You could spend more time in other people’s homes and gardens than your own over the next few weekends.
Thousands of people are expected to attend an abundance of Atlanta-area home tours in April and May and roam through more than 50 gardens, historic homes and new residences that feature artwork and collectibles, with homeowners, architects and designers on hand.
Some of the annual fundraising tours are celebrating milestones, such as the 40th anniversary of the Grant Park Tour of Homes and the 30th anniversary of the Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour.
“The gardens are in the limelight,” said Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour chair Sandy Kellam.
The 44th Annual Decorators’ Show House — one of the longest-running show homes in the nation — features a new spin on a Buckhead landmark previously known as the “Pink Palace.” Now called Palazzo Rosa, the home was built by Neel Reid, Hal Hentz and Philip Shutze in 1926.
It’s the third time this house has been chosen for the Decorators’ Show House, but it was recently restored and is now considered a “green” house with features including a geothermal heating and cooling system, said Stanley E. Romanstein, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra president and CEO. More than 30 Southeast designers were selected for the show house.
“It’s amazing. I actually have clients in other states that have read about it and know about it,” said Traci Rhoads, who designed the master bedroom. “Knowing that you were selected for it, it’s an honor.”
The tours give a peek into properties belonging to longtime residents and newcomers. Elisa Hill moved into Inman Park in 2012, appreciating that the neighborhood offered everything from new townhomes like hers to mansions. She mixed old pieces such as a Victorian mahogany dining table from England with new furnishings.
In Grant Park, a restored Victorian Queen Anne cottage on the tour features details such as the original curved ceilings, doors, doorknobs, trim and exposed brick. Even burn marks on the mantels speak to the history, said homeowner Aaron Faubli.
During the Druid Hills tour, which is in its 46th year, trolleys will take people to seminars in Emory Village and Callanwolde Fine Arts Center for a pottery and artist market, but walkability is a highlight, said Ryan Graham, chairman of the Druid Hills Tour of Homes Committee. Using old walking paths cut between the homes, people can stroll through the neighborhood the way it was designed to be lived in, he said.
Angi Evert is used to welcoming groups to her Atlanta garden, which will be on the Gardens for Connoisseurs tour.
“We really live in every part of the yard,” she said. “We have three daughters, and our house has always been the place where everybody gathers.”
Guests also can meander through gardens of Lisa Brown’s 5-acre Buckhead property, which has ponds, a stream and a waterfall.
“There’s so much to see that you just can keep going and going,” said Brown, who moved into the home in August. “It’s a special yard, and it’s meant to be shared with people on the tour.”
IF YOU GO
Inman Park Tour of Homes
When: April 25-27
Price: $15 in advance, $20 day of tour
Info: inmanparkfestival.org/events/tour-of-homes
44th Annual Decorators’ Show House & Gardens
When: April 26-May 18
Price: $25 through April 25; $30 days of tour
Info: DecoratorsShowHouse.org, 404-733-4935
Greater Decatur Garden Tour
When: April 26-27
Price: $20 in advance, $25 tour days
Info: decaturgardentour.com/information, 678-642-4977
Madison in May Spring Tour of Homes & Gardens
When: May 1-3
Price: $25 nonmembers, $20 Madison-Morgan Cultural Center members, $15 students through April 27; $30 nonmembers, $25 members, $20 students after April 27
Info: mmcc-arts.org, 877-233-0598
Druid Hills Tour of Homes & Gardens and Callanwolde Artist & Pottery Market
When: May 2-4
Price: $25
Info: druidhillstour.org, 404-524-8687
Atlanta Botanical Garden’s 2014 Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour
When: May 10-11
Price: $25 in advance ($5 discount for members) through May 9, $30 at the door
Info: atlantabotanicalgarden.org, 404-876-5859
Cobb County Master Gardeners “Through the Garden Gate” Tour
When: May 10
Price: $15 in advance, $20 day of the tour
Info: cobbmastergardeners.com/garden-tour-2, 770-528-4070
Historic Grant Park 40th Annual Tour of Homes
When: May 17-18
Price: $20 in advance, $25 weekend of tour
Info: grantpark.org/event/83259
Kirkwood Spring Fling and Tour of Homes
When: May 17-18
Price: $20
Info: kirkwoodfling.com
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