HIstoric Garden Week in Virginia has slipped by; The Fan Woman’s Club Kitchen and Garden Tour is a memory; the Museum District’s Mother’s Day Tour has passed — but we’re not done yet! Next Saturday, May 14th between noon and 5 PM, selected homes and gardens in the Ginter Park neighborhood will open their doors and gates to visitors.

Ginter Park House and Garden Tour celebrates 100 years of Architecture May 14 2011 between noon and 5 PM

The annual tour will be celebrating 100 years of architecture and gardens and the 100th anniversary of the incorporation of the Ginter Park neighborhood.  Times-Dispatch article on Ginter Park Tour Ticket Information and Details.

And, once you visited the ten homes and gardens open for touring, just up the road you’ll find Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens featuring its Millions of Blooms.  Right now the roses and peonies are in their prime and provide great photo opportunities. You can also check out the progress of world-famous artist Patrick Dougherty as he builds his stick sculpture, which will be named on May 21 at the Spring Fling in the Garden.

And, this is the FINAL weekend for the exhibition “Picasso: Masterpieces from the Musee National Picasso, Paris” at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Better get there before it’s gone for good!

Lots in store this weekend, don’t miss out! Richmond and central Virginia are the place to be….

If you can’t catch one of the Richmond tours during Historic Garden Week, there’s always the Fan Woman’s Club Annual Kitchen and Garden Tour.

Kitchen and Garden Tour in Richmond's historic Fan District May 1 2011 1-6 PM

This year’s theme, Urban Delights, offers a diverse selection of homes and gardens in Richmond’s historic Fan District. Discover how urban homeowners maximize every inch of space both inside and outside their homes. See how each home has been personalized by its owners who focus on blending historic architectural details with the functionality required by modern families.  The tour features homes across the length of the Fan District, from the 1400-block of Grove to the Boulevard.

The Fan Woman’s Club organizes this tour each spring as its primary fundraiser to support its grants to neighborhood non-profit organizations and its neighborhood improvement activities.  The woman’s club has upgraded park facilities with new benches and plantings and funded new period-appropriate street litter receptacles.  Houses are staffed by volunteers and neighborhood businesses sponsor the event.

The Historic Fan District is an 85-block turn of the century (19th to 20th, that is) residential neighborhood, named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 as the largest intact Victorian neighborhood in the United States. It takes its name from its tree-lined avenues and streets that “fan out” from Monroe Park, adjacent to the academic campus of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). Best described as architecturally diverse, the over 2,300 classic town homes feature bay windows, turrets, high ceilings, parquet oak and pine floors, mahogany woodwork, stained and leaded glass, and varied porch and balcony designs. Most homes are brick or brick and brownstone.

At the east end of the Fan, close to Monroe Park, sits a unique clapboard residence on a large corner lot.  Completed before the area gained popularity in 1869, on a parcel purchased in 1862, it is now Richmond’s premier bed and breakfast known for its hearty gourmet breakfasts. A stay in our urban inn is a better way to stay: to experience the Fan neighborhood like a local, to dine in neighborhood eateries, and to enjoy live theater, neighborhood entertainment and nearby museums and attractions.

Spring is definitely here in Richmond Virginia.  Azaleas, dogwoods, irises and other mid-Spring blooms are evident everywhere in Richmond’s historic Fan District.  Our urban yard is also showing signs of spring.  Here, at the William Miller House Bed and Breakfast, azaleas, camellia, and even our front-and-center dogwood are in their glory.  The weather is milder and porch-sitting, despite the pollen, is back in season – as is relaxing in the courtyard garden.

Here’s the latest blooms in our garden:

Azaleas show their color

Dogwood welcomes guests at Richmond's premier bed and breakfast

Bottlebrush, anyone?

But, this weekend begins Historic Garden Week in Virginia, with homes and gardens across Virginia open to ticketholders.  Often termed America’s Largest and Grandest Open House, Garden Week features tours in Richmond on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Information. So make your plans and y’all come!

The Garden Club of Virginia has organized the 78th Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia from April 16th through April 23rd, presenting house and garden tours all across the state of Virginia.

Virginians from north, south, in the mountains, and by the sea are opening their doors and gates to welcome visitors to their unforgettable gardens and delightful homes dressed for Spring with fabulous flower arrangements provided by local garden clubs.  Most of the properties welcoming visitors on specific days are privately owned, but the proceeds from this tour support the preservation and restoration of the grounds of more than three dozen of Virginia’s historic landmarks.

