Eight homes in two historic neighborhoods near downtown Garland will be decorated in Christmas finery and open to the public during the 2019 Magical Christmas Candlelight Home Tour from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5.
Six of the dwellings are in the Travis College Hill Historic District, between Avenues B and D at 11th Street, while two are in historic Embree near Ninth Street at Avenue D. The homes span the time period from the turn of the last century to 1955.
Volunteer docents will be on hand to tell the homes’ histories. Horse-drawn carriage rides furnished by Majestic Carriage Rides, an experienced carriage company that serves the Metroplex, will transport guests through the Christmas-lit streets of Travis College Hill. Choirs from area churches and organizations will perform throughout the evening in both neighborhoods. Hot cocoa will be served in the outdoor area of one of the homes; a vintage Santa from 1913 (year of Travis College Hill’s origination) will be present for photos and will give a narrative about Christmases past.
The dwellings include these six in Travis College Hill: 301 South 11th Street (1915), 311 South 11th Street (1955), 313 South 11th Street (1913), Garland’s Historic Pace House at 317 South 11th Street (turn of the last century), 411 South 11th Street (1913), and 400 South 11th Street (1918). In Embree they include 616 South 11th Street (1939) and 901 West Avenue E (2012).
The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Friends of Garland’s Historic Magic 11th Street.
Tickets are available at eventbrite.com