Executive Mansion To Open For Holiday Tours

By Anna Deem in News on Nov 28, 2010 7:30PM

Looking for something voyeuristic to do this holiday season? Why not head down to Springfield and go on a tour of the Illinois Executive Mansion? The Executive Mansion will be open three days a week beginning on Tuesday to display holiday decorations and trees decorated by volunteers and staff from museums and historic state sites. Gov. Pat Quinn will even be on hand to welcome visitors on December 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. (it is his house, after all).

"I think we've got 16 historic sites that are decorating trees, plus we've got our own trees to decorate. We'll probably put up roughly a couple dozen trees. The house will be full," said mansion curator Dave Bourland to The State Journal-Register. Bourland also noted that last year was the first year in recent memory that the mansion was open for holiday tours.

The free holiday tours will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 3:30 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m., with the exception of December 18 when Gov. Quinn will be greeting visitors from 4 to 6 p.m. The holiday decorations will be on display until January 8.