Greenfield Village Open-Air Museum

One of the nicest "activities" to do at Greenfield Village is to take a guided tour around the open-air museum in one of the omnibuses on hand. Omnibuses were most often large, enclosed horse-drawn vehicles used for public transportation and for general utilities in 19th century cities. However, Greenfield Village uses a smaller style omnibus that was sometimes referred to as an 'opera' or 'private' bus. These smaller 'buses had comfortable, roomy seating, easily accommodating four to six passengers. It made an ideal carriage for family shopping excursions during the day, and a convenient carry-all for evening when, perhaps, several members of the family went to supper or to the opera. Because of their rear door entry it was usually backed up to a curb for entry and exit. The drivers of the omnibuses at Greenfield Village are a wonderful source of information, telling historical facts about many of the numerous structures you will see on your horse-drawn ...

~ We come from the land of the ice and snow... I would enjoy winter more if my favorite historical out-door museum, Greenfield Village, would remain open during January, February, and March. You see, by the 1st of December they close up the Village for daytime visitors and only remain open for their special Christmas Holiday Nights evenings. Though the adjacent indoor Henry Ford Museum stays open year 'round, Greenfield Village closes its gates after Christmas. I never quite understood this. I can maybe see not remaining open during weekdays, but how cool would it be to visit on a Saturday or Sunday and be able to take a horse-drawn sleigh ride? Or, during the late winter (and early spring) allowing folks to watch and possibly partake in maple sugaring? They wouldn't need to open all of their houses as they normally do; they instead could have the two 'main' houses - the 1880's Firestone Farm and 1760's Daggett Farm, which are located ...

Enjoying a warm by the sitting room fireplace in Firestone Farm Just as nice but not nearly as popular as the Holiday Nights event, the Holiday Homes Tour at Greenfield Village was always a wonderful opportunity for the fan of history and of Christmas to visit the Village in a much more subdued manner, having the opportunity of seeing and studying the celebrations of Christmas past more intently during the daylight hours. The Birthplace of Henry Ford Christmas 1876 at the Ford Home Although during the daytime Holiday Home Tours were are no outdoor vendors hawking their wares or ice-skaters as during Holiday Nights, the homes nevertheless were beautifully decorated in the era of which they represented, and the ability to ask questions in a much more relaxed atmosphere, without throngs of people waiting their turn gave the visitor the chance to learn about Christmas past more in depth than during the evening Holiday Nights. Sarah Jordan's Boarding House is decorated for...

Walking in a winter wonderland ( Forty photos - more or less - accompany this article. I hope you enjoy it! )  ~ Before we get into the current Holiday Nights event, I'd like to give the reader a little history of Christmas celebrations at Greenfield Village ~ The celebration of Christmas has been a highlight of Greenfield Village for many years, and the Village has always taken the opportunity to show visitors just how the Christmas Holiday was celebrated in years past. And for this lover of history and Christmas, the season is just not Christmas without attending at least twice a season. We shall discuss here some of the various ways Greenfield Village presented Christmas in years past and how it presents it today. It's Christmastime in Greenfield Village! Let the festivities begin! Unfortunately, I have very little on how the Village celebrated Christmas before the 1980's. Since I had not gone there during the Christmas Season before 1983, the only infor...