Halloween is still two days away, and the noon lunch seating at the Crestwood Civic Club's Holiday Home Tour has already sold out. As of this month, the club's events page shows the 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. seatings as limited. The tour itself is Saturday, November 21.
Hillcrest sits just northeast of Prospect off Highway 42, and the holiday traditions closest to it are in nearby Crestwood, with one more in Goshen. Small groups run these events and set their terms. A civic club whose members cook every lunch, a botanical garden that sells its evenings in timed blocks, and a city that hosts one free lighting are behind them. Because lunch seats are limited and Yuletide nights are ticketed in advance, a household that waits until Thanksgiving week to plan December will find that some of it is already decided.
180 Lunches, Cooked by the Members
The Crestwood Civic Club's Holiday Home Tour & Luncheon runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on November 21, 2026. Every ticket costs $30. Guests tour decorated homes around Crestwood and then sit down to a homemade, holiday-themed lunch that the women of the club prepare themselves.
That kitchen sets the size of the day. Lunch goes only to the first 180 tickets sold, split across three seatings at 11 a.m., noon and 1 p.m. Tour-only tickets have no limit. The club's events page puts it plainly:
"Lunch Seatings are LIMITED and sell out quickly!"
So there are two versions of November 21. In one, you walk the homes whenever you like. In the other, you're seated at a set time for a meal the members cooked. With the noon seating gone, the 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. seatings are the only ways left to get the second version.
The club says it was founded in 1914 and that proceeds from its annual events go to community projects. The examples it lists on its site include a Safe Haven Baby Box, park benches, Christmas gifts for people in need, and a four-year college degree for a young woman. A $30 ticket covers a lunch and also helps pay for that list.
The tour bracelet also gets you a discount. According to the Oldham County Tourism listing, showing it at Crestwood Mercantile takes 10% off. The Mercantile is at 6541 W Hwy 22, in the former Stoess Manor showroom. It's a boutique-style space for local curators, artists and makers, with vintage and antique goods mixed in. It's open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m., so the shop is still open after a 1 p.m. lunch.
Yew Dell Sells Its Evenings in Two-Hour Blocks
Six days after the home tour, Yew Dell Botanical Gardens in Crestwood opens Yuletide 2026. E-Z Construction presents it, with support from Republic Bank. The program brings back the model train village, light displays, the Community Partner trees, kids' crafts, free hot cocoa and Santa. Martha Lee's Café adds two things this year: s'mores kits for purchase, plus adult beverages and other treats.
Every Yuletide night is ticketed by time block. On opening Friday, for example, the blocks run from 5 to 7 p.m. and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. All events happen rain or shine. Each weekend has its own costume theme:
- November 27 and 28: Matching Pajamas, for Thanksgiving weekend
- December 4 and 5: Ugly Sweaters
- December 11 and 12: Holiday Characters, with the Grinch, John McClane, and Randy Parker in his immovable snowsuit given as examples
- December 18 and 19: Victorian Ghostly Characters, to close the season
That's eight evenings in total, and there are no more after them. Yew Dell's winter break starts December 20 and runs through January 5, 2027.
Here's what a family pays per person for 2026:
| Age group | Yew Dell member | General admission |
|---|---|---|
| Adults 18 to 64 | $12 | $15 |
| Seniors 65+ | $8 | $10 |
| Ages 6 to 17 | $8 | $10 |
| Ages 2 to 5 | $3 | $5 |
| Under 2 | Free, advance ticket required | Free, advance ticket required |
Two rules change how a household should plan. First, every ticket sale is final, with no refunds or exchanges. Yew Dell's suggestion if your plans change is to pass the ticket along to a friend or family member. Second, children under 2 get in free but still need an advance ticket, and that applies to members as well. A family that turns up with a toddler and no ticket for that toddler has a problem at the gate.
Don't assume the café's daytime hours carry into these evenings. Martha Lee's Café runs its regular hours Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 3 p.m., and its regular season ends November 25. Yuletide evenings have their own food offerings.
The Train That Volunteers Built
The model train village is the reason many people go, and it only runs during Yuletide hours. In Yew Dell's own account, the Yuletide idea came up in 2010. Former board member Mary Klein developed the train-and-village concept. Model-train builder Bob Irmscher and his friends then built a modular display over 51 days and about 260 work hours, and it has gone up every year since 2011.
The village is assembled by hand each season, so it can be seen only on the eight Yuletide evenings, and each of those is sold in timed blocks.
The One Evening Without a Ticket
The City of Crestwood hosts the exception. Light Up The Maples Park is listed for Sunday, November 29, from 4 to 6 p.m. It's free. The Oldham County Tourism listing calls it the 6th annual city-sponsored lighting and lists ornament making, face painting, hot cocoa, cookies and fire pits, with the light-up countdown at 6 p.m.
You don't need to book anything, but the listing still has one practical note: overflow parking is in the gravel lot at 6431 Railroad Avenue. The city's events page is the place to confirm the final details as the date gets closer.
The timing also works out. November 29 is the Sunday after Yew Dell's opening weekend, so a household can see the train village on Friday or Saturday, depending on which block they booked, and finish Thanksgiving weekend at The Maples Park without buying another ticket.
A week later, Goshen has its own event. The Creasey Mahan Nature Preserve event page lists Nature of Christmas for Saturday, December 5, from noon to 3 p.m. It runs in daylight, and that evening is also Yew Dell's Ugly Sweaters night. A family could do both on the same Saturday if they book the Yuletide block ahead of time.
Five Weeks, Arranged by What Needs a Ticket
| Date | Event | Ticket needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Crestwood Civic Club Holiday Home Tour & Luncheon, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. | Yes, $30; lunch for the first 180 only |
| Fri.–Sat., Nov. 27–28 | Yuletide at Yew Dell, Matching Pajamas weekend | Yes, timed and final sale |
| Sun., Nov. 29 | Light Up The Maples Park, 4 to 6 p.m. | No, free |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 4–5 | Yuletide, Ugly Sweaters weekend | Yes, timed and final sale |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Nature of Christmas, Creasey Mahan, noon to 3 p.m. | Check the preserve's page |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 11–12 | Yuletide, Holiday Characters weekend | Yes, timed and final sale |
| Fri.–Sat., Dec. 18–19 | Yuletide, Victorian Ghostly Characters weekend | Yes, timed and final sale |
Five of these seven entries need a ticket, Yuletide sales are final, and the Civic Club's lunch is capped at 180. Tour tickets are sold through crestwoodcivicclub.com, and Yuletide blocks are on Yew Dell's Yuletide page. The noon lunch is already gone, and the other seatings show as limited.
If you have family coming for Thanksgiving, or you're expecting a houseful in December, and want help getting the logistics right, the team at Laura Rice & Associates knows these Oldham County traditions and is glad to share what we know. Let's Connect.
