Dates & times
All times are local to the venue · America/Chicago
- 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
The Night Before Christmas – LIVE! at Hunter’s Home: A Poem in a Historic Setting
At Hunter’s Home, the poem is performed during a candlelit tour rather than presented as a separate show. That format places a familiar Christmas Eve story inside a historic property whose past also involves Cherokee displacement and plantation labor.
A Christmas story, performed on a tour
The event page traces the poem to an account of “A Visit from St. Nicholas” published in the Troy Sentinel in 1823. It identifies Clement Moore as its author and says the work is now known as The Night Before Christmas.
In the poem’s Christmas Eve story, a father wakes at noises outside and sees Santa arrive on the roof in a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. Santa comes down the chimney, fills the stockings and departs. At Hunter’s Home, guides perform the poem as guests tour the house by candlelight. The listing gives the performance and tour as one combined program, not two separately timed activities.
Further reading: The Night Before Christmas - LIVE! | OHS Calendar ↗
The house’s history is more than its architecture
Hunter’s Home is the only remaining pre–Civil War plantation home in Oklahoma. Its Greek Revival-style house was built by George Murrell, who named it for his fondness for fox hunting. The property is also a National Historic Landmark, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail.
When Cherokee people were forcibly removed in 1838–39, Murrell moved west with his wife Minerva Ross and her family. Minerva was the daughter of Lewis and Fannie Ross, members of an influential Cherokee family. Lewis was a merchant, planter and national treasurer of the Cherokee Nation; his brother John served as principal chief from 1828 until his death in 1866.
The site’s own explanation is that both “farm” and “plantation” describe Hunter’s Home: it was a large agricultural enterprise worked by resident labor. Its history page says small cabins for enslaved people and employees were probably among the property’s outbuildings. That labor history is important context for a tour of the house, even though the holiday program centers on Moore’s poem.
Further reading: Hunter's Home | Oklahoma Historical Society ↗ · FAQ | Oklahoma Historical Society ↗
One evening, combining performance and tour
The live performance takes place during the candlelit tour within the 6–9 p.m. program window. The event listing does not give a separate performance time, tour route or running order, so plan around the full scheduled window.
Friday, December 11, 2026 · Hunter’s Home
- Live performance of Clement Moore’s The Night Before Christmas during a candlelit tour of the historic home.
Plan your visit
Friday, December 11, 2026
The event is scheduled for 6–9 p.m. Central time.
Reserve by phone
The event listing gives admission as $20 for adults and $10 for kids. Registration is required, and the listing says space is limited; call 918-456-2751 to reserve. It does not state which ages qualify for the kids rate.
Expect a dim, unheated interior
The house will be lit by candles. The event listing warns that this may make navigation difficult for people with visual impairments; flashlights, including phone lights, are not allowed. Call the site before reserving if you need more information about navigating the tour.
Hunter’s Home has no heating or air conditioning, so layers are sensible for a December visit. The event page does not describe other event-specific access arrangements.
The Night Before Christmas - LIVE! | OHS Calendar ↗ · FAQ | Oklahoma Historical Society ↗
Service animals are welcome
Hunter’s Home permits service animals individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Pets are not permitted on site.
Hunter's Home | Oklahoma Historical Society ↗ · Plan Your Visit | Oklahoma Historical Society ↗
Find Hunter’s Home
Address and directions
The event is at Hunter’s Home, 19479 East Murrell Home Road, Park Hill, OK 74451, just south of Tahlequah.
From Tulsa, the official directions take the Muskogee Turnpike east to Muskogee, then US 62 east for about 30 miles toward Tahlequah. Turn right at the first stoplight onto State Hwy 82, then left onto the first road, Murrell Home Road; the house is about a mile ahead on the right.
From Fayetteville, follow US 62 west through Westville and continue about 25 miles toward Tahlequah. Turn left at the second stoplight onto the Bertha Parker Bypass (Hwy 62); after three stoplights, turn left onto Muskogee Avenue (also Hwy 62). Follow it out of town to State Hwy 82, turn left, then turn left onto the first road, Murrell Home Road. The house is about a mile ahead on the right.
From I-40, take exit 297 and follow Hwy 82 north for about 35 miles. Just before the intersection with Hwy 62, turn right onto Murrell Home Road; the house is about a mile ahead on the right.
Parking and other travel options
The official visit information provides driving directions but does not give parking or public-transit details. The map link can calculate directions from your starting point.
Before you make a plan
Is the poem performance separate from the house tour?
No. The event listing describes a live performance during the candlelit tour, within one 6–9 p.m. program window.
How do I reserve, and what does admission cost?
Call 918-456-2751 to reserve. The event listing says $20 for adults and $10 for kids, with limited space; it does not define the kids-rate age range.
Will the house be heated?
No. Hunter’s Home has no heating or air conditioning; consider wearing layers for this December visit.
Can visitors use a phone flashlight during the tour?
No. The event listing prohibits flashlights, including phone lights, and warns that candlelight may make navigation difficult for people with visual impairments.
Location & Google Maps
Hunter’s Home
19479 East Murrell Home Road, Park Hill, OK 74451
Map search by venue and address. Check the organiser’s entrance details before travelling.