Louis Armstrong House Museum to Announces Holiday Tours

'Tis the Season. A slew of historic holiday house tours at Louis Armstrong House Museum have been announced.

Hear the rare recording of Louis Armstrong's magical reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas)." Enjoy holiday cheer this year at the Louis Armstrong House Museum with the museum's annual holiday tours! In keeping with Louis and Lucille's tradition, the house will be brightly decorated. From December 3rd through December 29th 2013, house tours will feature rare audio clips from Louis's personal recordings of himself and family celebrations at home. Listen to Louis's magical voice reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas)'' and other seasonal favorites such as "Zat You Santa Claus" and Louis listening to Nat King Cole sing "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." Free candy canes included with museum admission.

Louis's recording of "Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Visit from St. Nicholas)" was the last recoding ever made by Louis Armstrong before he died later that year. He recorded it at home in his den on February 26, 1971. On the museum's holiday tour, visitors can hear excerpts of unedited and never-before issued segments of the recording in Louis's den where they were originally recorded.

"We love recreating the holiday joy of Louis and Lucille's home at Christmas time. It's a great place to bring your friends and family and to take a break from the hustle and bustle that December often brings," says Michael Cogswell, Director of the Louis Armstrong House Museum.

The Historic Holiday House Tour is a 40-minute, guided interpretive tour of the only preserved home of a jazz legend in the world. Louis Armstrong House is a National Historic landmark and New York City landmark. Trained docents lead the Historic House Tours. All of the furnishings are original giving the feeling that Louis and Lucille just stepped out for some eggnog.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum Store is the perfect destination for unique holiday gifts to jazz up the holiday season. One treasure is the Louis Armstrong Ambassador Series CDs from Sweden, which contain rare and previously unreleased recordings. The Ambassador CDs feature Louis Armstrong on the radio, Louis live at Carnegie Hall, Louis with Benny Goodman's sextet, Louis jamming with Fats Waller and much more. The Museum is the world's exclusive distributor of Ambassador CDs.

The Museum Store's CD collection also includes: Satchmo at Symphony Hall 65th Anniversary: The Complete Performances, a legendary concert issued in complete form for the very first time thanks to the Museum's Gösta Hägglöf Collection, and Louis Armstrong - The OKeh, Columbia and RCA Victor Recordings 1925-1933, a 10-CD set featuring Armstrong's most famous early recordings in one box.

The Museum Store features many one-of-a-kind gifts including Armstrong T-shirts, caps, tote bags, and a "West End Blues" Frisbee that looks like a 78-record. Books, children's books, CDs, and DVDs provide one-stop shopping for "everything Armstrong." Foodies will be delighted to learn that the Museum is the northeast's exclusive distributor of "Jazzmen Rice" (an aromatic jasmine rice grown in Louisiana), which displays a picture of Armstrong on the front of the bag.

The Louis Armstrong House Museum is located at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, New York. The Museum is open Tuesday - Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Saturday/Sunday from 12:00 noon - 5:00 pm. No reservations are necessary for individuals but groups of 8 or more should call 718.478.8274 or visit www.louisarmstronghouse.org to make a reservation.

Parking is available within the neighborhood and the museum is accessible by subway via the 7 Train.

Admission is $10.00, $7.00 for seniors, students and children and free LAHM members and children under 4. Groups with reservations enjoy a discount on admission. The Louis Armstrong House Museum is closed on all Mondays and the following Holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It is always open on the 4th of July, in honor of Louis's traditional birthday.

Thanks to the vision and funding of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, the Louis Armstrong House Museum welcomes visitors from all over the world, six days per week, 52 weeks per year. The Louis Armstrong House Museum is a member of the American Alliance of Museums, Association of African American Museums, Museums Council of New York City, New York State Museums Association, National Trust for Historic Preservation, NYC & Co., and the Queens Tourism Council. The Museum is a constituent of Kupferberg Center for the Arts - Queens College.

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