Sunday, December 20, 2009

A Heritage Christmas

A chalkboard at the old schoolhouse, Heritage Park, Calgary

Today we spent the morning (and some of the afternoon) at a lovely historical village in Calgary, called Heritage Park.  Heritage Park is designed to showcase  life in the late 1800's and early 1900's in western Canada. I just love it there!
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During the Christmas season, the park is decked out for Christmas and features a wonderful weekend breakfast, which we attended at 9:30 a.m. in the historic Wainright Hotel.  
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Below is the Wainright's dining room, where we stuffed ourselves on eggs and bacon, French toast and pancakes, and lots of hot coffee: 

The Wainright Hotel, taken while we waited for a hay ride:

Our hayride providers, two gorgeous Percherons, arriving on the scene:  

After our frosty hayride, we visited some reindeer.  This is me petting a very soft reindeer:

Below is a shot of the historic town.  A huge and utterly amazing model train set-up was displayed inside the Snooker shop:

The old school house, a few days before Christmas (1885):

The Thorpe family house, decked out for the holidays:

I love old-fashioned Christmas decorations:

Some staff members, dressed in period costume:

The bedroom of another house, where my mother-in-law and I were very fond of the giant headboard:

I also admired the homestyle Christmas decorations (and embroidered drapes):

Not to mention the o-so-humble Christmas tree:
Hope your pre-Christmas weekend was lovely too!

~ Merry Christmas ~

20 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed your photos! We visited Heritage Park in the summer, a few years ago, but what fun it would be to see it at Christmas. Thanks so much for the "tour", and have a Merry Christmas!

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  2. This is wonderful! So charming! I think you must have a wonderful day!
    Great!
    xx
    Greet

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  3. Oh I would just love to visit there!!! The reindeer's AWESOME!!! Christian would freak out!!!

    looks like so much fun & your breakfast sounds beautiful.
    xoxox,
    cousin L

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  4. What a cute place! Looks like a lovely place to visit...and a real reindeer! So cool! ;0) I'm glad ya'll had such a great time, breakfast sounded great!

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  5. That looks like a wonderful place the visit. I love looking at old ways of life and it looks like you had a great time there.
    Happy Holidays Terri.
    Ness xx

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  6. My favorite place to be Heritage Park...I could not believe our luck when we moved here that we lived so close to a park like it...and the new entrance is wonderful, if it wasn't for all the snowstorms and cold I would have done some shopping in the antique store for xmas...
    We used to go to Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, Massachusetts when we lived in Montreal, but we needed a week holiday to go, not a afternoon outing.
    Thank you for all the great pictures, Have a magical xmas this year. Regards, Carol Ann

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  7. No...that room is not mine, sorry I should have been clearer. I just found the before and after a while ago and wanted to share the difference.
    I would love to meet you in the new year, let me know where and when works for you and I will be there. I think we could have an interesting talk about blogging and design...
    Regards, Carol Ann

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  8. I really love this post Terri! The old traditions are stunning and so special. :)
    I hope you have a Merry Merry Christmas!
    xo Noel

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  9. What a lovely blog!! Nice to meet you!!

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  10. Anonymous9:12 am

    Beautiful! you are lucky to visit such a charming place during the holidays.

    Merry Christmas,
    Loreli

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  11. I love places like this!! We have one here in Mass, its called Old Sturbridge Village and its so cool to see how people used to live. I never thought of going at Christmas time though, I should make note to go there next year.

    Merry Christmas!!

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  12. Truly enchanting...thanks for including the pictures of yourself looking so happy. I can tell that you really enjoyed yourself there. And you must've visited King's Landing in New Brunswick, which this reminded me of right away.

    Thanks for stopping by with your sweet comment. I'm just wondering if David is getting a wonderful shirt this Christmas.

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  13. What a lovely place! And your photos are great and have a beautiful vintage felling.
    I wish you and Dave a Merry Christmas!
    xo Poppins

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  14. "feeling"... of course...

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  15. So wonderful....wishing you a very Merry Christmas and many blessings for 2010. Axx

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  16. I have always had a fascination with times past - I always loved reading the Little House on the Prairie books, and find places like Heritage Park to be so charming.

    Thank you for sharing your day with us, and I hope you had a wonderful Christmas!

    - Holly

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  17. How nice! We have a similar village here in Eastern Ontario - Upper Canada Village - that does Christmas up beautifully. Haven't been for years - but you've got me thinking I should head back there next year!

    Have a wonderful holiday!

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  18. Merry Christmas Terri. I hope you had a lovely holiday.

    I LOVED visiting Heritage Park as a little girl. We always went on fieldtrips there for school.

    One of my favourite parts about Heritage at Christmas was the live nativity that was acted out. Do they still put that on? Christian or not, it was a lovely little pageant.

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  19. its so old school I love it :)

    Thanks for you're sweet message. Hope you had a lovely realxing christmas day.

    Best wishes from the other side of the world! :)

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  20. I LOVE historic living museums! I use to go to one in Maine and I never wanted to leave! The photo of you petting the reindeer is so wonderful - I feel like a kid saying this but, "I want to pet a reindeer!!!" What a lovely way to spend time over the holiday. xoxoTrina

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