Winterfest brings hundreds to Felt Mansion

Eleanor Hepler let out a gasp and smiled when Erin Alvarez, the artist from Fancy Faces of Grand Haven, held up the mirror to show Hepler her face painted with snowflakes and glitter.

The 7-year-old in her holiday dress with candy cane prints was continuing her Saugatuck family’s tradition of enjoying Winterfest at the Felt Mansion on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025.

Her dad said the family has been coming to the free community event since Eleanor was a year old. Hundreds of people joined them on Saturday at the mansion, 6597 138^th Ave. for free tours, snacks and gift bags, music by the Holland Chorale Dickens Singers, a chance to pet reindeer, ride a horse-drawn wagon and visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus.

The event was sponsored by the Laketown Township Parks and Recreation Commission.

Winterfest helps kick off the holidays at the mansion.

Check out the Holland Chorale in this short video.

Holiday tours

Guided and self-guided tours are available throughout December.

The mansion is decorated with more than 60 Christmas trees and 50,000 lights and candles for the holidays. Garlands and wreaths adorn the mantles, staircases and doors.

Self-Guided Tours: 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays, Dec. 10 and 17; Monday, Dec. 29; Tuesday, Dec. 30; and Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. Adults (18 and up) $18, Seniors (60 and up) $15, Adolescents (8-17) $12; Children (7 and under) free.

Coffee & Cocoa Self-Guided Tours: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sundays, Dec. 7, 14, 21 and 28; and Saturdays Dec. 27 and Jan. 3, 2026. Adults (18 and up) $20, Seniors (60 and up) $18, Adolescents (8-17) $15; Children (7 and under) free.

Tea & Tours (Guided): 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Thursdays, Dec. 11 and 18. Tickets $25.

Candlelight Guided Tours: 5 p.m., 6:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Fridays, Dec. 12, 19, 26 and Jan. 2, 2026. Tickets $25.

Self-guided tours last about an hour and tour booklets are available at check-in. Self-guided tour admission can be reserved online or paid upon arrival.

Guided tours must be reserved online, and typically last one to one-and-a-half hours.

For more information, click here.

About the mansion

Construction on the mansion began in 1925 by Dorr Felt, inventor of the Comptometer, the first machine that could do all four math functions — add, subtract, multiply and divide. The building was finished in 1928.

Felt’s wife, Agnes, died in 1928, six weeks after the house was complete. Dorr died two years later.

The property went on to serve as a minor seminary for the Augustinian order (attended by Pope Leo XIV), a state prison, and a Michigan State Police post before the property was purchased by Laketown Township.

Today, following years of restoration by the Friends of the Felt Estate, the mansion is a top cultural, educational, and event destination, welcoming thousands of visitors annually.

Though Winterfest was free, donations were appreciated and will go toward the restoration of the front portico.

The portico, a columned front entrance that serves as the grand threshold into the Georgian Revival mansion, is suffering from age-related deterioration. Cracked masonry, settling foundations, and water damage threaten both its appearance and its stability. Repairs are estimated in the hundreds of thousands of dollars and will require specialized materials and craftsmanship to restore the structure in keeping with its historic integrity.