Van Cortlandt Park

Enjoy crafts, historic games, winter traditions, wassail, and candlelit rooms during a festive family evening at VCHM.

Experience Van Cortlandt House Museum after dark for Van Cortlandt by Candlelight – Cookies and Crafts: A Festive Family Eve, a welcoming seasonal program designed for visitors of every age. Explore the museum’s decorated rooms by candlelight and enjoy crafts, historic games, winter traditions, and warm holiday flavors presented throughout the house.

What Awaits You at Cookies and Crafts: A Festive Family Eve:

• The museum beautifully dressed for winter, with candlelit rooms, decorated parlors, and seasonal touches in every corner
• Holiday interpretation throughout the house, with labels exploring winter traditions across cultures and centuries
• 18th-century cookies inspired by historic receipts, offering a taste of winter treats from the past
• Historic board game stations, including classics like Nine Men’s Morris set up throughout the period rooms
• Craft tables throughout the house, offering hands-on activities and simple take-home creations for all ages
• Wassail, a warm historic winter beverage, available for guests to enjoy

Interpretive holiday labels placed throughout the museum highlight winter traditions past and present, offering insight into how different members of the household who lived and labored here experienced the season. Families are invited to explore together at their own pace, discovering stories, activities, and seasonal surprises in each room.

With candlelight glow, winter decorations across the house, and hands-on activities for all ages, this festive evening offers families a special opportunity for families to experience Van Cortlandt House Museum after dark.

Admission: $10/ person

All proceeds support Van Cortlandt House Museum's educational and public programs.

For our 21+ Van Cortlandt by Candlelight - Cocktails & Music: A Festive Winter's Eve on Saturday, December 13th, click here!

Accessibility:

This event consists of self-guided tours of the museum. The museum is accessed using stairs, and the house has three sets of stairs leading to each floor. A 360-degree tour of the museum is available in the museum's Welcome Center.

Language:

Printed event materials and museum signage will be in both English and Spanish.

Getting here:

Public Transportation:

• Subway: #1 to 242nd Street Station, then walk north on Broadway to the tree-lined pedestrian path leading into the park.
• Bus: Bx9 to West 246th Street and Broadway, then walk into the park on the tree-lined pedestrian path leading into the park.
• BxM3 Express Bus to 246th Street and Broadway, then walk into the park on the tree-lined pedestrian path leading into the park.
• Metro-North Hudson River Line to Marble Hill Station, transfer to the Bx9 bus or #1 subway as above.
   

By Car:

VCHM is located at 246th & Broadway within Van Cortlandt Park.

Address for GPS: 6036 Broadway, Bronx, NY

Parking:
You can park in Van Cortlandt Park's free parking lot, which is a 5 minute walk on park trails from the museum (GPS Link), but please be advised that there is no lighting on the trails. There is also metered street-parking on Broadway (GPS Link).