Visit some of Virginia’s well-appointed homes and gardens during the 2026 Historic Garden Week.
Spring has arrived in Virginia, and with it, the Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week. This year’s event coincides with the nation’s 250th anniversary. As a result, properties with connections to those who have influenced American history are being highlighted.
Nearly 130 private homes and gardens will be featured as part of the 29 tours across all corners of the Commonwealth from Apr. 18 to 25. The homes—ranging from city-based townhomes to rural farmhouses—and gardens—ranging from sprawling backyard meadows to small courtyard gardens—run the gamut.
Here’s your guide to making the most out of the country’s only statewide house and garden tour.
History
Historic Garden Week is nearly a 100-year-old tradition, dating back to 1927. At the time, a flower show run by the Garden Club of Virginia wanted to raise funds to save trees at Monticello that Thomas Jefferson had planted. A total of $7,000 was raised that year.
Mission of Garden Club of Virginia
The nonprofit organization uses Historic Garden Week as its signature fundraising event. The proceeds are used to assist in restoring and preserving historic gardens throughout Virginia, as well as to fund research fellowships at the graduate level.
Some of the properties that have received Historic Garden Week restoration funding include Oatlands in 1991, Hollins University in 2006, Burwell-Morgan Mill in 1973, Christ Church–Lancaster County in 1968, Lee Hall in 2003, Kenmore in 1996, and Stratford Hall in 2006.
The club is currently comprised of 3,400 volunteers from 48 member clubs. The mission of the club is “to conserve the gifts of nature, restore and preserve historic landscapes of the commonwealth, cultivate the knowledge and love of gardening, and lead future generations to build on this heritage.”
Tour schedule
This year’s tour will run from Saturday, Apr. 18, to Saturday, Apr. 25, with 29 clubs participating. More than 120 private homes and gardens will be featured throughout the week.
Saturday tours
On Saturday, Apr. 18, clubs in Ashland, Gloucester–Mathews, Old Town Alexandria, Orange, Portsmouth, and Staunton will be participating.
The Portsmouth event is a standout one, given that it’s centered along the Elizabeth River. Six riverbank properties in the Glensheallah, Green Acres, and Sterling Point neighborhoods will be featured. Each was selected for its unique features related to architecture, conservation, and restoration.
Tickets are $40 in advance or $55 the day of the event.
Sunday tours
On Sunday, Apr. 19, clubs in Albemarle-Charlottesville, Historic Berkeley, Shirley, and Westover, and Leesburg will be participating.
The Leesburg level of the tour, hosted by the Leesburg Garden Club, is of interest for its focus on the town’s rich history. Focusing on the downtown area, which has grown in recent years, the tour will spotlight homes and gardens tucked away on side streets. George C. Marshall’s house, Dodona Manor, is one of the six properties from the 1800s and 1900s that will be featured. The manor is situated on nearly four acres of sprawling gardens.
Tickets are $50 in advance or $60 the day of the event.
Monday tours
On Monday, Apr. 20, clubs in Historic Berkeley, Shirley, and Westover, Leesburg, and Morven will participate.
Don’t miss the Historic Berkeley, Shirley, and Westover tour. It’s been part of Historic Garden Week since the very beginning in 1929. The tour will spotlight the gardens, outbuildings, and first-floor interiors of the plantation houses of Historic Berkeley, Shirley, and Westover. As a bonus, Westover Episcopal Church can also be included in the tour. The sites along the banks of the James River have a rich history, having been settled as tobacco plantations in the early 17th century.
Tickets are $75.
Tuesday tours
On Tuesday, Apr. 21, clubs in Fairfax County, Fredericksburg, Lynchburg, Petersburg, Richmond: South Gaskins, and Williamsburg will be participating.
The Rappahannock Valley Garden Club is inviting the public to view some of the homes and gardens that line Upper Caroline Street in downtown Fredericksburg. The homes are an eclectic mix of 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st-century architecture, all set against the backdrop of the Rappahannock River.
Be sure to look for 1310 Caroline Street, a home that then-Commonwealth’s Attorney Gustavus Brown Wallace had commissioned in 1911 on land that was once owned by George Washington’s younger brother. Surprisingly, it fuses together Victorian, Queen Anne, and Craftsman elements.
Tickets are $45 in advance or $55 the day of the event.
Wednesday tours
On Wednesday, Apr. 22, clubs in Hampton-Newport News, Harrisonburg, Martinsville, Northern Neck, Richmond: Church Hill, and Virginia Beach will participate.
The Harrisonburg tour offers a different experience, given that it’s a driving tour. The Spotswood Garden Club is featuring properties that are west of Harrisonburg, in addition to ones that are in Rockingham County on State Route 42.
Look out for the circa-1840 Bergey Residence, a two-room home that has since been renovated to make it suitable for a modern family, in Harrisonburg.
Tickets are $35 if purchased in advance or $45 the day of the event.
Thursday tours
On Thursday, Apr. 23, clubs Danville-Chatham, Little Oak Spring, Norfolk, and Richmond: Westhampton will be participating.
The Danville-Chatham driving tour will spotlight three unique homes, including the Womack home in Forest Hills, the circa-1928 Tuggle House in Westmoreland Court, and the Martin Home. The Martin Home, which sits on the banks of the Dan River, is owned by a fabric designer who has put her stamp on the patterns and textures of the space.
If purchased in advance, tickets are $25. Same-day tickets are $35.
Friday tours
On Friday, Apr. 24, clubs in Kent-Valentine House, Little Oak Spring, Middle Peninsula–King and Queen County, and the Virginia Executive Mansion will be participating.
Don’t miss the Kent-Valentine House in Richmond, which will be open to the public for free on the day of the event. Situated nine blocks from Capitol Square, the home was built in 1845 with an Italianate exterior and Gothic Revival interior. By 1904, it had been renovated with a Greek Revival portico and Colonial Revival parlor. It’s been owned by the Garden Club of Virginia since 1971.
Saturday tours
On Saturday, Apr. 25, clubs in Eastern Shore, Lake Gaston, Roanoke–Salem, and Winchester will be participating.
The Roanoke-Salem event is one you don’t want to miss. Hosted by the Roanoke Valley Garden Club and the Mill Mountain Garden Club, the walking tour of Salem will focus on five properties, all built between 1867 and 1891, in the city’s North Broad Street Historic District.
“Broad in Bloom” will spotlight such houses as the O.D. Oakey House, a Queen Anne Victorian that boasts an English cottage-style garden with daffodils and tulips, and the Hockman House, an Italianate Victorian-style home that owners Meg and Scott Wise meticulously renovated after purchasing it in 2017.
Tickets are $35 if bought in advance or $45 the day of the event.
