As the Conrad Mansion nears its 130th anniversary, the holiday spirit will once again animate the historic mansion-turned-museum, with festive decorations festooning its corridors and a host of holiday activities on deck.
In the earliest days of Kalispell’s history, Christmas was a community-wide event celebrated at the Conrad family mansion. Today, the Conrad Mansion Museum is still a local hub of activity during the winter months, when visitors can lead themselves on self-guided tours of the historic residence or take a docent-guided tour.
In the early 1890s, Charles and Alicia Conrad and their children moved to the Flathead Valley, built the elaborate and massive home and helped found Kalispell. Now, their home is the Conrad Mansion Museum: Architecturally untouched and largely furnished in its original state, serving as a cornerstone of Kalispell history.
When the Conrad family occupied the mansion, Christmastime was, by all accounts, a spectacular event.
Area residents who didn’t have family to celebrate the holiday would come to the house by sleigh and spend Christmas Eve and Christmas night in the guest quarters on the third floor. Preparing meals required an all-day effort, especially Alicia Conrad’s pudding, which among many other ingredients included four cups of suet, or animal fat.
And in the mansion’s great hall, with its massive native stone fireplace and golden oak staircase, the Conrads’ legendary two-story Christmas tree towered, ablaze with hundreds of beeswax candles.
Although the mansion closed for six weeks this fall for deep cleaning, holiday decorating, and a staff break, its winter hours kick off on Dec. 4. In the Conrad family tradition, the mansion is decorated in the traditional Victorian Christmas style.
Regular scheduled Christmas tours are first-come, first-served, while the grounds are always open for visitors to admire.
Christmas Carol Radio Broadcast
When: Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.; Dec. 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.; Dec. 8 at 2 p.m.
Cost: $15-$35
What: Guests are invited to the Conrad Mansion Dec. 6-8 to hear the live radio version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” based on Orson Welles’ original play. Actors from the Gypsy Theatre Guild will be on the second floor as guests listen to the 90-minute holiday classic in the Mansion’s festively decorated Great Hall. All proceeds benefit the Conrad Mansion and the Gypsy Theatre Guild. For tickets, visit conradmansion.com/events/
Christmas Tea & Tour
When: Dec. 14 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Dec. 15 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Cost: $45-$50
What: At the Christmas Tea Party & Tour, guests will tour all three floors of the festively decorated Conrad Mansion, learning about the Conrad family’s Christmas traditions. Guests are encouraged to dress in tea party attire. The tea party will be held inside the Conrad Mansion’s Great Hall. Tea & Tour times are limited to 24 people and last about two hours. Reservations are required. All proceeds benefit the Conrad Mansion. For tickets, visit conradmansion.com/events/
Self-Guided Christmas Tours
When: Dec. 4 to Dec. 31, available Wednesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Cost: $15 per adult, $13 per senior, $5 per child/teen. Walk-ins welcome.
Docent-Guided Christmas Tours
When: Dec. 4 to Dec. 31, available Wednesday through Sunday at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m.
Cost: $20 per adult, $18 per senior, $10 per child/teen. Walk-ins welcome.