Guided History Tour
Tuesday – Sunday at 11am
Learn the Personal History of this Grand Beaux Arts Country House!
Guided tours of Cairnwood Estate reveal the personal history of this grand Beaux Arts country house. Tour participants discover the private side of the family and its integral role in founding the Bryn Athyn community. Tours begin with an orientation video in the Garden House and includes three floors of the Main House, the Chapel in the tower, the Cairnwood Family Gallery, Servant’s Quarters, and the Carriage House collections of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs and a 1927 Packard. Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- Admission: Adult (Ages 18-64): $15; Student (Ages 6-17) and Seniors (Ages 65+): $12; 5 & under: Free
- Minimum 2 tickets; Single ticket – call to book.
- Cairnwood Members – please call to receive your free tour(s) coupon code.
- Tours are available Tuesday – Sunday at 11:00am
- Duration: 1.5 hours
- Purchasing tickets in advance is strongly recommended; the estate and grounds are occasionally closed for private rentals on short notice
- Parts of the estate are not fully accessible due to 1895 construction; tours require a fair amount of walking and stairs. Call for more information or to request tour modifications.
- Call 215-947-2004 or contact us at info@cairnwood.org to schedule your tour
Gertrude’s Gardens & Home Tour
Ending October 17th; Tuesday – Thursday at 2pm or By Appointment
Working with the architects Carrère & Hastings and the landscape architects, Olmsted, Olmsted and Eliot, Mrs. Gertrude Pitcairn oversaw the vision and details of every aspect of Cairnwood Estate. During this seasonal tour we will focus on the exterior architecture of the home and intention of the historic landscape plans while wandering the garden paths and terraces. The tour begins in the Garden House, includes the grand entertaining rooms on the first floor, and ends in the Carriage House. If you have toured the estate before and would like to learn more, this is the tour for you! Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- General Admission: Adult (Ages 18-64): $15; Student (Ages 6-17) and Seniors (Ages 65+): $12; Children 5 and under: Free
- Minimum 2 tickets; Single ticket – call to book
- Cairnwood Members – please call to receive your free tour(s) coupon code.
- Tours are available: Tuesday – Thursday at 2:00 pm or by Appointment (reservations required)
- Weather permitting, dress for the weather/discretionary substitutions may be required
- Tour includes uneven garden paths and stairs; call to inquire about accessibility
- Duration: 75 minutes
- Purchasing tickets in advance is required
Roaring 20s Masquerade Ball
Friday, October 25th at 7 PM
” I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Join us for a gleaming and dazzling Masquerade Ball circa 1924! This roaring evening will feature prohibited cocktails, jazzy bites compliments of Karen Spire Catering & Events, dancing, and speakeasy surprises.
- Mask required – Black tie optional (flapper attire).
- $100/person
- $75 Cairnwood & Cairn Club members– with valid coupon code
- Duration: 4 hours
- Limited availability ~ Reservations Required
Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
Cairnwood Literary Guild – Book Club Meeting
Tuesday, November 19th at 7:30pm in the Garden House
Fall selection: Triangle: The Fire That Change America by David Von Drehle
Meeting in the Cairnwood Garden House, Tuesday November 19, 7:30 PM
Triangle is a poignantly detailed account of the 1911 disaster that horrified the country and changed the course of twentieth-century politics, labor relations, and legislation for factory safety. On March 25, 1911, as workers were getting ready to leave for the day, a fire broke out in the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York’s Greenwich Village. Within minutes it spread to consume the building’s three upper stories. Firemen who arrived at the scene were unable to rescue those trapped inside: their ladders simply weren’t tall enough. The final toll was 146 people; most were immigrants and 123 of them were young women and girls. It was the worst workplace disaster in New York City history prior to 9/11. Triangle is social history at its best, a magnificent portrayal not only of the catastrophe but also of the time and the turbulent city in which it took place.”
The New York Times Book Review
RSVP: lisa@cairnwood.org
Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
Holiday Tea & Tours
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and select Sundays at 1 PM ~ December 2024
Celebrate the season and join us for tea and tours during our most sparkling time of year! Package includes a traditional holiday tea, docent-supported self-guided tours of the decorated Estate, and access to our seasonal vintage textile exhibition Dressing With Flair: Staff Favorites From the Pitcairn Collection throughout the second and third floors. Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
Menu includes premium teas by master blender Harney & Sons, traditional tea sandwiches, soup du jour and seasonal salad, family style sweets, holiday cookies, and scones with clotted cream and jams provided by Karen Spire Catering & Events.
