Old Town Alexandria's Home and Garden Tour slated for Saturday, April 20, provides a lovely way to enjoy Spring's emerging beauty and peek into the city's most spectacular homes and gardens. The event kicks off the Garden Club of Virginia's beloved statewide tour, the only one of its kind in the nation. Offering a glimpse into the town's storied past, the tour features homes dating from 1785 lovingly renovated as envisioned by a new generation. Visitors will be treated to six beautifully appointed properties featuring tasteful furnishings, unique art collections, and spectacular floral arrangements designed by blue ribbon garden club members. Gardens filled with bountiful Spring flowers are timed to bloom in concert with the tour.

Tickets include admission to five private homes and gardens, Lee-Fendall House, once a private home with a rich history now housing a museum, as well as six nearby public properties, including: Mount Vernon, River Farm, Carlyle House, Gunston Hall and Green Spring Gardens. Advance tickets are $55 online at www.vagardenweek.org and may be purchased tour day at the Alexandria Visitor's Center located at 221 King Street.

The event also includes a special pop-up Marketplace Boutique located in the Atheneum at 201 Prince Street. The boutique features a curated collection of beautiful clothing, gifts, and jewelry. Offerings include soft cashmere scarves, linen dresses, and Scottish woven sweaters by Heidi Wynne; elegant personalized stationery, invitations and gifts from Georgetown Paperie; exquisitely handmade, timeless designs by Deo duPont Jewelry; hand painted art featuring flowers and animals by the talented and gifted artist Virginia Donelson; a beautiful selection of children's clothing, toys and personalized gifts from Old Town's Monday's Child boutique; Indo-Chic women's classic silk blouses, jackets, and skirts; Sarah Bray Bermuda Hats made of sea grass and palm leaf, adorned with beautiful vintage floral and grosgrain ribbon; A Shirt Story offering pre-loved 100% cotton men's oxford shirts reworked for women; and, an extensive inventory of stunning peony bulbs from Peony's Envy. The Marketplace is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Garden Club of Virginia's (GCV) eight-day statewide tour from April 20 to 27 includes 170 private properties throughout Virginia, including stately manors, renovated farmhouses, private homes, and waterfront villas. Proceeds fund restoration and preservation of nearly 50 Virginia historic public gardens. The annual event also funds a historic landscape research fellowship program that is building a comprehensive library documenting the Commonwealth's important gardens and landscapes. The tour draws approximately 25,000 tourists annually and dates to 1929.

The Old Town Alexandria tour is hosted by the GCV's two local garden clubs, Hunting Creek Garden Club and Garden Club of Alexandria. For more information, visit www.vagardenweek.org, online, @historicgardenweekoldtownalexandria on Facebook

and @historicgardenweekoldtown on Instagram.

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Category: Attractions | Shows | Tours