All You Need to Know about Virginia Home Tours in Historic Garden Week

Updated onApril 1, 2024

Every year in late April GCV offers wonderful garden & home tours throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Set aside that week to enjoy Virginia home tours all over the state! Here are some behind-the-scenes secrets of how these magnificent events come together so you can plan your week accordingly.

One of the home tours in the last few years was held in the picturesque town of West Point, Virginia. This quaint hamlet is where the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers flow together to form the York River. I was honored to meet and chat with Adele, one of the Chairwomen of the Garden Club of Middle Peninsula while I was in town. She was so helpful in giving me a glimpse behind the workings of the tours.

Many of the answers in these posts were provided directly by Adele, so you’ll see her name, like this [Adele] next to the information in those cases. I hope this 4-part series will help to answer your many questions about the annual Historic Garden Tours and add a little more info about the Garden Club of Virginia too. Let’s get started!

Part 1 of 4:

What is the Garden Club of Virginia (GCV)?

GCV was started in 1920 with eight regional clubs. They were the Warrenton Garden Club, the Albemarle Garden Club, the Garden Club of Norfolk, the James River Garden Club, Fauquier and Loudoun Garden Club, the Garden Club of Danville, the Dolley Madison Garden Club and the Augusta Garden Club.

As active members of the community for nearly 100 years, the goals and focus for the 47 clubs today are clear, concise, and inspiring:

“To celebrate the beauty of the land, to conserve the gifts of nature and to challenge future generations to build on this heritage.”

The individual clubs that make up the Garden Club of Virginia are all different.  Some are clubs in larger towns and cities, some cover an entire county, and some are clubs made up of multiple counties. 

What is Historic Garden Week (HGW)?

Historic Garden Week is often called “America’s Largest Open House.” Each spring over 25,000 visitors tour over 250 of Virginia’s most beautiful gardens, homes, and historic landmarks. This 8-day statewide event provides visitors like you, a unique opportunity to see magnificent gardens at the peak of Virginia’s springtime color. You can stroll through beautiful homes sparkling with over 2,300 flower arrangements created by Garden Club of Virginia members.

Each location hosts a 1 or 2-day open house, usually consisting of 3 to 5 homes, gardens or historic sites that can be toured at your own pace. Every tour is unique because of its region, bonus offerings and the wide variety of homes chosen each year.

Tour proceeds fund the restoration and preservation of more than 40 of Virginia’s historic public gardens and landscapes. Funds also support a research fellowship program, awards, grants and a Garden Club of Virginia Centennial Project with Virginia State Parks.

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How Can I Buy Tickets for the Virginia Home Tours?

You may see advertising about tickets being sold locally if there are HGW Virginia home tours near you. Visit the Historic Garden Week website for details about when and where tours are held and tickets are being sold. Purchase discounted advance tour tickets online or at local outlets beginning in November of the prior year.

You’ll find a limited number of tour tickets sold for each tour location/city. Ticket prices vary by location and range from $25 to $55 per-tour. Some regions also offer Combo Tickets for multiple towns that are near each other. For example, a Combo ticket is available for the towns of Williamsburg, Hampton-Newport News, and Norfolk for $85. This is a savings of $20 over the price of $105 for the 3 consecutive tour days bought separately.

Please note: Online and advance tour ticket sales end at 10 a.m. on the day of each tour. In other words, if a tour takes place on April 29, online ticketing is available until 10 a.m. on April 29.

If you plan to visit several home tours throughout the state, consider a Statewide Pass. The 2023 rate is $300, but can be purchased now for only $200 online.

You can purchase tickets online at the HGW website here.

2023 dates are Saturday, April 15 to Saturday, April 22nd.

How Does GCV Manage So Many Tours Around the State?

[Adele] Each club has its own Historic Garden Week (HGW) committee that runs the tour for that club, following the guidelines from Garden Club of Virginia.  The guidelines are mostly about the nuts and bolts of HGW – insurance issues, signage for the tours, communicating with homeowners, and most importantly getting the ads and information to go in the HGW guidebook.

The two staff members in charge of HGW (At the Kent Valentine House in the Richmond Headquarters of GCV- there are 11 on staff) will assist with any other questions we have and give us encouragement. They run a Boot Camp every June to help new HGW committee chairs feel comfortable with running a tour.

How are the Tour Dates Decided for Each Location?

[Adele] Clubs can choose the best day for the tour, with the approval of the VGC Historic Garden Club Committee. We know which day is ours and work from there.

Why are Some Virginia Home Tours Hosted by more than one Club?

[Adele] Not every club hosts a home tour each year.  Some clubs are in such rural areas that they might host every other year and some clubs combine with a neighboring club to host a tour. 

The Garden Club of the Middle Peninsula (GCMP) is made up of Essex, King & Queen, King William, and Middlesex counties and we rotate HGW through the four counties. Each county is responsible for HGW every four years.  Last year it was King William County’s turn to host HGW. We began planning 18 months before we hosted the tour in West Point.

Do the Garden Clubs Accept Donations?

[Adele] As part of the tour prep, the local garden clubs ask businesses and interested parties to help by donating funds or services to cover the costs incurred, such as printing brochures, tickets or paying for portable restrooms. That money helps make all the proceeds from the home tour ticket sales go straight to the Garden Club of Virginia. Our goal is to ensure that all ticket money goes to GCV projects, not to cover tour costs. Your donations will be prominently recognized by the club in a variety of ways.

GCV accepts donations throughout the year. Find out more about how you can help here. As mentioned before, all proceeds from the Historic Garden Week tour tickets are used solely for designated projects – landscape restoration, conservation, research fellowships and for specific projects in Virginia State Parks. 

Can I Join the Garden Club of Virginia?

There are 47 member clubs in GCV throughout Virginia that operate independently and have their own by-laws and processes. If you love gardening and helping others, the best way to find out how to join your local club is to ask a member of that club.

You can also contact the main GCV office to find a contact person nearby, or if your local Garden Club has a website, that would be another way to find out the process for joining.

I hope you enjoyed Part 1 of this 4-part series. Want to find out more so you can plan to go on a few of these home tours?

And for more great travel stories about Virginia and beyond, sign up to get future posts by email.

Next in the Series:

Part 2 – How do You Select Homes for Historic Garden Week?

Part 3 – Preparing for Virginia’s Historic Garden Week

Part 4 – How You Can Participate in Historic Garden Week

Posts about Specific Regional Historic Garden Tours