If you work a weekday job, when can you actually get inside the W.K. Kellogg Manor House? The house on East Gull Lake Drive is open for self-guided tours Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a lunch closure from 1 to 1:30. It is closed on weekends, with one exception.
That exception is the Holiday Market at the Manor House, which runs from November 21 through December 19 this year. It's the stretch of the calendar when the house keeps Saturday hours. It closes at 4 p.m. on those days, and an hour later Gilmore Car Museum turns on its Winter Wonderland lights, also in Hickory Corners. On four Saturdays you can do both, along with a walk on the estate grounds in between.
The weekday house, and why its weekends are rare
The Manor House belongs to Michigan State University's Kellogg Biological Station, and it does a lot of work between holidays. According to the Manor House visit page, groups rent it on many dates, and staff ask visitors to call ahead because private events can close it to walk-ins. It also closes for the first two weeks of November while staff and volunteers decorate. This year's reopening date is November 18.
For a month, the house runs on a different schedule. Each room is decorated by Manor House staff and volunteers. Local artists and artisans sell handmade gifts throughout the house, docents are on site to answer questions about the estate, and holiday spiced tea is served. Admission is $5 and free for members, students, and children under 5. No reservations are needed.
A house that turns 100 this season
The timing makes this year's market worth a little extra attention. According to the Manor House history published by the Kellogg Biological Station, W.K. Kellogg began planning his 32-acre Gull Lake estate, Eagle Heights, in 1925 with the Grand Rapids architecture firm Benjamin & Benjamin. Major construction finished in 1926, with landscaping and finishing details completed in 1927.
W.K. and Dr. Carrie Staines Kellogg moved in in 1926. They immediately deeded the property to the city of Battle Creek, kept a life lease, and stated that the estate should be a place "where all of Battle Creek may forever play." W.K. called the house "the cottage." That makes this holiday season the 100th since the Kelloggs moved in.
The century in between explains why a gift market fits so easily into the house:
- 1927: Kellogg established the Bird Sanctuary and the Kellogg Farm, then deeded both to Michigan State College the next year.
- 1942 to 1950: The estate was used by the Coast Guard as a training and induction center, then as a rehabilitation center for Percy Jones General and Convalescent Hospital.
- 1952: The W.K. Kellogg Foundation gave the estate to Michigan State College, and the Manor House later served as a girls' dormitory and then as a conference center and offices.
- 1998: The foundation gave MSU $3.5 million to restore the house. After two years of work it opened to the public for tours, teas, weddings, and meetings.
The restoration is what visitors see today. Most of the original furniture went to Kellogg's children or was auctioned after his death, so the interior was recreated from saved receipts from Marshall Field's, W.K.'s favorite store. The house has original Rookwood tile and an English Gothic oak staircase that Lindhout & DeKorne Carving Works carved on site over two years. The number seven, Kellogg's favorite, shows up in rooms throughout the house because he told his architects to use it wherever they could. With docents in the rooms on market days, those details are easy to ask about.
Four Saturdays when both places are open
Gilmore Car Museum's Winter Wonderland runs from 5 to 9 p.m. on its scheduled nights. In November that means only the 28th and 29th. December runs the 3rd through 6th, 10th through 13th, 17th through 23rd, and 26th through 31st, and the season ends January 2 and 3. Lay that next to the Manor House market calendar and the overlap gets narrow.
| Date | Manor House | Gilmore Winter Wonderland |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Market opening day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Not yet open |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Black Friday market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Not open |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Wed., Dec. 2 | Jingle and Mingle, 6 to 8 p.m., free admission | Not open |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Market and Kids' Day, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open 5 to 9 p.m. |
| Sat., Dec. 19 | Market, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Open 5 to 9 p.m. |
November 28, December 5, December 12, and December 19 are the four days when you can go from the Manor House to Gilmore. December 5 adds Kids' Day at the Manor House, with activities for children from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
There is also a Sunday option outside the market schedule. Kellogg Biological Station lists a Mrs. Claus Tea at the Manor House on Sunday, December 6, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Gilmore is open that evening too, and its Sundays are Fundraiser Sundays, with themed performances and donations that support local schools.
The hour between 4 and 5
The gap between the two schedules is where the estate's grounds come in. The Manor House says the grounds are open for self-guided walking tours from dawn to dusk. You can pick up a historical walking tour guide from the brochure rack on the Manor House office doors or download the Historical Walking Tour PDF.
Two stops fit into a short December walk. Behind the house, past the rose garden, a stone and brick stairway zigzags down to the Pagoda on the lake. The Kellogg Biological Station's history calls the Pagoda an ideal place to watch the sunset over Gull Lake, and says W.K. reportedly walked that stairway twice a day for exercise. At the southwest corner of the estate is Windmill Island, reached by two arched bridges. Its Dutch smock mill was built from two mills shipped from the Netherlands in pieces and reassembled on site in 1927.
At 5 p.m., Gilmore's food options cover dinner. The museum lists the Heritage Cafe, George and Sally's Blue Moon Diner, and the Gilmore Bar as open during Winter Wonderland, with beer, wine, spirits, and holiday drinks available.
What the Saturday ticket costs at Gilmore
Saturday is the most expensive night at Winter Wonderland. The Kalamazoo Arts Council's event listing gives these prices:
- Friday and Saturday: $25 for adults and $17 for youth ages 5 to 17
- Thursday and Sunday: $18 for adults and $15 for youth
- Children 4 and under: free
- Vintage car ride add-on: $5 per vehicle
If you have a family of four, the gap between a Saturday and the Sunday, December 6 pairing adds up quickly. Check the museum's own ticketing for the exact night you choose. A few other details from the museum's FAQ:
- Tickets are good only for the date you pick.
- Online purchases carry a booking fee.
- Parking is free.
- The museum does not refund or exchange tickets. Programming runs in all weather and is canceled only for extreme conditions.
Inside, the evening includes the Christmas Through the Decades exhibit, the Festival of Trees with 40 decorated trees, the Great Elf Hunt, the Holiday Light Maze, and Rudolph's Reindeer Forest. Free Santa visits run from 5 to 8 p.m. on Winter Wonderland nights through December 23. Fireworks are on Fridays, which gives Saturday visitors a reason to come back on a Friday for a second trip.
Three weeknights outside the Saturday plan
Three weeknight events fall outside the Saturday pairing. On Tuesday, December 1, Gilmore holds a members-only night from 5 to 9 p.m., with $12 admission at the door for current members. The next evening, Wednesday, December 2, the Manor House hosts Jingle and Mingle from 6 to 8 p.m. with free admission. That's the market's only evening and its only free night. Gilmore follows on Wednesday, December 9, with a craft market of artisan holiday goods.
After December 19 the Manor House returns to its weekday schedule. Self-guided tours are free, though donations are welcome. Docent-led tours are $7 per person for groups of six or more, last about an hour, and need a reservation. That's a good option for relatives who stay past New Year's, as long as their visit lands between Monday and Thursday. Call the Manor House at 269-671-2160 before any visit, since private rentals and schedule changes can close it on short notice.
If family is coming to the Gull Lake area for the holidays and you're putting together a Saturday that ends with a light show, Mary Noneman is happy to share which nearby stops make the drive worth it. Contact Mary, and enjoy the house's 100th holiday season on Gull Lake.
