All You Need to Know about Virginia Home Tours in Historic Garden Week
2023 dates are Saturday, April 15th to Saturday, April 22nd.
Part 1 of 4 in my series on Virginia’s Historic Garden Week. The Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) was disappointed when they had to cancel the 2020 Historic Garden Week home tours for the 2nd time in their 87-year history.
The 2020 cancellation was due to COVID-19, of course. But tours are back to normal for 2023. If you love gardens, beautiful homes, and history be sure to make plans for the tours this year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Historic Garden Week properties are private for the most part and therefore are generally not handicapped accessible. Those with physical limitations should be advised that access may not be available in many areas.
For your comfort and safety, please wear flat walking shoes, no
spiked heels, and watch for steps and uneven surfaces as you visit
the homes and gardens
• Pets — except service animals — are not permitted.
• No smoking.
• No strollers, backpacks or large bags.
• The Garden Club of Virginia, its member clubs and owners of
the properties are not responsible for accidents occurred
on the tours.
Tours around the Commonwealth cover three different hardiness zones and weather is always a factor, but depending on the tour location there will likely be a wide variety of gorgeous blooms. Virginia is often at its height of spring-blooming during Historic Garden Week. You can expect to see tulips, peonies, iris, azaleas, and dogwood. If it’s been cool leading up to tours, there might be daffodils, camellia, wisteria, and redbud too. If it’s been warm, you might enjoy roses and hydrangea.
Visit the Virginia Historic Garden Week Frequently Asked Questions page here for more information. You can also send direct messages through their Facebook page.
Facebook – Historic Garden Week in Virginia
Tours are held rain or shine, except for tours that are inaccessible due to weather conditions.
Please check social media for last-minute changes to any of the tours offered this April. Historic Garden Week has a Facebook page and Instagram account that you can follow for updates. Some individual garden clubs also have their own Facebook page or social media accounts.
Facebook – Historic Garden Week in Virginia
Instagram – @historicgardenweek
Hashtags to follow: #GCV #GCVirginia #HGW #HGW21
When reviewing the tour information for specific tours on the HGW website you’ll see that most of the listings have an email address that can be contacted with questions about that tour.
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.
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
Category: United States, Virginia
I love going on home and garden tours! That glimpse into someone else’s masterpiece is inspiring. I imagine these in Virginia are no different!
I’m with you Julien! It’s such a great chance to see behind the gate in these wonderful homes.
This seems amazing, I would love to visit a place like this 🙂
It is truly wonderful to see all these lovely homes and gardens.
This sound like a great thing to do. If I were closer it would be on my list.
Thanks for stopping by Angela. It’s well worth it for anyone that lives in the eastern U.S.
This looks so much fun. I would love to see the historic gardens, looks beautiful. I have serious she shed envy now 🙂
Right? I wanted to sit down and read a book when I saw this.
What a great idea these garden clubs are! And to keep them going since 1920 must be such a commitment from locals. The Historic Garden Week must be nice to attend.
I’ve lived in several states around the country and I’ve never seen anything quite at this scale. They’re so unique and interesting.
I would love to tour the homes and gardens of Virigina! If I’m ever in the area while this is going on I definitely want to do this. Thanks for all the great information! The photos you shared look like lovely homes.
Yes, all shapes and sizes of homes and gardens, but if you like beautiful things, flowers, gardens, history or architecture, they are well worth it.
Garden clubs are such a great idea! I love visiting historic gardens and floral displays. Next time I am passing by Virginia, I will definitely look them up.:-)
Hi Jan, If you love gardens and floral arrangements, you would definitely love these tours. They are so diverse and creative. They don’t always allow photography inside the private homes, but some of the arrangements I’ve seen are spectacular!
I’ve seen smaller versions of this but nothing so large as the one you described. It sounds amazing. I love touring historic homes.
Hi Kristina, Oh, you’re right. I don’t know that there’s anything of this scale in the country or even the world. So many wonderful tours in one area in a week. Last year I visited 7 towns in 7 days. It was amazing!
What an interesting way to tour. The homes are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing
Hi Sharon, Thanks for stopping by. Yes, these are so unique to each region and they change every year. So much fun!
I want a she-shed! We just renovated our garden in Turkey last year and I know how mu Co work it takes to maintain a garden. You’ve got to really have a passion for the outdoors and lots of patience.
I’m with you on the She Shed. One good thing about Virginia – it’s the first place I’ve lived in years where you have to stop things from growing instead of coaxing them to grow. The gardens here are gorgeous!
I think I would be happy staying in the Stables, it’s just so beautiful 🙂
Natalie, They were spotless and decorated with flowers too. In fact, now that you say that, I think there was a small guest room in there. Not sure if they had hired help or what.
Virginia is so green and such a great place for gardens (I’m from California where we have more of a desert climate). Taking a tour of the gardens sounds fun!
Hi Sharon, I lived in So Cal for 18 years. After living in Phoenix, California seemed like a garden paradise, but then I moved to Virginia. You can literally stick something in the ground and it will grow. It’s amazing.
This is an interesting concept – opening ones home gardens for visitors. I would certainly love to go on such a tour. I am going to search around my hometown to see if there is a tour of this type.
Hi Slavka, I’m not sure where you live, but there are tours like this sprinkled around the United States. Usually in the spring or just before the holidays so they can be decorated for Christmas. Virginia has more in this one week than most states probably do in a year though.
Thank you for sharing such offbeat tours and experiences. Love the garden especially the peacock. How did you manage such a close shot? They run away so quickly!
Hi Sinjana, These peacocks were very tame. There were several on the property. I have a zoom lens, but it’s not much of a zoom. They were so gorgeous.
What a charming looking place! I always love gardens like this, especially because we don’t have any where we live.
Oh Jenn, These gardens are so rejuvenating. There’s just something about being in nature that refreshes my soul.
Wow, these look like something from a Jane Austen novel. How pretty are the homes and gardens. That she shed is stunning, I could justs imagine myself sipping tea and reading a book in there looking out at the pretty garden.
I’m with you Becki, their back yard was gorgeous too, but wouldn’t this be so cozy on a rainy day?
I would love to do these home tours in the picturesque town of West Point, Virginia. I loved the location of thid quaint and peaceful hamlet at the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers.
Thanks for stopping by Yukti.
The Virginia’s historic garden week sounds awesome! I can’t believe I would be able to visit all the beautiful gardens and houses. What a fantastic idea!
I love visiting gardens. your photos are really beautiful
Thank you Fae, I love visiting them too and there are some beautiful ones here in Virginia.
I love taking historic home and garden tours! They always give me so many ideas and inspiration. I bet Virginia’s gardens are just gorgeous in April 🙂
Carrie Ann, They really are beautiful. In most cases, it’s the perfect time of year to see them.
This looks amazing! I love going and being able to see the inside of historical houses. I appreciate all of the information you gathered to share with us.
Thanks Nina! It’s a wonderful week and raises money for a great cause.
That would be so much fun to be able to see all the different types of homes and buildings!
It really is wonderful, Chelsea! And with so much history in Virginia, the range of homes is so interesting.
Thank you for this suitable article about all you need to know about Virginias historic garden week home tours, really nice way to present this content, very appreciative!!