Richmond is proud to host tours on Tuesday April 19th, Wednesday April 20th, and Thursday April 21st. Schedule.

78th Annual Historic Garden Week in Virginia Special in Richmond April 18 - 20. Book today!

Tuesday’s tour features homes and gardens in Richmond’s Hampton Gardens/Cary Street Road area. Built in the 20′s and 30′s, these homes range from Georgian Revival to English Tudor to Colonial. Each is filled with furnishings and art that reflect the personalities of its owners.  Gardens range from dramatic slopes with multiple stone terraces highlighted with banks of roses to a private backyard with a low maintenance garden of river birch, hydrangea, hosta, and Virginia’s famed azaleas.

Wednesday’s tour highlights the grandeur of Monument Avenue, the first street in America to be named a National Historic Landmark.  Homes open for the tour reflect a variety of sophisticated American and European architectural styles popular in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Grand entrances, soaring spaces, period architectural details, and manicured gardens and courtyards provide a feast for your eyes and wonderful ideas to take home with you.  Make prior arrangements and have lunch at the Branch House, the largest single family home built on Monument Avenue, now the Virginia Center for Architecture at 2501 Monument Avenue. Homes on Monument Avenue are not often open to the public – this is an opportunity not to be missed!

Thursday’s tour takes place in the Windsor Farms area of Richmond and includes the Windsor House built in 1945 on the site of the Windsor Farm. Located in a park-like setting, originally designed by Charles Gillette, noted landscape architect, the original brick structure and its seamless additions are an oasis in the city.  Even a later home, a Dutch Colonial built in 1970, opens its doors and gardens to the public on this Wednesday. Enjoy a prearranged lunch under a tent at Agecroft Hall and enjoy the grounds and gardens of Agecroft as an added bonus.

Here’s an inn-side tip: plan to attend all three tours in Richmond, and book your three-night stay at Richmond’s premier bed and breakfast right in the middle of it all in the heart of Richmond’s historic Fan District. Book your stay for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights – April 18, 19, 20, reference OPEN HOUSE, and get 35% off Wednesday’s room rate.  In addition, you’ll get a hearty gourmet breakfast every morning that will stick to your ribs for the day’s walking tour. Come back to the inn, enjoy our complimentary evening wine and cheese in the inn’s private gardens.  You’ll get free off-street parking, private en-suite bathrooms, and even free Wi-Fi to keep up with your e-mail – if you must.

The tours are walking tours, so please wear comfortable walking shoes for your own safety and as a courtesy to the homeowners who have generously opened their residences for the tour. Each ticket will have a map of the houses open on the tour.  Organizers of the tours request no interior photography or sketching and no use of cell phones within the tour houses.  Tickets will be available on tour day at any of the properties open for touring. Advance tickets for the tour are available on-line, as are guidebooks with all the details about each property and tours across the state.  Luncheons must be prearranged as well! Make your plans now!

A Taste of Grace Candlelight Home Tour

A Taste of Grace Candlelight Home Tour in Richmond Virginia February 12 2011

is scheduled Saturday, February 12, 2011.  Beginning at 4 PM, ticket holders will be invited to tour 6 historic homes on Richmond’s West Grace Street, just one block off Monument Avenue.  This tour is unique in that ticket holders will be treated to appetizers, wine, or dessert and coffee in each of the lovely homes.

The wines will come from Virginia’s own Barboursville Vineyard and each ticket holder will get a logo’d glass to carry along.  Included in the round-up is one of the Fan District’s oldest homes dating back to 1838 – formerly known as Talavera and linked to Edgar Allan Poe!  West Grace Street homes are large, elegant and full of architectural details.  Today, West Grace Street is called home by an eclectic mix of Richmond urban folks including families with young children, retirees, artists, small business owners, lawyers, bankers – the entire gamut.

Julie Young of the Richmond Times-Dispatch details the homes and their features, complete with photos in today’s paper.  Check it out!

$15 advance tickets are available at various neighborhood outlets. Day-of tickets will be available at Heartfields, 501 N Allen for $20. Tour hours are 4PM to 8PM.

Grab your BFFs, start a new Saturday before Valentine’s tradition, and relish this home tour with an eclectic mixture of highlights and features – all accompanied by taste treats and beverages!  Just another little known peek into Richmond’s urban neighborhoods and city life at its best!  Proceeds benefit neighborhood projects.

