Conner Prairie’s Gingerbread Village, December 2-30, is a holiday experience packed with fun and festive gingerbread creations and is your chance to take in the sights and sounds of the season with your entire family and stroll through an assortment of hand-crafted gingerbread homes and castles.

See the handiwork amateurs and professional bakers in Conner Prairie’s gingerbread competition as they create a one-of-a-kind gingerbread structures. All entrants are judged privately and the first, second and third place winners are awarded cash prizes.

Gingerbread Village is free with general admission of $4 per person ages 2 and older, free for members! Includes admission to Discovery Station. Open Tuesdays – Saturdays 10am-5pm and Sundays from 11am-5pm. Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

A Celebrated Family Tradition: Conner Prairie by Candlelight

Conner Prairie by Candlelight returns, December 5-7 and 12-14. Conner Prairie has chose to revisit the parts of the traditional experience which Hoosier families have come to love, Conner Prairie by Candlelight transports visitors to December 24, 1836, where the residents of Prairietown are busy preparing for the holidays.

Tours leave every 10 minutes beginning at 5:00 - 9:00pm. Guests will need to make reservations. Cost is $12/adult and $10/youth ages 2-12 (members are $10/adults and $8/youth and for groups of 15 or more admission is $11/adults and $9/youth). Each tour can accommodate up to 20 people. Guests are asked to arrive 15 minutes before tour time for check-in at the ticket desk. Dress for the tour is casual and warm--boots are recommended in wet or snowy weather.

In 1836 America, Christmas was not yet a national holiday, and celebrations varied throughout the country based on an individual's cultural background, and religious and personal beliefs. Some didn't recognize the holiday and went about their usual activities. During this year’s tour, guests will be familiarized with the holiday beliefs and traditions of the holiday more than 170 years ago.

Also during, Conner Prairie by Candlelight guests have the option of partaking in Conner Prairie’s Holiday Buffet Dinner which is available Candlelight evenings in The Eatery between 5:30-8:30pm. Reservations are required. This year’s buffets menu includes: Glazed ham with golden raisin sauce, chicken fricassee 1836 style, farmhouse herbed stuffing, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, country style green beans, macaroni & cheese, granny smith cranberry relish, mixed field greens with a selection of dressings, warm rolls and butter, old fashioned bread pudding with brandy sauce, cookies, iced tea and coffee. Haversacks available for children ages 2-12: turkey or ham. Buffet prices are $14.95/adults and $7/youth ages 2-12 and members are $13.50/adults and $6.30/youth. Haversacks are $5.50. All Holiday Buffet Dinners are non-refundable and meals will be served if Candlelight is cancelled due to inclement weather.

Reservations are required for Conner Prairie by Candlelight and can be made by calling the Guest Services Department at 317.776.6006 or 800.966.1836. Gift certificates are available.

Gingerbread Village is also open until 9pm during the evenings of Conner Prairie by Candlelight and Discovery Station will be open until 9pm.

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Conner Prairie, a nationally acclaimed outdoor history museum located at 13400 Allisonville Rd. in Fishers, Indiana, is in the greater Indianapolis area, six miles north of I-465. Museum Center and indoor exhibits open year-round; outdoor historic areas – Lenape Indian Camp, 1836 Prairietown, 1886 Liberty Corner, Conner Homestead – open April-October. Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Day, New Year’s Eve and Day. Open in April, Thursday-Sunday; May-September, Tuesday-Sunday; October, Wednesday-Sunday; November, Thursday-Sunday; December, Tuesday-Sunday; January-March, Thursday-Sunday. Special programs offered year-round. General admission: April-October, $11/adult, $10/senior, $7/youth ages 2-12, under 2/free; November-March: $4/person, under 2/free. Memberships available. Museum Shop open year-round – closed Mondays. For information, call 317.776.6006 or 800.966.1836 or log onto www.connerprairie.org.to verify hours and admission costs for special events and programs, or to make reservations.