Richmond's River Hill photo by Rene Scott
The Garden Club of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week offers a unique chance in 2026, during the nation’s 250th anniversary, to visit many properties linked to early Virginians who helped shape American history.
Historic Garden Week 2026 is set for April 18 through April 25. The tour in Alexandria will take place Saturday, April 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. More information will be available as the date gets closer.
In 1946, Alexandria became the third city in the country to establish a historic district, preserving its architectural heritage. This leisurely walking tour of Old Town Alexandria includes private townhomes and secluded gardens located along the tree-lined streets of the historic district. In addition, the tour ticket includes admission to two Garden Club of Virginia restoration projects within a short driving distance of the tour area — George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens and Green Spring Gardens.
A home from the Roanoke tour in 2024; photo by Kathryn Feldmann
From Washington to Jefferson, to the indigenous peoples who initially inhabited these lands and the enslaved Africans who contributed to the construction of many of the sites open for touring, Virginia embodies its founding ideals through these individuals, making it an ideal place to learn about our country’s beginnings.
The owners of more than 120 of Virginia’s most beautiful private properties, as well as historic landmarks throughout Virginia, will open their homes for tours to help raise funds to restore and preserve the public gardens and landscapes this April. Historic Garden Week encompasses 29 tours, in addition to bonus gardens at Little Oak Spring and Morven.
Photo courtesy of the Garden Club of Virginia
Orange County by Carla Passarello
Showcased properties span four centuries of history and architecture, featuring everything from farmhouses and manors to urban townhomes and mid-century masterpieces. Each tour offers a captivating selection of three to five private homes and gardens, many of which are open to the public for the first time during Historic Garden Week, along with access to numerous state and national historic landmarks. Prices range from $25 to $75 per person, with a child’s ticket (ages 5-17) available for $15 for many tours, which is new this year.
Some Historic Garden Week tours are walking tours, while others require participants to drive their own cars from property to property. If shuttle transportation is needed, it is included in the tour ticket price. Stunning floral arrangements, created by talented GCV members, focus on seasonal flowers and plants native to Virginia, adding another element of inspiration and beauty to the showcased sites. More than just a fundraiser, this statewide house and garden tour is a cherished springtime tradition for both Garden Club of Virginia (GCV) members, who organize it, and for over 24,000 attendees.
Last year, visitors from 42 states and 16 countries traveled to Virginia to take part in what is also the nation's oldest house and garden tour. In addition to garden restorations, proceeds support a historic landscape research fellowship program that is building a comprehensive library of Virginia’s notable gardens. Since its beginning in 1996, the program has documented 31 sites, adding to vital research on historic properties and landscape practices.
The Garden Club of Virginia has completed 130 restorations across the Commonwealth, including several connected to the nation’s 250th anniversary, made possible through funding from Historic Garden Week. While other organizations were called upon to preserve the homes of Virginia’s Founding Fathers, the Garden Club of Virginia played a vital role in restoring and interpreting the landscapes and key garden features at these sites, as well as at others with ties to the early history of Virginia.
Examples of public spaces where GCV projects have occurred include George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Thomas Jefferson’s properties Monticello, Point of Honor, and Poplar Forest, James Madison’s Montpelier, and the Mews at St. John’s Church, located in Richmond’s Church Hill, the site of Patrick Henry’s famous call to arms. Many of GCV’s restoration sites have connections to the nation’s beginnings and its subsequent expansion, shaping the development of Virginia and the country. Some lesser-known sites include Burwell Morgan Mill, co-owned by Daniel Morgan, a leading general in the American Revolution, and Fincastle Church, one of the gateways to the west.
Visit GCVirginia/historic-garden-week.org for a complete schedule and descriptions of each of the upcoming tours. Tickets and the Guidebook are available in mid-February.
