Church, c. 1888

Root House Museum, c. 1845

Hickory Hills Elementary, c. 1960

Kennesaw House – Marietta Museum of History, c. 1845

Thomas Warehouse – Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum: Scarlett on the Square, c. 1880

Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, c. 1909

Brumby Hall & Gardens, c. 1851

Marietta Educational Garden Center, c. 1852

First Baptist Church Marietta, c. 1897

SCHEDULE & PRICING

Day Tour: (Shuttle bus provided)

Saturday: 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Sunday: 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

$25 in advance; $30 at door

Candlelight Tour: (three homes open, transportation not provided)

Saturday: 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

$20 in advance; $25 at door

Combination Ticket: (tour three houses during the day and three at night)

$30 in advance; $35 at door

**Group rates are available