Willistead Manor Annual Holiday Tours Return for the 2025 Holiday Season

Published

The City of Windsor invites you to get into the holiday spirit and treat yourself to something unforgettable once again at Willistead Manor. Experience breathtaking beauty as you tour one of Windsor’s most elegant mansions all decked out in its holiday finest. From the main floor Great Hall — with its portraits of Edward Chandler Walker, Mary Walker, Hiram Walker, and James Harrington Walker — to the beautiful Saltmarche Gallery on the second floor, each room boasts a unique colour theme and aesthetic, courtesy of the Friends of Willistead and their dedicated team of over seventy-five volunteers.

As part of the holiday tours, guests will also have access to the permanent Coach House Historical Exhibition that shares and celebrates the history of Edward and Mary Walker, Hiram Walker, the Walker family businesses and community impacts, the formation of Walkerville, the construction and uses of Willistead Manor, and much more. The exhibition was researched, designed and installed by HCA Mindbox, and is supported by The Charleigh Charitable Trust, the Walker descendants, Willistead Manor Inc., the Friends of Willistead, and the City of Windsor.

2025 Holiday Tour Dates and Times:

Sundays – December 7, 14, 21 and 28, 2025, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesdays – December 3, 10 and 17, 2025, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Abridged Opera Sings Carols performs Sunday, December 7 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
Silver Bells bell ringers perform Sunday, December 14 from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Windsor Community Choir performs Sunday, December 21 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Reservations are not required.
Purchase tickets at the Coach House upon arrival (cash, debit, credit).
To guarantee a complete tour, final tours begin at 3:30 p.m. on Sundays and at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Tour Ticket Prices:

$6.75 – adults
$5.75 – students and seniors
$3.25 – children 12 and under

2025 Breakfast With Santa: Sold Out!

Our 2025 Breakfast With Santa takes place December 7, 14 and 21, 2025. Tickets went on sale on November 1, 2025, and the breakfast events are sold out for this year. Please note that tickets for this popular event go on sale each year around November 1 and will be available again in November 2026 at www.ThymeToGo.ca. The ticket price includes a delicious breakfast buffet, Santa visit and photo op, and a self-guided mini-tour of Willistead Manor. Keepsake photos with Santa to take away cost extra on-site. This year’s Santa visits photographer is Ted Kloske of Maple Grove Studios.

Support Vulnerable Populations

Once again this year, Willistead Manor is proud to be one of CBC Windsor’s “Make the Season Kind” campaign sites. Since 2012, CBC teams have worked with communities across the country to raise more than $64 million for local food banks and charitable organizations through their annual holiday drives. This is a Canada-wide effort that includes the 1,200 organizations represented by Feed Ontario. All donations raised locally go to support the UHC Hub of Opportunities in Windsor. Guests of Willistead Manor’s 2025 Holiday Tours are encouraged to bring a food item to donate onsite at the Coach House to help make a difference in our community. You can also donate online at cbc.ca/kindontario.

The 2025 Willistead Manor Holiday Tours are brought to you in partnership by the City of Windsor, the Friends of Willistead, Willistead Manor, Thyme To-Go, Ted Kloske & Maple Grove Studios, Biz X Magazine, and CBC Windsor.

Quotes:

“Willistead Manor is a true gem of Walkerville and of the City of Windsor. The annual holiday tours are popular with visitors of all ages. Once again, we invite you to combine the Willistead holiday tours, a visit to the Coach House Historical Exhibition and the Hiram Walker Commemorative Sculpture, Bright Lights Windsor, ice skating at the new City Hall Square rink, and a stop at the Chimczuk Museum’s gift shop to make for an amazing holiday experience with lots of opportunities for keepsakes for families from across Windsor-Essex and beyond. We thank the Friends of Willistead and the teams at Willistead Manor and Thyme To-Go for the work they put into this event each year, as well as the volunteers, visiting performers, and staff who go above and beyond to create this experience.”
- Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens

“Once again, the Friends of Willistead led a team of over 75 volunteers as we transformed the manor’s 12 rooms, with everyone working together to create an unforgettable experience in the historic Walkerville mansion. We’ve fluffed the trees, strung the lights and many massive wreaths – including a brand-new wreath on the large front door, put the finishing touches on each space featuring some never-before-seen decorations along with some returning favourites. Now, with the holiday season upon us, we are ready to showcase the manor in all its holiday glory. Some of this year’s unique room themes include ‘Silver and Gold’ in the Great Hall, ‘Holiday Feasting’ in the Dining Room, ‘The Peppermint Pantry’ in the Butler’s Panty, ‘The Enchanted Room’ in Mrs. Walker’s Withdrawing Room, and ‘Magnolia Morning Magic’ in the Morning Room. We thank all the volunteers for helping create absolute magic at the manor, and all the docents who will be on hand for the tours. We invite everyone to return to the manor again this year, where our overarching goals are not only to help preserve Willistead as a cultural and architectural marvel but to dazzle every visitor who walks through the doors.”
- Connie Pitman, President, The Friends of Willistead

For more information, please contact Willistead Manor at 519-253-2365, visit www.Willistead.ca, or call 311.