Richmond’s Fan District is hosting its annual Holiday House Tour on December 11 and 12. During this 48th tour, eight homes near Meadow Park will be open both Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM.

Advance tickets are available on line and in several retail locations in Richmond.  Tickets will also be available the day of the tour at hospitality centers and Strawberry Street Vineyard.  More Info.

The Fan District Association of Richmond, Virginia has posted a preview of the tour: A Story Book Holiday House Tour on their website. The descriptions of the homes and the photos will entice you to get a ticket and take part in this very Richmond tradition – a chance to see how a sampling of Fan residents live and celebrate the holidays.

Another Richmond tradition, the Gardenfest of Lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, lights up the evening creating magical splendor with over 700,000 lights in a Fire and Ice theme.  There’s even a firepit with s’mores! Don’t miss the gift shop – unique gifts for you, for your garden, and for that hard-to-find-the-perfect-gift-for person on your list! More Info.

And, as usual, Richmond’s premier bed and breakfast is putting on its holiday face too! A stay in one of our guest rooms during the holiday season gives you the opportunity to delight in the holiday trimmings and a wonderful, hearty gourmet breakfast!

The Fan Woman’s Club presents its annual Kitchen and Garden Tour Sunday May 2, 2010 between 1 PM and 6 PM.  Eight  fabulous Fan District private homes are opening their doors and their gardens to tour ticket holders.  Tickets are available on line as well as at a few local commercial establishments.  Ticket info.  Advance tickets may be purchased on-line through 6 PM on Saturday, May 1, 2010.  A preview of homes including photos by local photographer, Tony Giammarino, are available as well as short descriptions of what to expect at each residence. Take a peek, whet your appetite for a glimpse into family life in the Fan, purchase a ticket or two, and make it a great Sunday afternoon.  One of the tour homes is just two blocks away from our B & B.

The Fan Woman’s Club Annual Kitchen and Garden Tour is another one of Richmond Virginia’s best kept secrets. Visit Richmond, stay at our downtown Richmond inn, and we’ll share the best of the best with you from dining options at neighborhood eateries, sights to see, things to do, and we’ll give you insight into living in Richmond’s premier neighborhood.  Our bed and breakfast features two classic, elegant guest rooms, each with a private en suite bath, high end bedding and luxurious linens, thick thirsty towels, high speed WiFi, cable equipped flat screen TV’s, a complimentary evening wine hour, and a hearty gourmet breakfast as well as a host of other amenities to make your stay memorable.  Don’t forget one of our rooms has a whirlpool tub in addition to a separate tiled shower.

We’re looking forward to your visit!

West Avenue Garden Week Tour is just three short blocks from the premier Richmond VA bed and breakfast; and one of the homes on the West Avenue tour on Thursday, April 22 is featured in an article by Julie Young of Richmond’s Times-Dispatch.  Read the entire article here.

But, don’t forget! Historic Garden Week in Virginia features three tours in the Richmond area next week: Windsor Farms’ Elegant Family Living Tour on Tuesday, April 20; historic homes of the Church Hill Tour on Wednesday, April 21; and, West Avenue Plus Two Walking Tour on Thursday April 22. Tour Information.

Make your reservation at the best Richmond inn (according to our guests’ comments) and be in the middle of it all!  Start your day with a hearty gourmet breakfast and after a day of touring sip a glass of wine in our private urban garden with azaleas in full bloom!

The Richmond, Virginia area hosts three house and garden tours as part of Historic Garden Week in Virginia on Tuesday April 20, Wednesday April 21, and Thursday April 22.  This is the 77th Historic Garden Week organized by The Garden Club of Virginia. and is the oldest and largest program of its kind in the nation.  Creating beautiful gardens has been the tradition in Virginia since the 17th century. More than 200 homes throughout Virginia will be open to visitors to benefit historic preservation and restoration of important historic gardens.  Previous projects include gardens formerly owned by such notables as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and Patrick Henry, to name a few.  This worthwhile cause affords visitors the opportunity to enjoy and visit private gardens and homes bursting with the blooms and promise of  Virginia’s beautiful spring.

Make your plans now to stay in our Richmond inn and be centrally located to the  three Richmond tours: Windsor Farms, Church Hill, and West Avenue in the historic Fan District – just 3 blocks away!  Plan a Spring getaway with us, after  a hearty gourmet breakfast Tuesday morning spend the day visiting the Windsor Farms neighborhood.

