Head to Wisconsin’s largest living history attraction to celebrate the season in historic style
EAGLE, Wis. – After a 10-year hiatus, Breakfast with Santa returns to Old World Wisconsin’s Home for the Holidays on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14. This popular holiday event, from 8 to 10 a.m., takes place in the site’s beautifully rustic, octagonal Clausing barn, built in 1897. Families can enjoy breakfast, meet Santa, and have a photo taken in this unique setting.
The entire site will open at 10 a.m. for Home for the Holidays. Offering more than 20 immersive experiences, guests can rediscover the simple joys of the holidays and explore customs and traditions from different eras and cultures brought to Wisconsin over generations.
Enjoy a sleigh-bell-jingling, horse-drawn wagon ride ($6 per person) past garland-draped homes and businesses and take in the natural beauty of this 600-acre living history site as it celebrates the season in historic style.
Enter a 19th-century Christmas Morning Cobweb Party, where colorful strings crisscross a room in a dazzling display, visitSanta’s workshop and meet a Victorian-era St. Nick straight out of the history books, or browse the old-fashioned General Store for nostalgic gifts from another era.
The holiday magic continues with hands-on activities and entertainment for all ages. Head to the Holiday Craft Tent, where guests can create festive swags using natural materials gathered on-site. Listen to live music in Caldwell Hall, where the Brass Knuckles quintet leads a rousing holiday sing-along. Or join in the English tradition of wassailing around the apple tree, a time-honored musical ritual to inspire a bountiful harvest in the year ahead.
If you dare, check out Krampus’s cabin to meet the mischievous figure from German and Austrian folklore who keeps an eye on naughty children. Or snap a photo with a 14-foot-tall Julebock (Yule Goat), a giant straw goat who symbolizes Christmas in the Scandinavian and Northern European countries.
Festive food and drink will be available across the site. Visit Wittnebel’s Tavern Family Christmas, styled in 1930s and ’40s holiday décor, for warm cocktails and old-time charm. Hungry guests can enjoy comfort foods like chili, pot pies, and mac and cheese at Clausing Café and hot beverages atCrossroads Creamery.
Before heading home, check out theRamsey Barn, filled with unique holiday gifts and keepsakes—perfect for all ages.
Admission to Home for the Holidays is $22 for adults and teens, $20 for seniors (65+), $17 for children ages five to 12, and free for children under five. The event is held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Dec. 6, 7, 13 and 14. Advance registration is recommended. Tickets and full event details are available at oldworldwisconsin.org or click here.
The individually priced Breakfast with Santa, offered from 8 to 10 a.m. on Dec. 6, 7, 13, and 14, includes a buffet breakfast, a photo with Santa, a special holiday Teddy Bear gift and admission to Old World Wisconsin’s Home for the Holidays. For reservations go to oldworldwisconsin.org or click here.
For further information, go to oldworldwisconsin.org. The site is located at W372 S9727 Highway 67, Eagle, Wisconsin 53119.
About Old World Wisconsin
Old World Wisconsin is one of the Wisconsin Historical Society’s 12 historic sites. Rated as one of the top attractions to take kids in the Milwaukee area, Old World Wisconsin is a 600-acre regional history attraction that features interactive environments and immersive stories of 19th-and early 20th-century Midwestern immigrant farm and rural life. The attraction offers guests family-friendly, hands-on activities such as visiting Crossroads Village and eight working farmsteads, explore heirloom gardens, experience beer brewing traditions, meet heritage animal breeds and try historic crafts and skills. Old World Wisconsin is located on Highway 67 just south of Eagle, Wisconsin, within daytrip distance of Milwaukee, Chicago and Madison. For more information and a list of upcoming events visit oldworldwisconsin.org or call (262) 594-6301. Wisconsin Historical Society members receive free general admission to this site during regular operating hours.
About Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society, founded in 1846, ranks as one of the largest, most active and most diversified state historical societies in the nation. As both a state agency and a private membership organization, its mission is to help people connect to the past by collecting, preserving and sharing stories. The Wisconsin Historical Society serves millions of people every year through a wide range of sites, programs and services. For more information, visit wisconsinhistory.org.
