Nutcracker in the Castle

Guided tours feature live performances. Self-guided tours do not feature live performances. Candlelight tours are self-guided tours in the evening.

Reservations are required for guided tours, candlelight tours, and Kids Free Days. Reservations are recommended for self-guided tours. Reservations are not necessary for the Cupcake Café.

The Paine is not open for walk-ins on Sundays.

On self-guided tours, you will walk through more than 20 elaborately decorated settings with more than 70 Christmas trees. Oversized books depict the story along the tour. A “mouse hunt” is also offered for children with 60 mice figurines to find. You may tour the rooms at your leisure, which usually takes about 1 hour.

Guided tours begin with a party featuring live musicians and serving punch and cookies. Then an actor greets the guests and introduces the Nutcracker story. The actor leads a brief tour through the first floor of the mansion, which ends with a 10 minute ballet performance. Guests are then invited to tour the second floor of the mansion on their own. A guided tour lasts about 1 hour. Please arrive as close to your reservation time as possible to avoid congestion at the mansion entrance.

The Cupcake Café is open on most Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Please note the café hours in advance, and coordinate visits before or after Nutcracker tours accordingly. If you plan to visit the café before your tour, we recommend arriving to the café 45 minutes before your reservation time. Please confirm the hours of the café before your visit.

The Paine encourages visitors with small children to use umbrella strollers, which are available at the entrance. Large strollers are not allowed.

Yes, amateur photography is allowed during all tours and within the Cupcake Café. Please do not use a flash and be considerate of other visitors and your surroundings. Photo shoots and/or professional photography require a permit requested two weeks in advance. To arrange a photo shoot, please contact weddings@thepaine.org.

All tours and the Cupcake Café are wheelchair accessible. The mansion has an elevator for the second floor, however, a portion of the second floor is not wheelchair accessible. Please note that large wheelchairs may not fit through some doorways. The Paine has wheelchairs available that fit through all doorways. Wheelchairs are available at the Mansion’s reception desk, and the Mansion and Conservatory are wheelchair-accessible.

Yes! The Paine offers sensory-friendly, self-guided tours on select days and times in partnership with the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin – Fox Valley. To learn more, please contact Educator Kelsey Raschke at kraschke@thepaine.org.

The Paine remains open and all tours continue during winter weather conditions. The Paine only closes during the most extreme weather conditions and does not follow school or other closings. In the event of severe weather near the time of a tour, please call (920) 235-6903 or visit the Paine’s website or Facebook page to learn about the status of tours. Reservations for guided tours will not be refunded due to weather, except in the unlikely event that a tour is cancelled.

The Paine is located at 1410 Algoma Boulevard in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Visitors may park in the parking lot on Algoma Boulevard located next to the Paine Mansion, which offers accessible parking spaces and a drop-off area near the entrance gate. Additional parking with accessible spaces is available in a second lot along Congress Avenue, at the Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cupcake Café. Visitors may also park along the street on Algoma Boulevard, Congress Avenue, and Elmwood Avenue.