This April, I had the pleasure of attending Historic Garden Week at Fort Monroe in Hampton, Virginia, and I’m not sure what was more beautiful – the flowers or the historic homes themselves. What I do know is that the combination of the two was irresistible.
Each year during Historic Garden Week in Virginia, some of the state’s most beautiful gardens, homes and historic landmarks are opened to the public over the course of eight days and bedecked with thousands of exquisitely beautiful flower arrangements. The arrangements are created by Garden Club of Virginia members (one of whom I want to be when I grow up).
This was the first time Fort Monroe had played host to the event, and it fell on an absolutely beautiful spring day. There were ten tour stops, five of which were the private homes of former high-ranking Army officers, and most of them had a sweeping view of the Chesapeake Bay.
Come on; let’s go inside!
PS. I found out a couple homes into the tour that photos weren’t allowed, but I’d already taken a bunch, so my misbehavior = your good fortune. You’re welcome.
The outsides were awfully pretty too.
My favorite home on the tour was the Hutcheson home, which is a few streets away from the others. I have never seen a historic home so lovingly cared for and decorated, both with the glorious garden club arrangements and Kathy Hutcheson’s own personal touches. If I could choose anyone in the world to decorate my home, I’d choose Kathy. She is gifted beyond belief, and I’m kicking myself for not asking her if I could take photos inside. But I think from the exterior, you can see enough to believe her home is everything.
Helpful Hint: Most people start at the first house and go in order. The homes can get quite crowded, so it might be wise to do it all in reverse order and avoid some of those early morning hallway traffic jams.
For more information on Historic Garden week, visit http://www.vagardenweek.org. For more information on Fort Monroe and the Hampton Virginia area, check out VisitHampton.com. Also, keep an eye out for follow-up posts. There’s a lot worth seeing, doing and tasting in the area.
Comments & Reviews
Brandy says
Wow it looks beautiful there! I would love to go and visit sometime!
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
How charming and beautiful! I want to go there so bad.
Jeanette says
Historic homes are so gorgeous! Add fresh flowers into the mix and you have the perfect pairing! Makes me want to go for a visit now, too! Every detail is so perfect!
Allie D. says
Wow! The gardens and floral arrangements look so beautiful! I would love to take a tour of the place.
Kathy says
My hometown! Hampton is a great city and our whole area has tons to do. I’m so glad you were able to take the tour and that you enjoyed it so much.
Jonna says
I think the gardens are my favorite! I would LOVE to visit there!
Dawn McAlexander says
Those are some gorgeous pictures. I love historic homes and gardens. I would have loved this tour.
Rachel says
Wow. Absolutely jaw dropping ly beautiful. And I can’t keep one pot of flowers on my poarch alive . . .
hannah k says
what an amazing tour experience you had! I love flowers and gardens, but it’s not something I can keep alive very well.
Jennifer says
The landscaping at these gardens is amazing! I love all of the unique different flower displays, thanks for sharing these cool photos.
Cathi Crismon says
Oh my gosh Liz! This is so awesome. I would love to go on a home and garden tour in Virginia. Your photo captures are gorgeous and I can only imagine what it was like in person.
Kathy says
That looks like such a beautiful place! I would love to visit that place sometime. I love garden type places, they’re so pretty.
Tammi Roy says
I would love to do this tour. I love to look at homes and gardens. Fort Monroe looks beautiful.
Ann Bacciaglia says
I love to tour historic homes. They are so beautiful and I love to hear the history of them. This would be an amazing tour.
Alicia says
I love all the fresh flowers! Flowers just make a home so much brighter and happier 🙂
Maria says
What a wonderful trip! I especially loved all of the decor & florals. I would love to visit & tour the beautiful homes & gardens.
Vera Sweeney says
This looks like a beautiful garden to visit! I love the beauty of the flowers it looks like a great place to relax and take in the beauty.
Sakura Beauty says
I would love to visit & tour the beautiful homes & gardens. It looks so good. I like it
janis says
Wow, you got a lot of really awesome pictures. I love how everything it so natural, and all of the lush greenery too.
