Fireworks and other events at Castle Hill

The activities give the general public a glimpse of Castle Hill in its heyday, similar to events depicted in "The Great Gatsby."

From May 26 to Oct. 7, guided tours of the Great House, a 59-room, stately Stuart-style mansion are Wednesdays and Thursdays only through Oct. 7 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Last tour starts at 4 p.m. House tours cost $7 adults and $5 for children and senior citizens.

There also is a fall foliage tour Monday, Oct. 11, same time and price. Other tours include the 680-acre Crane Wildlife Refuge and/or Misery and Hog Islands.

Grounds are open daily, but landscape guided tours are available, free of charge, only on Thursdays at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. beginning June 3 through September. Walking shoes are recommended.

The Great House, constructed during America's Gilded Age and Country Place Era, in 1927, is ranked among the grandest country estates. The Trustees of Reservations hosts elegant teas monthly, on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

On June 16 and 17 there's a tea celebrating Queen Victoria's coronation in June 1838; July 14/15, a tea party celebrating Bastille Day and featuring French pastries; Aug. 18/19, an Illyrian tea named after Richard Crane's 140-foot yacht that sailed the South Seas; the Roaring 20s! tea, Sept. 22/23 and an autumnal tea, Oct. 6/7.

Catered teas, house tour admissions $14, members; $16 non-members. Advance registration is required.

Special events include the Castle Hill Ball, Friday, July 2, at 7 p.m. with champagne, cocktails, a full-course candlelit, catered dinner and dancing to the music of Bob Hardwick Orchestra. Tickets cost $150 each. Reservations are required as seating is limited.

Outdoor festivities include the annual Independence Day celebration Sunday, July 4, at 5 p.m., on the Grand Allee. There will be a patriotic family pops concert performed by the Merrimack Valley Philharmonic Orchestra and Dixieland sounds of Made in the Shade. Children's activities include free pony rides, a juggler, sand art and face painting, capped off by a spectacular fireworks display over the ocean. Tickets are members, adult, $8, children, $4; non-members, $10, $5.

Saturday, Aug, 21, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., there's the annual sandblasting, or castle building competition, on Crane's Beach. Rain date is Monday, Aug. 22. Call for registration cost.

Sunday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., is the Concours d'Elegance organized by the Vintage Sports Car Club of America and sponsored by BMW. Pre-World War II American and European sports cars and pre-1959 racing cars are displayed and accompanied musically by the Blue Horizon Jazz Band. Tickets are $20 adult, $10 child.

Music-lovers will enjoy picnic concerts every Thursday evening from July 8 to Aug. 26, 7-8:30 p.m., $8 per car, featuring the Mighty Charge reggae music, July 8; Boston Rock-a-Billy Music Conspiracy, July 15; Orville Giddings boogie blues, July 22; the Ipswich Community Band and Jazz Band, featuring marches and jazz, July 29; Bluesworks, Aug. 5; the Milton Gospel Choir and the Boston Community Choir, Aug. 12; the Darlings, country rock, Aug. 19 and the '60s Invasion, songs from the 1960s, Aug. 26.

Children can also participate in a Shakespeare Festival Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6, 7, at 7 p.m., featuring "The Taming of the Shrew," rain or shine, in the concert barn. Tickets are $4 adult, $2 children.

For more information, call the Trustees of Reservations at (978) 356-4351.

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