Historic Home & Garden Tour
The 2027 Historic Home & Garden Tour is [DATE TBD]. Tickets usually go on sale in February. Join the email list and you'll hear first.
Kim McCole
One Saturday every spring
◆ ◆
One Saturday every spring, nine private historic homes in the South and East Lake Morton districts open their doors to the public. Owners and greeters are on hand at each one to tell you the story of the house and answer whatever you want to ask.
It's self-guided. Walk it or ride the shuttle. Most people finish in about two hours.
The homes are never announced ahead of time. You find out the morning of, and that's half the fun.
How the day WORKS
◆ ◆
Park
Free, on the Florida Southern College campus at Johnson Avenue and Frank Lloyd Wright Way. The lot entrance is at Park Hill and Frank Lloyd Wright Way.
Check in from 10:30 am
Registration is across the street from the lot, outside the Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center. Pre-purchased tickets have their own Will Call line. Everyone signs a liability waiver before they get a wristband.
Homes open at 11:00 am
Not a minute before, no matter how early you check in. The visitor center is open for browsing and shopping while you wait.
Ride or walk
Shuttle buses run 11am to 4:15pm and are included in your ticket. They stop near clusters of homes rather than at every door, so there's walking either way.
The tour ends at 4pm, promptly
Plan your time. Stop for lunch if you like, there are good restaurants a few blocks away.
Rain or shine
The tour happens.
Tip
If you bought your ticket online, come at noon or later. You'll skip the registration crowd entirely and still have four hours.
Read this first
◆ ◆
Accessibility
We'd rather tell you plainly than have you find out at the first porch. Wheelchairs are not allowed inside the homes. Most homes have front porch steps. The shuttle doesn't stop at every house, so significant walking is required either way. Each homeowner also decides which rooms are open, and that varies house to house and year to year. Restrooms are at the visitor center and at the Success House shuttle stop, marked on the tour map. The homes are not available for restrooms.
Waiver
Every guest signs a liability waiver at check-in. Read the language before you buy.
Everyone needs a ticket
Including small children. There's no child rate and no partial ticket. Strollers aren't allowed in the homes, and neither are pets. Most people find this works better as an adult outing.
The homes stay secret until the day
That's on purpose, to protect the homeowners' privacy. You'll see tour signs in yards the week before. Those are not the tour homes. When you check in you get a wristband, a map, and a brochure describing every house.
Dress casual, skip the heels
Some homeowners ask guests to remove shoes or slip on disposable booties. Come prepared for that possibility.
Wristbands are checked at every door
Volunteers at each home look for a paid wristband. No wristband, no entry, and wristbands aren't transferable.
Questions, answered
◆ ◆
-
On the Florida Southern College campus, at Johnson Avenue and Frank Lloyd Wright Way. The lot entrance is at Park Hill and Frank Lloyd Wright Way. Parking is free. Check-in is across the street, outside the FSC visitor center.
-
There's a separate Will Call line for pre-purchased tickets, so it moves faster. Everyone still signs the liability waiver before getting a wristband.
-
Check-in starts at 10:30, but no home opens before 11. If you already have your ticket, come at noon or later and skip the crowd.
-
No, not fully. Wheelchairs aren't allowed inside the homes, most homes have front porch steps, and the shuttle stops near clusters of houses rather than at each one, so there's real walking involved.
-
Not necessarily. Each homeowner chooses how much of the house to show, and often marks certain rooms off limits. It changes from house to house and year to year.
-
Yes, but everyone needs a ticket, including small children. There's no child rate. Strollers aren't allowed in the homes. Many guests find this works better as an adult outing.
-
Casual. Some homeowners ask guests to take off their shoes or wear disposable booties, so wear something easy. Leave the heels at home.
-
At the Frank Lloyd Wright visitor center, and at the Success House, which is also a shuttle stop. Both are marked on the tour map. The homes on the tour are not available for restrooms.
-
Included in your ticket. They run from 11am to 4:15pm.
-
You can, but most tour streets have little or no on-street parking, and the city does issue tickets for violations. The shuttle is the easier way.
-
No. There are no partial or discounted tickets.
-
Ticket sales end at 2pm. Starting later than that doesn't leave enough time to see the houses, and we don't sell partial tickets.
-
To protect the homeowners' privacy. You find out when you check in and get your brochure and map.
-
No. Volunteers check every guest for a paid wristband at every door, and wristbands aren't transferable.
-
Yes. There are good local restaurants right in the neighborhood. Just remember the tour ends at 4pm sharp.
-
The tour runs rain or shine.
It runs on neighbors
◆ ◆
This tour exists because Lake Morton residents give up a Saturday and, in nine cases, open their homes.
Show your home
Your house does not have to be perfect. It does not have to be finished. Every house here has a story, and that's what people come for. LMNA covers tour homes with a liability policy for the day.
Volunteer
Greeters, registration, shuttle stops, setup. A few hours makes the whole thing work.
Either way, email us.
Why it matters
The Home & Garden Tour is LMNA's main fundraiser for the year. It pays for the neighborhood signs, the swan holiday lights, the lake cleanups, and the advocacy work that keeps these houses standing. Buying a ticket is the single easiest way to support the neighborhood.