SPECIAL EVENTS

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens announces 2010 Yuletide at Bayou Bend: A Treasured Holiday Tradition, on view November 18, 2010 - January 2, 2011.

Deck the halls, it’s Yuletide at Bayou Bend. This annual transformation of the house brings festive lighting to the gardens and holiday delights to eight of the mansion’s rooms decorated with historic recreations of celebratory moments from the 17th-20th centuries.

Bayou Bend will be open late on select special nights for guests to enjoy the festive lights and decorations on display. Tour the holiday-themed exhibition on the first floor of the house or relax outside with a cup of hot cider and enjoy music and holiday cheer.
Keeping with the tradition of the season, guests are met with carolers and holiday refreshments.

Be sure not to miss the new Shop at Bayou Bend, located in the visitor center. It is full of exclusive, artisan, custom and one-of-a-kind treasures for everyone on holiday gift lists Treasures include limited-edition Limoges boxes, custom teas, jewelry, garden products, and a limited selection of wood bowls and pots handmade from the estate’s trees lost during Hurricane Ike. Proceeds from purchases support Bayou Bend’s operations and programs. The Shop will be open Tuesday – Sunday during the day and open late for Candlelight Tours.

Location 6003 Memorial Drive, minutes from downtown Houston (Westcott St. near Memorial Park)

Special Events Schedule:

Yuletide Concert and Coffee Featuring the ROCO Brass Quintet
Presented by Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens and River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
Monday, December 13
10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Admission is $45; Limited seating; advance purchase required, call 713-639-7758.
Complimentary self-parking
Casual holiday attire

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens and the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra will present a Yuletide chamber music concert overlooking the beautiful Diana Garden on Monday, December 13th, at 10:00 a.m. Enjoy pastries, fruit, cider and coffee inside a festive Terrace Tent, and a lively holiday performance by the ROCO Brass Quintet. Quintet musicians include trombonist Brian Logan, trumpeters George Chase and Logan Cavanaugh, French horn player Gavin Reed, and Steve Curtis on tuba.

The first floor of the house will open at half past nine for guests to see the 2010 Yuletide exhibit and will reopen for thirty minutes following the concert.

Candlelight Open House Tours
November 26; December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 2010
5:00 – 7:00 p.m. (last admission)
Bayou Bend is open late on these special nights so that guests may enjoy the festive lights and decorations on display during Yuletide: Holiday Time at Bayou Bend. Tour the holiday-themed Yuletide exhibition on the first floor of the house with docents on hand to give insight to the period décor. Outside, relax with a cup of hot cider or cocoa and enjoy some music and holiday cheer.

Admission is $7.50 for adults, and $5 for students 18+ & seniors age 65 + with ID. Children 17 & under are free. No reservations are required. For more information, call 713-639-7758.

December Sundays
December 5, 12, & 19, 2010
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.; last admission at 4:30 p..m.
Join Bayou Bend on Sundays in December for Victorian ornament-making activities designed for families with young children. Workshops take place in the gardens amidst Bayou Bend’s outdoor 2010 Yuletide décor.

Holiday Family Day – “The Holiday Tradition”
December 19, 2010
Across continents and cultures, December is a time of festive celebration, and Bayou Bend is the place to come to immerse yourself in the holiday season! Enjoy music on the terrace and ornament-making on the lawn before stepping into the house for a tour of America’s holiday past. Afterwards, treat yourself to a cookie and a cup of wassail, then join the carolers to sing your favorite Yuletide songs.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Houston’s home for America’s treasures, features one of the world’s great collections of American decorative arts and paintings. The objects are displayed in the home of legendary Houston philanthropist and collector Ima Hogg (1882-1975), who gave her estate to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, in 1957. More than 20 room settings reveal evolution American style and taste from 1620 to 1876. The mansion is situated on 14 acres of formal gardens and lush woodlands. Bayou Bend is open year-round to visitors, and offers many programs for children, families, and adults.

Visitors are also  invited to enjoy the new Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center that showcases the cultural, civic and philanthropic legacy of the Hogg family; a public research library that houses 6,000 volumes dedicated to American art, culture, history and gardening, and two meeting rooms, an education garden and a retail shop.

General Information: For more information, the public may call 713-639-7758 or visit www.mfah.org/bayoubend.