Two historic Iowa residences are on the Des Moines holiday tour that begins December 5th. The Governor’s mansion, known as Terrace Hill, and the Salisbury House are part of this year’s Holly and Ivy tour along with two private residences. Terrace Hill programs coordinator Carla Herling says it offers a unique chance for you to see the homes. She says for one price you can see all four homes, and there’s musical entertainment at Salisbury House and Terrace Hill. Herling says they even have a shuttle service to take you between the homes. Herling says the halls of the homes will be decked out for the holidays. She says they’re incredible homes already and you can see them on a different level with their holiday decorations. There will be a historic gingerbread house at Terrace Hill, too, and you’ll get to see the finalists. Terrace Hill development director Alissa McKinney says the gingerbread contest was the idea of Iowa’s First Lady. She says First Lady Christie Vilsack saw a similar contest at the Hoover Library, and she thought it would fit well because so many people compare Terrace Hill to a gingerbread house. McKinney says they did historic homes to keep with their mission of featuring Iowa’s history. Admission to the tour is $10 for adults and $5 for children. McKinney says the event typically draws 1500 people from across the state.