Robin Rue (@massholemommy) says
The greenery is beautiful, isn’t it? It’s such a great place for a stroll 🙂
Monica says
How stunning! Both the homes, gardens and flower arrangements are amazing. I’ll have to put the April dates on my calendar. Our daughter and SIL live there and that is a great excuse to visit.
Amy Desrosiers says
Wow! This landscaping is truly stunning! I would love to relax here and get away!
StressedMum says
Looks beautiful, I love going around historic houses and gardens they really interest me, I loved the sunflowers x
Debbie says
Such beautiful homes! I’m from the west coast, so I rarely get to see this style of home. I’d love to do a home tour there!
Stacie @ Divine Lifestyle says
Oh wow! I can’t even begin to imagine seeing all of that beauty in person. Everything is gorgeous, from the flowers to the architecture!
Sheila says
WOW! The fresh flowers are absolutely beautiful. What a fabulous article. Thank you and look forward to your next blog post.
LaaLaa says
lmao loved the “my misbehavior = your good fortune”. The flowers are gorgeous and the architecture is beautiful. Sometimes there’s nothing better than walking around some beautiful landscaping x
Catherine S says
This looks like a wonderful tour to go on. All of the homes and flowers are beautiful.
Pam says
I love tours like this. The tip abou starting in reverse order is a really good one. I hate when tours are so crowded that I don’t get to see as much as I would like.
Nancy at Whispered Inspirations says
What an absolutely gorgeous home. 🙂 Thanks for taking those “extra” pics, it was amazing to see!
tara pittman says
My mom loves touring old houses. I would love to visit this house with her.
Brandy says
What a fantastic week to have some fun and learn some history. I really love history, the older I get the more I want to learn about our history in America!
lex says
the garden looks so evergreen and filled with that natural presence… what more can one want in a garden as lovely as this… great images to go aswell. great post i say.
Cathy says
Wow. What gorgeous homes and gardens. I especially love the character and charm of historical homes/buildings. Hopefully I’ll get to visit Virginia someday.
Pam says
I also love this thing historical homes and Gardens. They’re just so interesting to me.
kristin says
This looks so beautiful! I really want to travel east and see more of this country, starting with towns just like this!
Tania Potter - Soul Sense Coaching says
Oh my, how absolutely stunning! Your photos are superb and I absolutely love everything about this post.
Melanie Smith says
Those pictures are lovely!! I want to visit that place some day. Looks beautiful!
Jeanine says
What gorgeous photos! Fort Monroe looks just simply stunning. would love to visit and check it out myself at some point. It just looks lovely.
Harriet from Toby & Roo says
Ahhh it looks blissful here – I would so visit if we weren’t the opposite side of the world! H x
Life as Mum says
Oh wow. What a wonderful place and such beautiful photos
Neely (@Neelykins) says
This looks like absolute heaven! I would love to see something like this!
Tara says
Beautiful, looks like a really fun time! Would love to visit.
Nellwyn says
Looks so beautiful! I’m always impressed by beautiful floral arrangements and gardens since I’m useless with plants.
Tara says
What beautiful homes and the decor is gorgeous. I would love to take a tour.
Fomo Queen says
What lovely photos. So much history to be remembered. I’m sure visitors will be thankful for your post.
Hannah Clémentson says
Gardens and being with nature is my happy place, these photos are beautiful, such a gorgeous place. x
Kelly Hutchinson says
I love flowers, so this tour would have been right up my alley. I love the carnation “cake”
Lindsey Paris says
Great photos. That gazebo is picturesque, and the lighthouse is coooooool! Those flowers!!! I kill every houseplant I lay hands on.
Sarah says
These places look so beautiful and perfect to the last detail!
I love the lighthouse too!!
Vera Sweeney says
What an amazing tour to go on!!! I love how beautiful everything is there and vibrant colors as well.
Michele says
What lovely homes and the floral arrangements are stunning! The gardens are so beautiful and well kept. I would love to be able to go on this tour.
Sarah says
What a beautiful place to visit, I love it so much. The decor is to die for, I can see this being a place I Must visit!
William Sweeney says
This looks amazing!!! I love to visit places like this, it looks so relaxing and peaceful to go to.
