Pricing Out a Druid Hills December Now That Callanwolde's Holidays Need a Ticket
November 5, 2026
November 5, 2026
What does it cost to spend a December afternoon at Callanwolde? Last year you could walk in for free. Winter House let you browse the artisan market, warm up at the fire pits and pay only for the workshop or tour you picked. This year the cheapest adult ticket is $70.33 after fees, and every guest age 3 and older needs one.
The rest of the neighborhood's holiday calendar hasn't changed much. The difference is that its best-known free stop now charges at the door. For a family in Druid Hills, the season is now a set of ticketed evenings with separate prices, and that makes Fernbank's Winter Wonderland the least expensive way to spend a full holiday day here.
Winter House was new. When it launched in 2024, the event listing on Discover DeKalb called it a "brand-new tradition," with workshops, Santa letters, clay glazing, fire pits, s'mores, board games, live music, a wine bar and history tours. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution described that first year as nine selected days between November 30 and December 15. The market and snacks opened at 11 a.m., and workshops and performances had their own ticketed times.
The 2025 edition kept free admission and grew to three blocks: November 29 to 30, December 4 to 7 and December 11 to 14. It was open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays and Sundays and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Spending money was optional. The 50-minute mansion history tour cost $18 per person, and workshops like a winter-arrangement class with local florist Faith Flowers cost $85.
Callanwolde's announcement for this year is short:
"While we will not host our annual Winter House this year, we're excited to welcome this new experience, produced by Mirth & Mischief and spanning the mansion and grounds."
That line comes from Callanwolde's JOIE page, which also says Mirth & Mischief Productions produces the show independently and sets all ticket prices. Callanwolde is listed as a participating venue and community partner, and it says a percentage of ticket sales supports its mission. BroadwayWorld reported that 10% of ticket revenue will go to local nonprofits and arts education.
JOIE runs December 5, 2026, through January 3, 2027. Winter House let you stop in for an hour. JOIE is built around a planned visit. BroadwayWorld reports that Mirth & Mischief's first season, in 2025, was at Uhuburg Castle in Helen and drew more than 3,000 guests from 24 states, Puerto Rico and five countries. Here's how a visit to Briarcliff Road works, based on the JOIE ticket page and FAQ:
The outdoor Winter Wonderland Light Forest has real snow for building snow folk, a caroling bonfire with cider and cocoa, an artisan village, a food truck village and the Fir Dog House. The Fir Dog House is a holiday portrait spot that also displays adoptable pets from the local shelter. Inside the mansion, puppeteer Steve Whitmire plays Professor Fizzwik in a full-length show with vocalists, dancers and Cirque du Soleil veterans.
To compare, take a family of two adults and two children ages 3 to 10. The JOIE prices below are opening-day prices on the ticket page, including fees. The Fernbank prices are online general admission.
| Outing for two adults and two kids | Per adult | Per child | Family total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter House 2025, entry only | Free | Free | $0 |
| Fernbank Winter Wonderland, weekday | $25.95 | $23.95 | $99.80 |
| Fernbank Winter Wonderland, weekend | $27.95 | $25.95 | $107.80 |
| JOIE outdoor experience only | $70.33 | $49.16 | $238.98 |
| JOIE Mainstage and Junior Mainstage Passes | $160.27 | $106.31 | $533.16 |
The Junior Mainstage Pass covers ages 3 to 12 and costs $99 plus a $7.31 fee. Each child with one must be accompanied by an adult holding a Mansion Pass, VIP or MIP ticket. Children 2 and under are free.
Fernbank's version of the season is a daytime museum exhibit. Winter Wonderland: Celebrations & Traditions Around the World runs November 21, 2026, through January 10, 2027. It fills the museum with dozens of decorated trees and display cases of art, crafts, symbols and ornaments from holiday traditions around the world. Entry is included with general admission and free for members. The same ticket covers WildWoods and Fernbank Forest, which closes at 4:30 p.m., so you'd want to start the day early. Starting November 14, 68 Voices runs alongside Winter Wonderland, an exhibit narrated in 68 Mexican Indigenous languages that stays through January 10.
For a Fernbank member household, Winter Wonderland costs nothing extra. That's now the closest thing Druid Hills has to what Winter House offered.
JOIE opens Saturday, December 5, the same weekend Emory's Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols fills Glenn Auditorium at Glenn UMC. Performances are Friday, December 4, at 8 p.m., and Saturday, December 5, at 4 and 8 p.m. Tickets are $20, with a $6 online convenience fee, and discounts for those who qualify are available only by phone or in person.
Two big ticketed events on the same Saturday a short drive apart means some planning. A 1 p.m. JOIE arrival with a 2 p.m. mansion show leaves time to get to the 8 p.m. carols. The 4 p.m. carols performance overlaps with the 1 and 3 p.m. JOIE windows, and a 5 p.m. arrival right after it leaves little time for the shuttle from offsite parking. If you want both, the Friday 8 p.m. carols and a later JOIE weekend avoid the overlap. The ticket page lists JOIE dates on December 5 to 6, 11 to 13, 18 to 20 and 26 to 27.
The weeks before JOIE opens are mostly local events in Emory Village and Callanwolde's own galleries:
Light Up the Village costs the same $150 as an adult JOIE Mainstage Pass before fees, and all of it goes to the Alliance. The Alliance says the evening is a chance to hear about its upcoming projects and meet the local government leaders who represent the Village in Atlanta and DeKalb. The Student Art Show is the last Callanwolde gathering on the calendar before the mansion becomes JOIE's stage.
After JOIE opens, a few dates sit outside its schedule. Fernbank After Dark returns Friday, December 11, from 7 to 11 p.m. with "Ugly Knits & Warm Sips." It's 21 and over, with seasonal drinks, hands-on science, after-hours museum access and sweater prizes. Online tickets are $18.95 for members and $23.95 for nonmembers before taxes and fees. The cheapest grown-up holiday night in Druid Hills this year is at the natural history museum.
Two days later, on Sunday, December 13, Fernbank leads a guided morning hike in Fernbank Forest from 9 to 11 a.m. Around the middle of the month, the Druid Hills Civic Association runs its Holiday House Decorating Contest. Nominated houses go on a digital map for a tour and vote, and winners are announced toward the end of the month.
Back in Emory Village, owner Takashi Otsuka told What Now Atlanta that Wagaya Groceries is slated to open by the end of the year, two doors from the existing Wagaya. It will carry Japanese and East Asian groceries and include a sit-down tonkatsu café.
If Callanwolde's holiday change has you thinking about how Druid Hills' streets and venues fit together in day-to-day life, SET Real Estate Group is happy to walk through the neighborhood with you, block by block and season by season.
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