Virginia’s 79th Annual Historic Garden Week
by Casey | Posted on April 16th, 2012
Elaborate homes and gardens are preparing for what is often called “America’s Largest Open House” – Virginia’s Historic Garden Week.
From the shore to the mountains, private estates, historic homes, gardens, and churches are open to the public from April 21-28, 2012. See the schedule below and one key highlight of each tour. Click through for more details about each tour.
Albemarle / Charlottesville Tour
Saturday, April 21
Ashland – A re-vamped tour in light of a 2011 earthquake. See private homes not originally scheduled for viewing.
Winchester – Fairhill, circa 1882
Franklin – The Maples and The Elms, circa 1895 and 1897
Lake Gaston – Bracey & Ebony – A man-made lake straddling VA and NC; additional fee lets you see the homes from the water.
Old Town Alexandria – A home built in 1782
Portsmouth – 1800s home with its original furnishings and a great story, too.
Staunton – The architecture you know – Greek and Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, and Colonial Revival
Sunday, April 22
Albemarle County (and April 23) – Keswick Hall
Chatham – Tobacco country
Middleburg and Upperville (and April 23) – Piedmont landscape
Williamsburg Tour
Tuesday, April 24
Arlington – A home used during the filming of Hoover, staring Leonardo DiCaprio
Fredericksburg – Tea at Kenmore, home of George Washington’s sister
Lynchburg – Point of Honor and Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest
Richmond – Ampthill/Wilton – One of the original “suburbs” of Richmond
Williamsburg – Civil War properties within the Colonial Williamsburg area, and an author available for Q&A, too.
Wednesday, April 25
Harrisonburg – The quaint village of Port Republic
Martinsville – The Carriage House, home of the cheese straw maker.
Richmond – The Boulevard – Ten locations along the grand avenue of Richmond
Newport News – Homes that span 100 years of history
Northern Neck – Lancaster County – Quiet beauty of a farm in the same family since 1721.
Virginia Beach – Shirley Hall, circa 1939, inspired by and designed with the assistance of Colonial Williamsburg
Thursday, April 26
Danville – Averett University
Norfolk – 75th Anniversary of the Hermitage Museum and Gardens
Petersburg – Extensively restored 19th century Italianate clapboard home
Richmond – Three Chopt/Westhampton – Homes span 100 years of art and architecture
Friday, April 27
Middlesex County – The Middle Penninsula – A lighthouse home built in 2005 includes a Fresnel lens once used in Australia’s Perth Harbor.
Saturday, April 28
Brownsburg - Five log homes and all new to the tour
Eastern Shore – Eyre Hall has been in the same family for 250 years; the garden is considered to be the oldest in Virginia.
Gloucester-Mathews – Daffodil Capitol of the Country
Orange County – Somerset Plantation, circa 1803, home of James Madison’s sister, Sarah Catlett Madison.
Roanoke – A 1933 garden that was the lily test garden for the Garden Club of Virginia for many years
Learn more about Virginia’s Historic Garden Week
See the Guidebook