Special holiday events take place at the Edsel and Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe Shores. (Photo courtesy Detroit Metro Convention & Visitors Bureau)

What's Christmas in the Motor City without a visit to an auto baron's mansion all decked out for the holiday season? You don't have to have friends in high places to visit one either.

The former estates of John Francis Dodge, Henry Ford, and his son Edsel Ford are all open to the public and are popular places to visit during the holidays with their elaborate decorations and special events throughout the month of December.

You'll see Christmas trees in almost every room, life-size reindeer made from twigs, oversized toy soldiers, and original family owned sleighs.

Meadow Brook Hall

The largest of the three estates is sure to pose a challenge for Santa. Meadow Brook Hall is a 110-room mansion with no fewer than 26 chimneys!

The home, a fine example of Tudor-revival style architecture belonged to Matilda Wilson, widow of auto pioneer John Francis Dodge. Years after the death of her husband, Matilda remarried lumber broker Alfred Wilson, and built Meadow Brook Hall in 1929 on land she and Dodge owned and used as a weekend retreat with their three children. The Wilsons eventually left the property to Oakland University.

Today visitors can glimpse the lavish lifestyles of early 20th century American industrialists on a self-guided tour of the house filled with furnishings, antiques, and artwork from around the world.

Objects from the collections not normally on display are exhibited throughout the home, and each room is decorated to reflect a classic holiday song. The Sounds of the Season program includes events ranging from breakfast with Santa and holiday high tea to Sunday concerts and candlelight tours.

Henry Ford Estate

Unlike Meadow Brook Hall, which has often been described as an American castle, Fair Lane, the home of Henry Ford and his wife Clara, is modest in comparison.

The founder of the Ford Motor Company felt no need to flaunt his substantial wealth and cautioned the architects against building lavishly.

The 1,300-acre estate, made possible by the success of Ford's Model T automobile, has only 56 rooms.

Located in Dearborn, Mich., the modified English-style home was completed in 1915, and is notable for being "self sufficient in power, heat, light and ice."

On a guided tour of this National Historic Landmark you'll see the library with 4,000 books, the dining room, where the Ford's entertained guests such as Thomas Edison, Charles Lindbergh, and the Duke of Windsor; a four- storey powerhouse; and the garage with some of Ford's personal vehicles such as his 1929 Model A and 1920 Model T. The property also included a Santa's Workshop for Christmas celebrations.

To encourage his only child, Edsel, to avoid temptation to engage in smoking or drinking, Ford also had a billiard room, bowling alley and pool installed at Fair Lane.

The Edsel & Eleanor Ford House

Edsel became the President of Ford in 1919 at the age of 25. Three years earlier, he had married Eleanor Clay and together they planned and built their own dream home at Grosse Pointe Shores, a suburb of Detroit.

The interior of the 60-room English Cotswold-style mansion, designed by renowned architect Albert Kahn, contains antique English wood panelling from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, and an impressive art collection. The grounds are the work of Jens Jensen, the Danish-born master of naturalistic landscape design.

In her will, Eleanor, who died in 1976 (33 years after Edsel) stated that the Ford House should be preserved and used for the benefit of the public. On the day of our visit, that seemed to be the case as children with their parents were seen scurrying about with their newly made Gingerbread houses.

Among the many other special events this month are the candlelight evening tours (Dec 14, 21) where you can enjoy hot chocolate and the sounds of carollers.

An entertaining season

In addition to seasonal festivities at the mansions, memorable holiday entertainment in Detroit and area this month includes the production of Irving Berlin's White Christmas continuing through Dec. 30 at the historic Fox Theatre.

A chance to see the theatre's Siamese-Byzantine interior alone is worth the price of admission to this lively musical. Add to that the gold leaf embellishments, hand stencilled walls, intricately cast brass ornamentation, and plaster finishes.

For free entertainment, take a side trip to nearby Birmingham, which is offering horse-drawn carriage rides (at no charge) through its beautifully decorated downtown streets.

A holiday tradition in Birmingham for the past 10 years, the 15-minute carriage rides take place this year on Saturday Dec. 16 and 23 from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m., and on Christmas Eve from 10 a.m. to noon. The carriages depart near the Santa House.

writer@interlog.com