Between 10 AM and 4:30 PM on Tuesday April 20th, 7 homes and gardens reflecting elegant family living from a 1950′s Cape Cod with a seamless integration of old and new spaces, to a stately 1929 Tudor, one of the first houses built in Windsor Farms. Also featured are a 1935 formal brick Georgian, a former ranch remodeled twice and featuring an extensive art collection, and a stone cottage built as a wedding present in the early 1930′s. Art, antiques, family heirlooms, a mix of old and new, and lush gardens invite visitors to enjoy the best of Richmond’s Windsor Farms neighborhood.  To rest your weary toes, head back to our bed and breakfast for the evening wine and cheese hour and relish in our private urban garden while you plan your dining experience at one of our neighborhood eateries.

Wednesday, April 21st, from 10 AM to 4:30 PM, it’s off to Church Hill!  A rousing reenactment of Patrick Henry’s “Give Me Liberty or GIve Me Death” speech at St. John’s Church is free as a special bonus to Garden Week’s Church Hill ticket holders. Plan to be seated by 12:30 PM, reenactment will last about 40 minutes. The Church Hill neighborhood has been undergoing a careful and painstaking restoration movement of its historic properties for at least the past 50 years.  One of Carrington Row’s homes will be featured; as will the Burton Farrar House built between 1818 and 1824. A Greek Revival built in 1861, St John’s Mews (a carefully constructed landscaping project on the site of two demolished buildings), a Federal period “bowfront” residence from about 1810, and an Italianate home built in 1881 are all featured.  Spend the day touring Church Hill and then return to our Greek Revival bed and breakfast built in 1869 for another chance to select from neighborhood dining spots and to enjoy our private urban garden.

After Thursday’s breakfast, a short three block stroll takes you to the West Avenue Plus Two Walking Tour.  Homes and gardens are open between 10 Am and 4:30 PM along one of the prettiest streets in Richmond’s Historic Fan District.  Townhouses open to Historic Garden Week ticket holders are as diverse as their owners: from sophisticated, contemporary, fashionable, eclectic, traditional, to precisely refined. Art ranges from African wildlife to contemporary, from abstract to portraits.  Gardens include a petit jardin Francais, a planted patio created by a garden historian and author, as well as a walled Charleston garden.  This is city-living at its best and a tour not to be missed!

Each tour requires an individual ticket available at the Garden Week website, along with more detailed information, including a special offer for a statewide ticket. So pick your room now, and take advantage of our central location for all three Richmond tours. You won’t be disappointed.

The last weekend in March is a weekend full of great activities to enjoy in Richmond Virginia and most are within a mile or two of our historic Fan District bed and breakfast.

The 11th Annual Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k, with its kids’ Fun Run, and Dress-Up and Run contest will take place Saturday March 27.  The run takes participants up and down Monument Avenue, one of America’s most beautiful boulevards. The morning is slated to be cool – perfect running weather and this forecast for sun is the first time for sunny weather since 2007!  As of now, somewhere around 37,000 participants have registered and registration is now closed, but there are plenty of opportunities to cheer the participants on, listen to the bands along the route, check out the Party Stops along the way, and take part in the festival in Monroe Park.

The 2010 Downtown Loft Tour takes place on March 27 between 10 Am and 5 Pm.  Sponsored by Venture Richmond, this is the opportunity to meet the owners, hear their stories,  and tour their spaces. Seeing is believing downtown’s lofty lifestyle.

Friday March 26 hosts the Fourth Friday Art Walk with new exhibits at Art Works, 320 Hull Street, and Reception at Russell Projects at Plant Zero Studio 44.  Of course, “Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz” continues until Sunday March 28 at Richmond’s Landmark Theater, ending its 19 day run here in Richmond.  The Richmond Ballet performs the two three-piece programs they will take to New York City’s Joyce Theater in April this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday and then again on Tuesday March 30 through Thursday April 1.  Lisa Lampanelli, the Queen of Mean, appears Saturday at the Carpenter Theatre at CenterStage.  Thursday, March 25, the Firehouse Theatre Project presents “Epiphany50 – One for the Road” a one man show written and performed by Bill Patton.  On Saturday, March 27, attend the 2010 Fire Ball, food, drink, raffle, auction to support the Firehouse Theatre. Attire is theatrical black-tie, tickets $65 per person.  Assorted live music options are also available at Richmond’s many venues.

Weekends are lively, upbeat, and fun in Richmond Virginia and a bed and breakfast stay is bound to create one-of-a-kind memories.