- $70 per person (gratuities not included)
- NOTE: reservations are by table; if you would like to join a group, please call 215.947.2004
- Docent-supported self-guided tours included
- Duration: 3 hours
- Limited availability ~ Reservations Required
Guided Christmas in Cairnwood Tour
Select dates in December at 11 AM
Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends at Cairnwood Estate. Guided Christmas in Cairnwood tours begin in the Garden House with an orientation video and include three floors decorated for the season by professional florists. Guests are greeted upon entering the Great Hall by our dazzling two-story Christmas tree—located in the same spot it once stood at the turn of the century. Tour participants discover the private side of the Pitcairn family and its integral role in founding the Bryn Athyn community while exploring this grand Beaux Arts country house and the vintage textile exhibition Dressing With Flair: Staff Favorites From the Pitcairn Collection. A visit to the Estate during the holidays will be a special treat for the ones you love! Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- $25 per adult
- $20 per senior/students
- $15 for Cairnwood Estate & Glencairn Museum members *present valid ID
- Duration: 90 minutes
- Limited availability ~ Reservations Required
Children’s Critter Quest
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and select Sundays from 2 PM to 4 PM ~ December 2024
It is during this festive season that the Cairnwood Critters venture out of their secret homes in the walls to celebrate! Families will make their way through the glittering grand rooms of the Estate while on a quest to find the hiding (and cute) little critters. This is a wonderful after-school opportunity to build family memories while learning about the history of Cairnwood. Bring your camera–family photos by the Christmas trees are welcome! Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- $10 per child (ages 4-12 years)
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- $10 per adult
- Cairnwood Estate & Cairn Club members receive FREE admission and half price on children tickets (limit 4) *present valid ID
- Doors open at 2 PM and close at 4 PM ~ complete at your own pace
- Duration: please allow 45 minutes
Self-Guided Holiday Tour
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and select Sundays from 2 PM to 4 PM ~ December 2024
Explore the elegant rooms of the Estate at your own pace with professionally decorated Christmas trees, twinkling balustrades, festive mantels over nine 1895 fireplaces, and the vintage textile exhibition Dressing With Flair: Staff Favorites From the Pitcairn Collection. Learn the personal history of this grand Beaux Arts country house; Cairnwood docents throughout the mansion will enhance your visit. For a family experience you may add Children’s Critter Quest tickets (sold separately). Don’t forget your camera! Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- $10 per person
- Doors open at 2 PM and will close at 4 PM ~ complete at your own pace
- Free for Cairnwood Estate & Glencairn Museum members *present valid ID
- Duration: 2 hours to explore at your own pace
Christmas Cookie Stroll
Thursday, December 19th from 5pm to 7:30pm
There is nothing more magical than an evening stroll through the Estate to collect a personal selection of traditional cookies by the candlelight glow of thousands of Christmas lights inside and out! This family-friendly event is the last self-guided tour opportunity to see Cairnwood’s halls decked with 8 sparkling Christmas trees and fantasy fireplace mantels throughout the Estate. Step back in time with the special exhibition of vintage textiles, Dressing With Flair: Staff Favorites From the Pitcairn Collection. Admission includes holiday cookies and a cup of hot chocolate per person—add to the fun with the additional purchase of the Cairnwood Critter Quest for the children and a holiday cocktail or beverage for the adults. Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.
- $15 per adult/child
- $10 for Cairnwood and Glencairn members *present valid ID
- Duration: 2.5 hours to explore at your own pace
- Critter Quest booklets sold separately during the event
- Cash bar available (21+ years of age)
- Credit cards and cash accepted
Dreamhouse Dance Party 2025
SAVE THE DATE ~ Saturday, February 15th at 7:00pm
SAVE THE DATE! Tickets on sale Fall 2024
“I don’t have anything big planned. Just a giant blowout party with all the Barbies, and planned choreography, and a bespoke song. You should stop by.” — Barbie, The Barbie Movie
Boogie the night away at Cairnwood’s very first Dreamhouse Dance Party! Get dolled up with your friends and enjoy libations (that are pink and good enough to drink), sweet and savory bites, and music that is sublime!
- Dance party attire! Pink and Sparkles recommended.
- $60/person
- $45 Cairnwood & Cairn Club members– with valid coupon code
- Duration: 3 hours
- Limited availability ~ Reservations Required
Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc.