Candlelight Tours of the Fort Scott National Historic Site

Fort Scott National Historic Site Announces Its 41st Annual Candlelight Tour

Be an Active Part of History

Tickets go on sale November 1st
For tickets, go in person to the Fort Scott National Historic Site or order by phone by credit card 620-223-0310

Friday, tours 6:30 to 9pm
Saturday, tours 5 to 9pm

Tours start every 15 minutes and last approx. 1 hour

You will need to select your tour time when you purchase your tickets.

December 2 and 3, 2022, Fort Scott National Historic Site will present its 41st Annual Candlelight Tour. Tours on December 2nd will begin at 6:30 pm and leave every 15 minutes until 9 pm. On Saturday, December 3rd, the tours will start at 5 pm with the final tour leaving at 8:45 pm. Please arrive 10 minutes early to allow time to park, present/pick up your ticket, and get oriented. Tickets go on sale Friday, November 1st and are available by calling the Fort at 620-223-0310 (with a major credit card) or by stopping by the Visitor Center on Old Fort Blvd. They are $8.00 per person and non-refundable, children 5 and under are free. It is recommended that you get your tickets early for your choice of tour times as this event frequently sells out. Participants are advised to please dress for the weather and the terrain, as they will be outside and on sidewalks.

1,000 candle lanterns illuminate the site and 100 reenactors (including you) bring the fort to life. This year's tour will include the audience in the tour stops. It will feature six stops around the site beginning with the enlistment and ending with reassignment of release from service, "where the fort's buildings were sold to the public two years after the U.S. Army abandoned Fort Scott," said Betty Boyko, Superintendent, Fort Scott National Historic Site. "We encourage everyone to dress up (in modern or period clothes) and step back in time." Take the tour under the identity of one of our own Fort Scott soldiers. Enlist in the U.S. Army stationed at the Fort; learn about life on the frontier; the ups and downs of payday; celebrate the holidays 1840's style; find out how much the officer"s wives appreciate all of your hard work; and after a memorable career, receive your discharge or reassignment stamp. Keep your enlistment card to remember your journey through time.

Fort Scott was an active military post from 1842-1853, which was a time of rapid growth and change in the country. As Fort Scott was being built, the nation grew west, expanding all the way to the Pacific Ocean. With this growth, Fort Scott changed, the mission of its soldiers changed, their experience changed, the environment changed, and the nation changed. Soldiers at Fort Scott lived their lives to the fullest despite the constant change.

From November 1-March 31, Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, will be open for its winter hours of operation. The site exhibit areas and visitor center are open daily from 8:30 am-4:30 pm. The park grounds are open daily from ½ hour before sunrise until ½ hour after sunset. To find out more or become involved in activities at the Fort, please contact the park at 620-223-0310 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/fosc.