Historic Garden Week: The Most Stunning Virginia Gardens for Spring Flowers

The owners more than 120 of Virginia’s most beautiful private properties will open their front doors and garden gates for Historic Garden Week, April 18–25, 2026. The 93rd rendition of the event continues to raise funds to restore and preserve the state’s historic public gardens. 

Founded in 1920, the Garden Club of Virginia’s first standing committee was its Conservation Committee, making it one of the oldest and most significant organizations in Virginia to promote the conservation of natural resources and stewardship of the environment. 

Learn a bit about the history of garden week and get a preview of some exclusive tours on offer for this year's event. 

What is Historic Garden Week? 

The only statewide house and garden tour in the country, this springtime tradition is an occasion to share sustainable practices with the roughly 24,000 visitors who attend annually. Many GCV clubs organize special activities on their tour day. Topics range from learning about conservation easements to beekeeping and how to create a rain garden. 

In addition to accessing private properties, guests will enjoy more than 1,000 floral arrangements created by talented GCV members to decorate spaces open to the public during this eight-day open house. GCV members provide their time and talents and share the bounty of their gardens for this statewide floral fest, making this a unique opportunity for gardeners to get inspired and learn about what’s thriving in various parts of Virginia in the springtime.

How to Attend Historic Garden Week 

Most Garden Week tours require a ticket for admission. Choose which tours you'd like to attend and buy individual tickets, or opt for a State Pass to get access to every tour. A few select events require separate, timed tickets. New this year, you can get a child's ticket for those ages five to 17 for $15. 

Pro tip: Buy tickets in advance online to save $10 compared to day-of ticket prices. 

Check out these tours

There are 29 tours being held around Virginia for this year's Garden Week. We're highlighting a few below, but you can check out the full schedule of tours to see the whole program. 

If you have a special interest in architecture or history, check out page five of the official guidebook for recommendations for tours that may interest you — or if you prefer, check out tours that have shuttles or trolleys for transportation or are by the waterfront.  
 

Old Town Alexandria 

Date: Saturday, April 18 

What's Included

Enjoy a house and garden walking tour of the historic Old Town Alexandria neighborhood, where secluded gardens bloom among tree-lined streets. Your ticket includes admission to five properties, all of which date back to at least the 18th centuries. You can also check out two Garden Club of Virginia restoration projects within driving distance, George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Green Spring Gardens. 

The tour will also include complimentary light refreshments at St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Pitt Street and vendor marketplace at the Athanaeum. 

Garden Highlights 

Look for blooming camellias, azaleas, star jasmine, roses, and boxwoods at an elegant Prince Street townhome on Alexandria's iconic Captain's Row. 

Sustainability Tip

If you'd rather not park in Old Town, save gas and take the Metro to the King Street station (serviced by the Blue and Yellow lines). There will be a free trolley to bring guests from the station to the Visitors Center. 

Find more to do in Alexandria with our complete visitor guide. 

Albemarle County 

Date: Saturday, April 18 – Monday, April 20 

What's Included

Take a driving tour to historic sites around Albemarle County, beginning with admission to the grounds and gardens of Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. 

On Saturday, hear from Peggy Cornett, Monticello's senior curator of plants, in Jefferson's vegetable garden at select times. On Sunday, there will be vendor sales, native plant displays, and free tree saplings at tour headquarters. 

Garden Highlights

You can see Jefferson's design in the West Lawn's oval flower beds, which the Founding Father sketched in 1807. 

Sustainability Tip

On the special Monday tour, see Morven's Gardens and the diverse rural lands of the UVA Morven Sustainability Lab. 

Northern Neck

Dates: Wednesday, April 22

What's Included

Start your tour of the gardens of the Northern Neck at Ditchley Cider Works, where you can also pre-purchase lunch to enjoy during your tour. The tour includes access to five private waterfront homes, each along scenic Indian Creek. 

You'll also be bale to access the Manor House at Historic Ditchley and get free admission to Menokin, Historic Christ Church, and the grounds of Stratford Hall. 

Garden Highlight

Spot bald eagles, ospreys, and heron along the shoreline while you tour homes with flowering rose bushes, mimosa trees, Chinese holly, fringe flower, and butterfly bushes.  

Sustainability Tip  

Learn about a $3.6 millino shoreline restoration project at The Tides Inn in Irvington, where the project is making room for healthy aquatic life and wetland grasses, plus a Shoreline Trail along Carters Creek. 

Virginia Executive Mansion — Richmond 

Date: Friday, April 24

What's Included

Admission is free for this Garden Week event where visitors can take in the gardens of the oldest governor's mansion in the country.

The tour also includes access to the Kent-Valentine House, an Italianate mansion with a Gothic Revival interior. Designed in 1845, the home is now the headquarters of the Garden Club of Virginia. 

Garden Highlight

Pause for reflection and take in the beauty of the Valentine-Jackson Memorial Garden, established and dedicated to several enslaved families who worked at the mansion in the 1800s. 

Roanoke–Salem

Date: Saturday, April 25

What's Included

Take part in a walking tour of five properties in the charming town of Salem, known for its rich history and architectural beauty. The tour focuses on homes in the North Broad Street Historic District, each built between 1867 and 1891. 

The Salem Farmers Market acts as tour headquarters, which also makes for a convenient afternoon of lunch and shopping. You'll find complimentary refreshments at the Hockman House. 

Pro tip: Get the South Region Combo Ticket for $75 and you can tour Martinsville, Danville-Chatham, and Roanoke-Salem on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, respectively. 

Garden Highlight

Sunbursts adorn the half-timbered gables on a Queen Anne Victorian, which features an English cottage-style garden with black walnut trees, daffodils, tulips, and alliums. 

Sustainability Tip

Take a walk at nearby Poor Mountain Natural Area Preserve to observe the world's largest population of piratebush, a rare native shrub.