A historic estate in Woodside has become a popular destination for experiencing Christmas festivities and twinkling light displays.
Every holiday season, the sprawling Filoli Historic House and Garden of 654 acres transforms into a Christmas-themed wonderland adorned in vintage decorations and elaborate light exhibitions that draws thousands of visitors.
A Christmas tree made of old books, pink and purple lanterns, a piano that plays by itself, and a 210-foot tunnel of lights that change color are just a few of the spectacles visitors can witness.
The estate was built in 1917 as a private residence for Agnes and William Bourn, with a 54,000-square-foot Georgian revival-style mansion and 16 acres of English Renaissance gardens.
For the holidays, the mansion is dotted with 21 uniquely decorated Christmas trees and detailed dining tables covered in the Bourn’s 581-piece Tiffany & Co. silverware set.
“It gave me a taste of how people used to live,” said Harold Rusi, an attendee who visited Filoli for the first time with his family. “It felt like I was transported into a different era.”
The sprawling gardens are converted into a museum of lights with different themes in each section. In total, there are 6,000 strands of lights that stretch more than 28 miles.
“The lights were very well done,” Rusi said. “You could tell there was a lot of thought put into it.”
Everyday and evening until Jan. 12, Holidays at Filoli is open to visitors who purchase tickets. Many of the evening shows are sold out for the rest of December.
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