Things to Discover . . .
some of them free gifts!
There are so many things to find and see at The Dickens Project. Seriously, our environment is so "content rich" that it is impossible to document it all. Most locations have some degree of interactivity, so don't be afraid to click! You have to start somewhere, so here are some highlights to help get you started:
GENERAL:
Look for the Books! There are copies of early editions of A Christmas Carol to be found all over the region. Click on them to get a free gift from one of our participating Community Partners.
Be sure and check out the Info Kiosks on either side of the
Landing Point. The Landing Point itself
will give you a map, and the events board will connect you to The Dickens
Project Calendar.
And if you are not sure what to do, or which direction to go first, we recommend taking Bay Run Royal's horse drawn cart for a tour of the overall Project. More on that and other major modes of transportation fun on the Getting Around Dickens page.
Or, just hang out in Dickens Square and play with the puppies, or whatever pet-able critters might be eagerly awaiting your attention there.
Did you know? Many of the shops and locations at The Dickens Project are direct references to people and places in Charles Dickens' canon of literature? How many can you identify?
In DICKENS SQUARE:
Land at The Dickens Project and realize you feel conspicuously out of fashion in your board shorts? Never fear! We have free clothing for both men and women available in two shops on the west side of the Square. Trabb's Tailor or Perrybingle & Plummer are happy to to help with your 19th C sartorial needs. And best of all, the price is right!
The Church to the south of the Square houses The Notable Scrooge Gallery. Peruse our curated selection of actors whose portrayal of Dickens' signature old skinflint we think are worthy of mention. Click on the panels to learn more about the productions that they performed in. On the wall you will also find panels listing a whole heepin' helpin' of others that we did not picture in our gallery.
There are many kinds of shops at The Dickens Project including those that feature our participating Community Partners. (check them out!) These two particular ones off the west end of Dickens Square are for the inquisitive among you. The Historical Society houses browser-on-a-prim panels that will link you to online sources about life in Dickens' London. AND there's a dandy recipe for Smoking Bishop right there on the table!
Across the way in the Society for Antiquarian Studies, you will find a variety of media-on-a-prim featuring some of the earliest existing film and TV adaptation of A Christmas Carol dating back to 1901.
In CHRISTMAS PAST (Northwest and Northern shore):
Pastiche and interpretation are the themes in The Gallery of Adaptations, located on either side of the tunnel through the Tudor buildings to the Dock Area. Whether it is Scrooge Mac Duck, Mr. Magoo, or Blackadder, or Dr. Who, click on the panels to learn about a wide variety of different adaptations of A Christmas Carol. Wait! Is that Fred Flinstone?
There are direct references to some specific period details in the story A Christmas Carol, but few stand out as much as the reference to the fiddle tune "Sir Roger de Coverley" played at Fezziwig's Party. Visit Fezziwig's at the Docks in Christmas Past and you can hear that exact piece of music, played as it would have been in Dickens' time.
The Skating Pond features a group skate ball, and individual skates that you can *add* to what you are already wearing and cut some "figures" of your own. Looks for the free skate vendor on the south shore of the pond.
Heartbreak Park is more than someplace for Scrooge and Belle to break off their engagement. It is a lovely scenic spot featuring The Orangery, the snow forts waiting for you and your friends to wage your own snow battles, and a free snowball thrower discretely tucked by the roadside. Grab a cup of cocoa from the stall and have some fun.
Don't forget to explore our own Victorian hedge maze, created by Team Dickens designer Gloriana Maertens. There's never any telling what you'll find inside - or who!
In CHRISTMAS PRESENT (Northeast and Eastern shore):
Yes of course, we want you to visit The Dickens Project again and again this month (how could you see it all in once stop?). AND there are a lot of great holiday places to see on the grid this season. Visit Pocket & Co Expeditions to teleport to some of them, as well as a few Victorian regions, and to connect to the SL Destination Guide. Then come back, and visit Dickens again!
Shops, shops, and more shops in this most urban section of The Dickens Project. Some stores house information on our participating partners, some are homages to Victoriana in their own right, and some are just fun (like the gingerbread shop). Many of these shops are mentioned in A Christmas Carol. Many of them contain free items: anything from beverages and food to a shopping basket in the Grocers.
In particular, if you are of a scholarly bent, you might enjoy visiting the Old Victorians Row. It contains fun and funky A Christmas Carol and Charles Dickens-related shops including:
- The Museum of Dickens Projects Past
- The Dickens Library (created by The Community Virtual Library)
- The Christmas Carol Listening Room in the Book Shop
- And The Glossary House located in Professor Magwitch's, where phrases and words from the Victorian era that occur in A Christmas Carol are explained right on the walls.
Just down the hill you will find The Alley, our homage to Portabello Road and other such outdoor markets that were common for centuries before Dickens time, or the advent of the modern farmers' Market. What treasures will you discover? Some of it might be just for looks, and then again some of it might not. You might find yourself the happy recipient of a meat pie, or a cuddly bear. You won't know until you explore!
In CHRISTMAS YET TO COME & SCROOGE'S HOUSE (Southern Shore and Southwest):
The southerns shore of The Dickens Project is in sharp contrast to the north. Bleak and windswept, it has an eery beauty and plenty to explore. You'll find lots of material for the Urchin Experience there. And keep an eye out for the lanterns on the ground throughout the region - they are Intan dance devices!
The Lighthouse affords one of the most spectacular views of the region. Look for the teleport to the beacon deck to get an amazing view of the whole project, and plan the next area you want to explore. And even though the Photo Op section is below (Psssst!) this is a great location for snapshots!
Scrooge's House is something special. It knits the past to the future and is a feature designer Aoife Lorefield continues to develop and refine every year with new features. Not only does it support Ebenezer Scrooge's narrative journey, it also makes a nod to another work by Charles Dickens: Bleak House. Find rooms in the house created for and dedicated to characters from that work. Bleak House and Ebenezer Scrooge! How perfect!
If it looks like a sledding hill, chances are it is a sledding hill. Look for the free sled vendors and have yourself a wild, wintry ride.
PHOTO OPS (Everywhere!):
There are opportunities all over the region for great photos, both solo and with your bestie, or bestie(s). If you can't find any, you are not looking. From the scenic glory of the northern and southern shores, to the telescope outside the gingerbread shop, they are all there - large and small.
Here are just a few:
See a hand print on a window? Let the snapping begin!
There are snow angels in several locations, some solo, some built for two!
This one is located in Yet To Come on the southern shore.
Visit Scrooge and Marley's in Dickens Square : sit in Bob Cratchit's
desk, or Scrooge's if you are brave enough!
And while you are in Dickens Square, consider a bit of caroling! A great place for a group shot!
Whatever shots you find, and great moments you capture at The Dickens Project, you are welcome to share them in our flickr group https://www.flickr.com/groups/seanchailibrary/
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