Kick off the holiday season at the Hackley and Hume Historic Site! The 2026 Holiday Tours open with a festive evening from 3-7 PM on Saturday, November 28.
The Hackley and Hume Houses were built between 1887 and 1889 for lumber barons Charles H. Hackley and Thomas Hume, business partners who helped shape Muskegon during its lumber boom. Today, the two homes are among the finest examples of Queen Anne-style architecture in the Midwest. Each holiday season since 1972, local community groups have decorated them room by room. Throughout both homes, guests will find the kinds of details Muskegon families would have known more than a century ago, from paper chains on the tree to gingerbread served on fine china and Christmas cards written with a dip pen.
At the kickoff, guests can make their own ornaments and postcards to take home, then take a photo in the cozy holiday carriage. After that, they can tour both historic homes, which local community groups have decorated room by room for the season.
Visitors can also vote for the Best-Decorated Room. Admission includes two free voting tickets, and extra tickets are $1 each or six for $5. Voting ends December 28.
“There’s something special about seeing these homes in the evening this time of year,” said Historic Sites Manager Hillary Jones. “When the sun goes down, and the rooms are lit for the holidays, you get a sense of what it felt like to step in from the cold as a guest of the Hackley or Hume family. These houses have been part of Muskegon for more than 130 years, and opening them up each holiday season gives families a chance to slow down and share a piece of that history together.”
Tickets are available at the door: $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (65+), and $5 for kids (3-12). No registration is required.
After the kickoff, self-guided tours continue from 3-7 PM on these dates:
- Saturday, December 5
- Saturday, December 12
- Saturday, December 19
- Sunday, December 27
- Monday, December 28
Details about the Holiday Tours can be found online at: https://lakeshoremuseum.org/
For more information, contact Hillary Jones at hillary@lakeshoremuseum.org or (231) 722-7578. To learn more about the Lakeshore Museum Center, visit our website at lakeshoremuseum.org.
