The Southeast Tourism Society has named the annual “Mansion by Candlelight” tour hosted at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park near Parkersburg, West Virginia, as a Top 20 event to attend in October. The two-evening fete held in the island's replica mansion welcomes more than 1,400 guests to witness an evening as it might have been in 1805 when the Blennerhassett family lived on the island.
To be considered for the recognition, the society requires events to attract at least 1,000 participants, to have occurred for three years or more, and to be located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, or Arkansas.
Organized by the park with support by The Friends of Blennerhassett and the Blennerhassett Historic Foundation, the 2014 event is scheduled for Oct. 10 and 11. The tour was nominated by the Greater Parkersburg Convention & Visitors Bureau.