Inside Upstate New York's Gilded Age Holiday Mansion

Upstate New York is about the closest you'll ever get to living in America's Gilded Age. In fact, it's so close to that time period that HBO elected to film their series The Gilded Age right here in New York's Capital Region.

If you want to experience the holiday season like they did in this era, however, you have to take a trip a little south of Albany...

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Experience a Gilded Age Holiday

USA Today has recently been looking for the best historic holiday home in the country, and New York has a few picks. Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown, just north of NYC has a claim to the title, but Upstate's Staatsburg State Historic Site may be the most charming.

Located around 80 minutes south of the state's capital, Staatsburg's main attraction brings visitors back to America's Gilded Age in a building first constructed in 1792, before being renovated after a fire in 1895. The home draws in visitors year-round, but things really kick off during the holidays.

Home for the Holidays

When the air starts getting chillier, Staatsburg transforms into a window to the past. The main floor of the Mills Mansion will be decked out in period-accurate decorations and massive Christmas trees.

If you've been, or plan to go see the Staatsburg's majesty, you can vote for it to be named the "Best Historic Holiday Home in America" by USA Today through December 1st at noon. Regardless of whether it wins or not, Staatsburg is still one of the best places to kick-start your holiday season in Upstate New York.

Look at The Dazzling Greenwich Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade Through the Years

Take a look at this amazing holiday tradition. This is the Greenwich Holiday Lighted Tractor Parade. It started in 2013 for locals to decorate their tractors and parade through town displaying the spirit of the holidays.

Gallery Credit: Greenwich Lighted Tractor Parade Facebook page; Greenwich Lighted Tractor Parade website

Canadian Pacific Holiday Train Rolls Through The Capital Region For a Great Cause

It had been three years since the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train rolled through the Capital Region. It made three stops; Mechanicville, Saratoga Springs, and Fort Edward. The first was Mechanicville on a rainy Sunday night. This is where I enjoyed the festive holiday train. They are traveling across the country to 106 stops. At each stop, they play live music and collect donations for the local food banks. Country Artist Lindsay Ell was the musical entertainment and she was awesome. The Canadian Pacific Holiday Train also presented the Mechanicville Community Center with a check for $3500 to help restock the food bank. Even though the weather wasn't ideal, a couple of hundred families joined the fun.

Gallery Credit: Chrissy Cavotta Townsquare Media

See All 64 Artists Who Ever Performed At GNA's Secret Star

GNA's Secret Star Acoustic Jam concerts started back in 2013, and over the years, an impressive list of 64 Country stars have performed on the Secret Star stage at 21 total shows! As we get ready for the next installment, check them all out below!

Gallery Credit: Matty Jeff

Filed Under: christmas