Gertrude’s Gardens & Home Tour
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 Cairnwood Estate. During this focused exterior and interior tour, we will explore the architecture and intention of the historic landscape plans while wandering the garden paths and terraces, and the grand rooms for entertaining on the first floor including the Great Hall, Living Room, Library, Music Room, and Dining Room all of which were planned with sweeping views and access to the outdoors. The tour begins in the Garden House and ends in the Carriage House, weather permitting. 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/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
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
Royal and Regency Masquerade Ball
Friday, October 27th at 7pm
Dear Reader,
It seems that we have a rather special announcement. A Royal & Regency Masquerade Ball will be hosted at Cairnwood to commence the Halloween weekend. We do hope that you plan to join the festivities at this delightful soirée.
Fear not, Dear Reader, this delightful occasion will feature decadent food stations compliments of Feastivities Events, dancing, bubbly libations, complimentary valet for your royal chariot, and regal surprises. The pressing question remains…who will be best dressed on this royal and Regency-esque evening? They will most certainly win a fabulous prize and be named the “Diamond” of the ball!
Yours Truly,
The Ladies of Cairnwood
- Mask required – Black tie optional.
- $100/person
- $75 Young Supporter (21 to 35 years of age)
- $60 Cairnwood & Glencairn Museum Members – with valid coupon code
- Duration: 4 hours
- Limited availability ~ Reservations Required
Fundraising and outreach activities proudly hosted by Cairn Club, Inc. A special thanks to our illustrious vendors, Feastivities Events, Fleur De Lis, Vision Furniture, Synergetic Sound & Lighting, and Michelle Lee Entertainment. !
Cairnwood Book Club Meeting
Meeting: Tuesday, November 14th at 7:30 PM
FALL SELECTION
The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
She built the Brooklyn Bridge, so why don’t you know her name?
Emily Roebling built a monument for all time, only to be lost in its shadow. Discover the fascinating woman who helped design and construct the Brooklyn Bridge. Based on the true story of an American icon, The Engineer’s Wife delivers an emotional portrait of a woman transformed by a project of unfathomable scale.
Emily refuses to live conventionally―she knows who she is and what she wants, and she’s determined to make change. But then her husband asks the unthinkable: give up her dreams to make his possible. Emily’s fight for women’s suffrage is put on hold, and her life transformed when her husband Washington Roebling, the Chief Engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, is injured on the job. Untrained for the task, but under his guidance, she assumes his role, despite stern resistance and overwhelming obstacles. But as the project takes shape under Emily’s direction, she wonders whose legacy she is building―hers, or her husband’s. As the monument rises, Emily’s marriage, principles, and identity threaten to collapse. The Engineer’s Wife is historical fiction at its finest, and Tracey Enerson Wood presents a vivid and compelling window into late 19th-century America and New York City.
Enthusiastic readers may choose to peruse complementary biographies on this subject:
Silent Builder: Emily Warren Roebling and the Brooklyn Bridge by Marilyn E. Weigold or The Great Bridge by David McCollough.
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- Free admission
- RSVP to: lisa@cairnwood.org or by calling 215-947-2004 ex 5
- Meeting will take place in the Cairnwood living room (Main House)
Holiday Tea & Tours
Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and select Sundays at 1 PM ~ December 2023
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 Variations in Vintage Velvet: Dressing for the Holidays 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 petit fours, 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 Variations in Vintage Velvet: Dressing for the Holidays. 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 2023
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.
- $5 per child (ages 4-12 years)
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- $10 per adult
- Free for Cairnwood Estate & Glencairn Museum members *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 2023
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 Variations in Vintage Velvet: Dressing for the Holidays. 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 21st 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, Variations in Vintage Velvet: Dressing for the Holidays. 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