LET'S GO ON A 🎄 HOLIDAY GROUP TOUR + CHRISTMAS CAROLING + TAVERN WINE TASTING

## Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden

🗓 Saturday, December 20th | 3:00 PM – 5:45 PM
📍 421 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10065
(Arrive by 2:45 PM — tour begins promptly at 3PM)

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## 🏛️ THE EVENT

Celebrate the holiday season with a special experience at one of New York City’s most charming and historic treasures — the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden, a beautifully preserved 18th-century building hidden in the heart of Manhattan.

From 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM, enjoy an exclusive group tour led by two expert docents, who will guide us through the fully furnished period rooms and the serene garden space.

From 4:45 PM to 5:45 PM, our celebration continues with:
🎶 A quartet of traditionally garbed professional carolers, singing beloved Christmas classics — and inviting us to sing along.

🍷 Wine tasting in the historic Tavern after 5:45pm for all who wish to partake, a perfect finale in this intimate, 200-year-old setting
This is a rare, holiday-only program offered just for our social club — and it will be unforgettable.

This is a rare, holiday-only program offered just for our group — and it will be magical. This event will be limited to 20 Members.

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## 🎶 HOLIDAY CAROLING (4:45 PM – 5:45 PM)

A quartet of professional Victorian-style singers will perform 12 classic Christmas favorites — and lead us in singing:

✨ Hark! the Heralds' angels sing
✨ Joy to the World
✨ Silent Night, Holy Night
✨ We three Kings of Orient are
✨ Angels We Have Heard on High
✨ O come, all ye faithful
✨ The First Noel
✨ Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer
✨ Jingle Bell, Jingle Bells
✨ Deck the Halls
✨ Silver Bells
✨ The Twelve Days of Christmas

This will be a warm, festive, and heart-lifting way to welcome the holiday season.

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## 💵 COST

$20 per person
This includes:
• Museum admission
• The two person docent-led group tour
• The full Christmas caroling program
Payment is made through the Meetup app via PayPal.

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## 🕰️ WHAT WE WILL EXPERIENCE

Step back in time as we explore one of the last remaining 18th-century buildings in Manhattan, beautifully preserved and decorated for the holiday season.
Our docents will lead us through:
• Fully furnished 19th-century period rooms
• The historic Ladies’ Parlor and Gentlemen’s Tavern
• The lush walled garden
• Original architectural features dating back to 1799
• Stories of New York’s social, political, and cultural life in the 1820s–1830s
You will feel transported to the early days of Manhattan, when this location served as an elegant country escape far from the crowded city center.

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## 📜 HISTORY OF THE MUSEUM

Constructed in 1799 as a carriage house on a 23-acre estate, the building was converted into the Mount Vernon Hotel in 1826, owned by Colonel William Stephens Smith and Abigail Adams Smith (daughter of President John Adams).
During its hotel days, it welcomed fashionable New Yorkers seeking a country retreat “free from the noise and dust of the public roads.”
Visitors would ride by stagecoach or steamboat to 61st Street for:
• Lemonade in the Ladies’ Parlor
• Cards and conversation in the Gentlemen’s Tavern
• Fresh air, gardens, and relaxation
In 1833, it became a private home for three generations of a New York family, before later being purchased by Con Edison.
In 1924, it was saved and restored by The Colonial Dames of America, who opened it as a museum in 1939.
Today, it stands as a beautifully preserved reminder of early New York City life.

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## 🚇 GETTING THERE

📍 421 East 61st Street
Between 1st Avenue & York Avenue
Nearest Subways:

• Q / N / R / 4 / 5 / 6 → Lexington Ave–59th St
• F → Lexington Ave–63rd St
  A short walk from all stations.

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## ✨ WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS EVENT

This is one of the most unique and festive experiences of the season:
✔️ A rare, private group tour
✔️ A historic mansion decorated for the holidays
✔️ A professional caroling performance
✔️ Singing together in a Gilded Age setting
✔️ The perfect December afternoon in NYC
Join us for history, music, holiday spirit, and the warm company of fellow members.