Known for its ambience, delicious cuisine, exciting venues, and friendly volunteers, the historic Davis-Shai Cultural Center offers the opportunity to create memories for a lifetime. From its high teas, Friday lunches, and cooking and decorating classes to its dinner theatres, outdoor music concerts, and holiday events, programs are laced with cultural experiences for everyone to enjoy. Drawing from communities throughout Ohio and surrounding states, over 7000 visitors return time and again to enjoy the elegance and to capture the magic of the Davis-Shai House.

Upon arrival, patrons are greeted by one of over 80 volunteers. Often dressed in Victorian style clothing, a volunteer directs visitors to the main dining room where the staff and a team of volunteers serve as chefs, hosts, and hostesses. At Emily's Victorian Teas , guests sip gourmet teas and munch on scones, tea sandwiches, and desserts freshly made that day. Each tea demonstrates an abundance of imagination and excitement centered on unique themes, creative foods, and diverse cultural experiences.

The Davis-Shai House is never more beautiful than when the gardens are in bloom and the fountains offer the soothing sound of flowing water. Each Friday, Mid-April through October , visitors can enjoy a delicious lunch and listen to local musical talent while sitting under an umbrella on the veranda or in the elegance of the Fairview Room. It offers a perfect way to relax and forget about the day's busy schedule or simply to enjoy a leisurely lunch while traveling through Licking County. Patrons have a choice of soup or salad, entrée, dessert, and beverage cooked to perfection and served by friendly volunteers.

Throughout the year, the Davis-Shai Cultural Center offers cooking, decorating, grilling, and gardening classes taught by professional chefs, decorators, and landscapers . These popular classes introduce participants to a vast array of new tastes and ideas to impress friends and neighbors. Topics include everything from Caribbean grilling and holiday dinners to pond construction and holiday decorating and floral beauty.

Dinner theatres and outdoor music concerts are available for those who like to be immersed into a night of culture. After enjoying some of the most delicious cuisine in Licking County, professional actors capture the magic of days gone by or things believed to have been by taking guests into the lives of historical figures, sharing legends and songs, and exploring far away places. The intimate setting lends itself to interaction between the audience and the performer to bring characters and experiences to life.

Outdoor summer concerts in the garden are a special treat. The big white tent, the cool breeze, the sound of music, and the setting sun turn the evening into a magic all of its own. Linen draped tables colorfully decorated to fit the theme promise a delicious dinner and an evening of entertainment. Whether it's foot stomping music with a comedy band, trumpets wailing out the sounds of the blues and jazz era, or ivory keys performing the classics, outdoor music concerts at the Davis-Shai House Cultural Center present music at its finest.

Holidays at the Davis-Shai House offer a wonderful blend of celebration and culture. Throughout the year, such holidays as Valentines Day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas fill the house with guests who want to enjoy Licking County's best. The Candlelight and Roses dinner celebrates Valentines Day with a six-course dinner, complementary wines, Champagne, roses, and a strolling violinist. The momentum builds throughout each holiday until December when the house is completely transformed into a magical Victorian Christmas fantasyland. Early November, volunteers begin decorating the Davis-Shai House until it becomes one of the most elegant places in Licking County. Over 60 Christmas trees are adorned in all their beauty, window wreaths announce that something magical is happening, and the gardens become a winter wonderland of beauty.

In early December, people from near and far come to the Davis-Shai House to enjoy the Victorian Christmas . Lighted luminaries along the lane, horse-drawn carriage and wagon rides pulled by Clydesdales, and the familiar sound of holiday carols invite everyone to join in the celebration and to enjoy the enchantment of the season. House tours, a visit from Father Christmas, hot cider and donuts, art shows, exhibits, a vast array of local musical talent, and a warm events tent transform this night into a memorable evening free to the entire family.

It's a magic that encourages its staff and over 80 volunteers to dedicate their talents and energy to maintain the Davis-Shai House as the City of Heath's crown jewel and one of Licking County's most prized cultural arts and rental facilities. It's a magic that keeps visitors returning for one more magical experience . . . a magic that offers visitors the chance to create one more memory for a lifetime.

Full Calendar of Events with descriptions of the events.