Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 11, 1993 TAG: 9304120303
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: E1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
THERE'S PLENTY TO SEE IN VA. DURING HISTORIC GARDEN WEEK
House and garden lovers, history buffs and other tourists seeking a springtime adventure will find a variety of places to visit during Historic Garden Week in Virginia from April 17-25.The nine-day program features 35 tours of outstanding houses and gardens during the peak of April's beauty. Daffodils, dogwood, tulips, azaleas and flowering fruit trees will provide a panorama of color for 40,000 visitors from the U.S. and abroad.
Proceeds from Garden Week tours benefit the restoration of historic gardens and grounds throughout Virginia. During the last 60 years, more than $5 million has been raised by The Garden Club of Virginia for historic preservation projects.
Among the 250 homes, gardens and landmarks open for Garden Week this year are the extensive gardens of multibillionaire John Kluge in Charlottesville; stately river plantations, some open only for this tour by private owners; fine town houses and spacious country estates; and many homes with Revolutionary War and Civil War histories. Handsome 18th and 19th century antiques, oriental rugs, paintings and porcelain collections are featured on every tour.
The Charlottesville-Albemarle County tours (April 18-22) celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Jefferson and include guided walks in the gardens of his mountain estate, Monticello; lectures on 18th century horticulture; a champagne and candlelight tour of Ash Lawn-Highland; numerous classic buildings designed by Jefferson; and many other highlights.
The "President Madison Family Tour" in Orange and Madison counties Saturday showcases five homes owned at one time by the family of President James Madison.
Adding a note of drama to Garden Week is a 17th century house, with museum-quality 17th century furnishings, built on the Rappahannock River by the family whose shipwrecked voyage to the New World is said to have been the inspiration for Shakespeare's "Tempest" (April 21 tour).
Other dramatic touches include the luxurious pool setting for an Acapulco scene in the TV miniseries "Jackie O" (Virginia Beach tour, April 18); and the 18th century Episcopal Church where Katharine Hepburn's grandfather served as rector (Hanover County tour, April 17).
The Alexandria tour (April 17) and the Fredericksburg tour (April 20) include restored homes where George Washington was entertained.
A highlight of the Danville tour (April 22) is the restored 1857 mansion where Jefferson Davis delivered his final Proclamation of the Confederacy and met for the last time with his full Cabinet before the end of the Civil War.
Two of the tours feature James River plantations, reminders of the elegance and prosperity of Virginia's early Colonial history. Bacon's Castle is the oldest documented brick house in English North America. Its 1680 garden is the oldest, most sophisticated and best preserved 17th century garden in America and has been restored with Historic Garden Week proceeds. Belle Air Plantation is one of the oldest frame houses in the United States and includes the finest Jacobean staircase in this country.
Visitors also may view a private wine cellar in Richmond holding more than 3,000 bottles (April 22); a garden in Staunton with more than 2,000 roses (April 24); and the historic Adam Thoroughgood house in Norfolk, where 5,000 spring bulbs should be in full bloom (April 22).
Three homes and a library, all built between 1930 and 1984, will be on the tour in Chatham on April 18.
The Roanoke tour will be held April 24 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A 200-page guidebook detailing the tours sells for $2. Write Historic Garden Week in Virginia, 12 E. Franklin St., Richmond 23219, or call (804) 644-7776.