Sully Holds Holiday Candle-Lit Tours Of Historic House

CHANTILLY, VA — Sully Historic Site is holding tours of its 1794 historic house starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 28. Tours will begin every 15 minutes, with the last tour starting at 7 p.m. Festivities conclude at 8 p.m. Admission is $10 per person.

Visitors will get to see the home decorated for the holidays in traditional fashion. The first and second floors will be lit by candlelight as they would have appeared more than 200 years ago. An exhibit of nutcrackers, both old and new, also are part of the tour. Hot cider and cookies baked using traditional recipes will be available.

Sully was the country home of Richard Bland and Elizabeth Collins Lee. It was built in 1794 on land inherited by Richard's father, Henry Lee II. The house is situated on what was originally a 3,111-acre tract between Cub and Flatlick Runs, then part of Loudoun County. Sully Plantation, now located in Fairfax County, is both a Virginia landmark and a nationally registered historic place.

Sully is one of the crown jewels of Fairfax County. Not only was it the home of an important member of one of the most prominent families in Virginia, but was witness to the evolution of Fairfax County. It survived the Civil War, an attempt to raze it as part of the construction of Dulles Airport, and the increasing urban sprawl that surrounds it.

The historic site is located at 3650 Historic Sully Way, Chantilly. Take the same exit (Air & Space Pkwy) as the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum and just follow the signs into the site. For more information, visit the Sully Historic Site.