Dec 4, Demopolis. Candlelight Evening at Gaineswood Antebellum Museum. 334-289-4846. Admission charged. Candlelit holiday decorations, delicious confections, Yuletide entertainment, and open house tours with basement and observatory access make this a truly special evening. 5:30-8 p.m.
Opened as a spa in 1838, guests travelled from all over the country to benefit from the "curing" properties of the mineral springs containing sulfur, iron, magnesium, and calcium. A grand Greek Revival style mansion large enough to accommodate 200 people was built in 1846, making it one of the largest wooden hotels built in Alabama. The "health" resort which gained the nickname "Saratoga of the South," stayed open through the Civil War until it closed after the turn of the century when the novelty of mineral springs wore off. The state purchased the property in 1934. 
