Before the bicentennial comes to a close – make plans to visit Ayr Mount! Check out the guided house tour schedule, take a leisurely stroll on the Poet’s Walk or enjoy our final special event of the year – Christmas in the Ayr in December can be found here (below). Our theme for the year is “Ceud Mìle Fàilte” which is Scots Gaelic for “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes”.
December 2-13
Christmas in the Ayr
See below for dates and times.
Admission is $12 (same as regular tour).
Ayr Mount will be decorated with natural materials in keeping with the period. Guided tours are: December 2 at 11:00 AM; December 3, 4, 5 at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM; December 6 at 2:00 PM; December 9 at 11:00 AM; December 10, 11, 12 at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM; and December 13 at 2:00 PM.
PAST EVENTS
Sunday, April 26
Earth Day Fair at Ayr
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Admission is free.
Lots of activities to interest everyone! Including free kites for children, naturalist guides on site to answer questions, a vermicomposting display, hikes on the Poet’s Walk, tree planting, and information from partnering groups. Ayr Mount’s neighbor Montrose Garden will sell Metasequoias, Stewartias, Styrax, Figs, Boxwoods, and Cryptomerias during the fair. Partners are Eno River Association, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail, Orange County Governmental Departments of Environment, Agriculture, Parks & Recreation, Recycling & Solid Waste Management, Soil & Water Conservation, and the NC Botanical Gardens.
Saturday, May 2
A Benefit Dinner to Celebrate
5:30 PM Cocktails • 7:00 PM Dinner
Tickets: $100 Friend, $250 Preservationist; $1000 Benefactor; $2500 Patron; $5000 Sponsor
Join us for cocktails and dinner to commemorate Ayr Mount’s Bicentennial year. Built in 1815 by William Kirkland, this Federal-era plantation house is an architectural treasure. Today, Ayr Mount is a house museum listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and includes gardens, grounds and scenic trails along the Eno River – total nearly 300 acres for the public to enjoy.
Click here for details and tickets.
Tuesday, May 19
Time Capsule of Ayr Mount
5:00 PM
Admission is free.
In honor of Ayr Mount’s Bicentennial, a time capsule containing items that tell the story of the Kirkland family, Richard H. Jenrette and Classical American Homes Preservation Trust, will be on display for William Kirkland’s birthday. A brief ceremony will present the objects in the capsule, along with a discussion of their significance. Attendees will be able to leave a note in the time capsule.
Saturday, May 23
A Ball at Ayr Mount House
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
$35 per person. Tickets may be purchased at the door.
A cordial invitation is extended to our English Country Dance on the Lawn. Do you enjoy Jane Austen novels? Are you interested in the Regency period? Love to dance and be in polite society? Don your best muslin, waistcoat and breeches, or Scottish kilt and share in an evening of English Country Dance. Experience and dance partners not needed, all are welcome! Dances will be taught and called. Live music, period libations, and delicious refreshments. Period costume and Highland dress is admired but not required. Rain or Shine!
William Kirkland (1768-1836)
Saturday, June 6, 13, 20, 27
Kirklands of Ayr Mount
11:00 AM Tour
Admission is $12 (same as regular tour).
William Kirkland was related to many notable people including a NC Supreme Court chief justice, the wealthiest man in NC, the author of the of the official NC state song, a senator, the first explorer to cross the continent of North America north of Mexico, the author of the first novel in NC, silent and talkie film actors, an Admiral, a Brig. General and many others. Who’s who in the Kirkland family? Find out on a special tour each Saturday morning in June.
Saturday, September 19
Broadwood Ayr
Performances at 3:00 PM and 5:30 PM
$100 per person. Very limited seating for this event. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
The sound of music will resonate through the beautiful interior of Ayr Mount for this intimate, once in a lifetime concert during Ayr Mount’s bicentennial year. The virtuoso talents of pianist Keiko Sekino and soprano Andrea Edith Moore will be the perfect complement to Ayr Mount’s 1797 Broadwood Grand Pianoforte. The pianoforte, a Kirkland family piece, has been especially restored for this memorable evening and a musical program sculpted by our artists will highlight this special instrument.
A champagne and hors d’oeuvres reception will be held between performances. Click here to purchase tickets!
Saturday, October 24
Cèilidh at Ayr
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Tickets: $15/adult in advance ($20/adult at the gate, on the day of the event); $5 for ages 5-12; free for age 4 and younger. Tickets are available at the gate.
The Cèilidh at Ayr is a day of music and dancing to celebrate Ayr Mount’s Scottish history. Enjoy a fun mix of Scottish entertainment on the beautiful grounds at Ayr Mount. There will be Scottish jigs, reels and strathspeys, lovely airs, bagpipers, drummers, fiddlers, and more. There will be food trucks and beverages on site, a children’s play area and scavenger hunts on the grounds. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket and enjoy the day!
Performers are Wake & District Pipe Band, Belles On Strings, and Pete Campbell and The MacRowdie Ceilidh Band.
Cèilidh (pronounced Kay’-lee) is a Scottish Gaelic term meaning “visit” in its earliest usage. It is now used to describe a social gathering involving music and dance.
Rain date: Sunday, October 25
Please click here for last minute weather details and updates!
Wednesday – Sunday in October
Ayr
Tour times vary. Please check the public tour schedule.
Admission is $12 (same as regular tour).
What is Ayr? Where is Ayr? What is its significance to Ayr Mount? Come find out during the October tours when we will have a display of Ayr, Scotland and weave Scottish stories into the tour narrative.
