2/6/2024 Update: The Manitowoc County Historical Society has canceled its Sleigh Rally, scheduled for Saturday, February 10, due to the warm weather and the lack of snow. The safety of the teamsters, horses, and guests is the priority. While sleighs will no longer gather for rides or competitions, guests are still invited to take a walking stroll through the historic Pinecrest Village grounds from 10 am to 4 pm on February 10.
Site stroll admission is $5 per person. General Admission is always free for members!
The Manitowoc County Historical Society celebrates the history and the joys of horse-drawn sleigh driving with an old-fashioned sleigh rally. Antique horse-drawn sleighs will converge on the museum’s Pinecrest Village for the sleigh rally, featuring drivers competing in a variety of categories.
Bring your sleds to take a turn down the iconic Pinecrest hill. Hot beverages will be available in the Two Creeks Town Hall. Wood stoves will be lit in some of the historic structures for warmth as well!
General admission: $14 for adults, $13 for seniors, $10 for youth 4-17, children under 4 years of age are free. General Admission is always free for members! You can purchase your tickets when you arrive or pre-purchase your admission tickets.
Got a sleigh? Register here to join us for the fun!
Reserve your tickets ahead of time for a quick and easy arrival: Purchase General Admission Tickets Online!
According to historians, getting about in winter via sleigh over snow-packed roads was easier and smoother than navigating bumpy roads at other times of the year. Also, sleigh bells were for safety, not just for decoration. The jingling sound prevented collisions since sleighs slid so silently over the snow. As writer Samuel G. Goodrich observed in 1840: “…a sleigh and horse go so quietly and noiselessly on the snow that some warning to the ear is necessary, especially at night…”
A Sleigh Rally is all about nostalgia. There are still winter mornings when the smoke from a wood stove wisps into clear skies and you can almost relive life as it was 100 years ago.
Here horse and sleigh owners show off as they compete for honors based on such qualities as authenticity, condition and gracefulness.
The scene looks like a Currier & Ives lithograph come to life: a circle of horse-drawn sleighs, some bright red and sleek, others black and bulky or with racing stripes, parading proudly on a field of snow.