Elizabethtown is full of history, and now the Winters Heritage House Museum invites you to explore it by lantern light.

The museum will host its first Historic Lantern Tour on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 24 and 25, with tours beginning at 6:30, 7 and 7:30 p.m. both evenings. The walking tour will begin at the A-frame building behind Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church, 125 E. High St., Elizabethtown.

Costumed storytellers will lead tourgoers on a journey through town while also revealing the rich history of the people, places and events of Elizabethtown's past.

"Your tour guide will highlight the architecture, culture and traditions that took Elizabethtown from the frontier years of settlement through the next three centuries of growth and change, all by the light of a lantern," said museum director Teresa St. Angelo.

After the one-hour walking tour, participants will enter the Victorian-era H.U. Coble House, where traditional live music and dance will be performed, and refreshments will be served.

Participants will also be able to explore more on their own in the future as each visitor will receive a copy of the walking tour map to take home.

"Thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, we are able to bring the community together to celebrate the past and the people who have contributed to Elizabethtown's history," St. Angelo said.

Adding a historic lantern tour to its repertoire of events and resources helps the museum continue to reach new visitors with its mission of preserving and highlighting the past.

The Winters Heritage House Museum, located at 47 E. High St., includes two buildings that date to the founding of the town. The museum is a community project run mostly by volunteers and provides Elizabethtown with educational programs, the preservation of local history and a genealogy research library. The museum is generally open on Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Thursdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Reservations are required for the Historic Lantern Tour, and space is limited. Reservations must be made by Wednesday, Oct. 22. A special discount is available for Merchandiser readers and may be accessed at http://www.wintersheritagehouse.org/historic-lantern-tour by using the code "Merchandiser." Parking for the tour is free in the lot at the church.

For more information, contact the museum at 717-367-4672 or follow "Winters Heritage House Museum" on Facebook.