Victorian Christmas at Hardman Farm (White County, Georgia)

 I was able to briefly visit Hardman farm earlier this year as part of the Falls to Farm New Year's Day Hike, but I didn't have time to explore much. Since then I've wanted to return and really take in this Victorian farm house. When I saw that the state park service was going to host a historical Victorian Christmas re-enactment at the farm, it seemed a great opportunity not only to see more of the farmhouse, but also to get my mother out for a little holiday cheer.

My wife, my mother, and I drove the hour or so to Helen on this drizzly Saturday afternoon. Luckily, the rains held off and we simply had to deal with a foggy drive. Once we arrived, we checked-in at the visitor's center and enjoyed some cupcakes a mulled wine, while we waited our turn to take a hayride from the visitor's center to the farm house. The field between was quite muddy and the tractor pulled trailer saved us from making a mess. I also think that my mother enjoyed it.

Once at the house, we finished our drinks before entering and were then greeted by a volunteer portraying Mrs. Ary Jones the head housekeeper. She welcomed us to the dinner part re-enactment and explained the various rooms, historical figures being portrayed in the various rooms, as well as the Christmas Tree decorating contest between rooms. She was very warm and her acting and accent were top notch. Moving into the family parlor, we met "Cpt. James and Mrs. Kate Nichols", the owners of the mansion. They were also very friendly and thanked us for attending their dinner party.

Moving through the various rooms, we met a host of historical figures and enjoyed wonderful conversation with the actors. The lack of mention of modern cars or highways in our travel story to the farm was quite comical. As we explained, we arrived by "carriage". 

After leaving the main house, we headed out to one of the farm buildings to meet Mr. and Mrs. Santa Clause. They thanked us for coming and just as they did, the tractor and trailer arrived to carry us back to the visitor's center. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience and both the actors and decorators did a wonderful job of recreating a holiday dinner party as it may have happened over a century ago. I think my mother really enjoyed it, but for now, we need to head home.