Yuletide Open House with Santa – University Museums

Yuletide Open House with Santa Sat., Dec. 6, noon – 3 p.m.

Enjoy festive family fun at the Farm House Museum in partnership with the Ames History Museum. Victorian yuletide themed crafts and holiday treats will be provided. Tours of the historic home in full period decoration will be offered throughout the afternoon, along with the chance to meet and take pictures with Santa. It’s the perfect start to the holiday season for families and friends. Event hosted by University Museums and the Ames History Museum. Sponsorship provided by Carol Pletcher.

The Farm House Museum, the oldest building on the campus of Iowa State University, is now decked for the holidays with the opening of its latest exhibition, Yuletide: Glad Tidings. The exhibition will continue through December 18, 2025.

The historic 1860 home, which has hosted countless holiday gatherings throughout its 165-year history, welcomes the campus and community to experience the seasonal traditions that have brought students, faculty, and staff together for generations.

“The Farm House Museum has a certain twinkle this time of year,” said Allison Sheridan, Farm House Museum curator. “Yuletide: Glad Tidings invites visitors to experience the warmth and beauty of historic holiday traditions in Iowa State’s oldest building. It’s a wonderful way to pause during the busy season and connect with our campus heritage – and share glad tidings, merriment and good cheer.”

“It’s like this house was made for the holidays,” said Sydney Marshall, Curator of the Art on Campus Collection and the Anderson Sculpture Garden.

Visit Yuletide: Glad Tidings

Farm House Museum

601 Farm House Lane, Ames, Iowa 50011

Mon. – Fri., noon – 4 p.m.

Closed Sat., Sun., and University holidays. Free admission, donations welcome

Phone: (515) 294-3342

About the Farm House Museum

The Farm House Museum is the oldest building on Iowa State University’s campus. Originally constructed in 1860, the Farm House Museum first served the university as living quarters for various students, Iowa State deans, professors, and farmhands. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965 as the Knapp-Wilson House, it honors Seaman A. Knapp, author of the federal Hatch Act of 1887, and James F. “Tama Jim” Wilson, who became U.S. Secretary of Agriculture under Presidents McKinley, Roosevelt, and Taft. Following a six-year restoration in the 1970s, the Farm House Museum became a public museum. Today, the Farm House Museum, an affiliate of University Museums at Iowa State University, serves the public and student body by displaying numerous antiques with particular emphasis on the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Visit museums.iastate.edu to learn more.

About University Museums

University Museums is a distinctive organization that encompasses two art museums, a National Historic Landmark historic home museum, a sculpture garden, and one of the largest campus public art collections in the nation. University Museums brings world-class exhibitions with educational programming to Iowa State University, actively acquires works of art to add to the more than 30,000 permanent collection objects, conserves and preserves collections, conducts and publishes curatorial scholarship, and fosters student engagement. University Museums is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. Visit museums.iastate.edu to learn more.