The Del Ray House and Garden Tour is returning this May for the first time since the Covid pandemic hit.
The tour returns on Saturday, May 11, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. and offers visitors an inside look at everything from lavish homes to accessory dwelling units.
The event involves a self-guided walking tour around a variety of Del Ray’s most beautiful homes and gardens. The event is hosted by the Del Ray Citizens Association (DRCA). Tickets are $45 if purchased in advance or $50 if purchased the day-of. Proceeds from the tour benefit neighborhood projects like the creation of local gardens and playgrounds.
According to the DRCA website:
The House and Garden Tour has been held every other year from 1999 until 2018. With the COVID-19 pandemic, plans for a tour in 2020 and 2022 were put on hold, so the DRCA is excited for this year’s return. Proceeds from ticket sales go toward neighborhood projects. In 2018, the tour raised more than $14,000 for the Nancy Dunning Memorial Garden and the Del Ray Gateway Project, while other tours have supported the Mt. Vernon School playground and neighborhood parks.
2024 House and Garden Tour Committee member Caitlin Garlow told ALXnow the specifics of the tour are kept a bit of a mystery until the day of the tour, but did say:
- The homes on this year’s tour range from small scale accessory dwelling units (ADUs) to single family new construction and everything in between.
- This walkable tour offers a chance to see the wide variety of homes in the neighborhood as well as gardens and landscaped areas.
- The tour is a wonderful reflection of Del Ray’s diversity as well as an opportunity to see the work of local architects and builders.
- Get an inside look at living in Del Ray and to gather ideas on paint colors, tiles, decorative hardware, plants, bath and kitchen fixtures, and more.
