Holidays at the Manor House, a longstanding tradition at Wildwood Preserve Metropark, returns Saturday, December 6, through Sunday, December 14, with more than 30 holiday displays created by volunteers inside one of Toledo’s best-known, historic homes. The house is open for tours from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Admission is free.

For 49 years, volunteers have decorated the stately, 30,000-square-foot Manor House for the holidays. Prospective decorators submit design proposals early each year to be considered, and no two years are alike.

A large display by the Swanton Area Railroad and Model Club will be open during the same hours in nearby Metroparks Hall, and a trail decorated with holiday lights will be a bonus to visitors after dark. Guests on Saturdays and Sundays can stop by the s’more shack from noon to 8 p.m. to toast marshmallows over a fire and make a sweet treat.

Donations of hats, gloves and scarves will be accepted to decorate the Mitten Tree. Donated items will be distributed to children in local schools after the event.

Wildwood 50^th

The tradition of decorating the former family home of Robert and Page Stranahan for the holidays began in 1975, a year after voters approved a levy to acquire the property. Originally called Homespun Holidays, the event became an annual thank-you to the community for preserving the 500-acre estate as a public park.

Today, the renamed Holidays at the Manor House typically has more than 20,000 visitors over nine days. Last December, the event kicked off a yearlong celebration of Wildwood Preserve’s 50^th anniversary as a Metropark. 

Holidays at The Ribbon

Visitors to The Ribbon, a 1,000-foot-long ice skating trail beside the Maumee River at Glass City Metropark, can enjoy extended hours, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, December 19 through Saturday, January 3. Closed Christmas Day and closed early at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve. Skaters will enjoy sparking lights, festive décor and holiday music. Admission is $10 ($8 for children 4-12 and seniors over 65). Skate rental is available, and The Garden by Poco Piatti restaurant is open for guests to purchase food and beverages.