Val says
I really love the idea of visiting Fort Monroe, looks like a great place to visit. I love all of the photos, thanks for sharing this!
Rhian Westbury says
Wow the sights really do look pretty and so many flowers. x
Rebecca Bryant says
WOw how beautiful are all the flowers. SO much color and cheer. I love having fresh flowers around.
Melisasource says
Those are gorgeous pictures! I would love to spend a Saturday afternoon exploring there.
Emily Leary says
Wow, these are amazing! I just can’t imagine what it would be like to live in a house like these.
Helene Cohen Bludman says
Wow, absolutely gorgeous! I love going on tours like this.
Marilu says
Absolutely gorgeous! I am in love with those flower and candle centerpieces <3
Agnes Dela Cruz says
Such a peaceful and historic site to visit. I love how they preserve everything for public viewing. Wish I was near to visit that place.
Brianne says
Stunning photos! And that lighthouse! Wow!
Amy Jones says
I could take so many great photos in those gardens! They seem so nice and peaceful
Cindy Ingalls says
So beautiful. It’s amazing to see all these gorgeous homes. Would love to see it person sometime.
lisa says
This looks so absolutely amazing I hope I get a chance to do this one day!!
tp keane says
This place is so stunning. I imagine it would be lovely and quiet there too.
Bella says
Thank you for sneaking these photos, they are beautiful! I love going on garden tours this time of year.
Elizabeth O. says
This definitely takes you back and I love that the homeowners allow people to tour their neighborhood! Everything is lovely, who wouldn’t want a home like that! I’m sure the last house was just as beautiful as you described it to be. This tour is very interesting and I would love to give it a try!
Chantal says
I love the display with the sunflowers – very creative! I would love to visit this park to see this beautiful place myself.
Terri Beavers says
Flowers make me happy. I wish we had a historic garden event around here. I’m allergic to most flowers but I put up with my reactions because I love being surrounded by flowers.
Nikki Wayne says
Oh, what a wonderful historic garden. This reminds me so much of my grandma’s garden when I was a kid.
Sarah says
mmmmmm, all the green! makes my soul heal just looking at it. Thanks for the post
Nicole Escat says
Oh! I’m so glad that you been there! Thank you so much for bringing these photos to us, I would love to go there one day.
Barbara Montag says
These pictures are all breath taking.
Thanks for sharing the beauty.
Charli Bruce says
Gosh, they are all so beautiful! And you are right about the Hutcheson home, it really does look fantastic! xx
Nicole Escat says
I want to go to this place. What a beautiful place to unwind, I want to bring my hubby there and take a slow walk.
Saminu Abass says
Sincerely speaking these are just wonderful posts. The flowers are amazing. Thanks for sharing
Nicole Etolen says
I like the theme of this place. It is a wonderful place, I’d like to see it in person.
Jemma says
Such gorgeous gardens and such beautiful weather you had on the day too.
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy says
All those gardens are beautiful. I wish mt garden looked like that at the moment.
Adriana Lopez says
what a beautiful opportunity I love flowers and those on your pictures look so nice congrats!
Marta says
I’ve seen something similar in Germany and remember getting a bit dizzy because of all the colors and scents 🙂
Ana De- Jesus says
So many flowers how gorgeous does Fort Monroe look with the beautiful assortment of colourful flowers?
Vanessa says
Seriously beautiful!! I love that dining room and all of the brilliantly coloured flowers 🙂
shelly peterson says
What an amazing place! Everything is so beautiful. What a great place to visit.
Milena says
The flowers in these photos are gorgeous! I would love to do something like this with my family!
Jess says
Wow, looks beautiful! I love noseying in other people’s homes, haha. Great tip about doing the tour in reverse, too 🙂
Kristen says
Those huge porches are amazing!
Chubskulit Rose says
This is such a beautiful place to visit, such a charm inside. My daughter would absolutwely love this place.
Bluedreamer says
what a lovely house and landscape.. you captured them so well.. I love all your photos and it feels like we are exploring the actual place.. thanks for giving us a quick tour
Victoria says
I would love to go there and take a photos. That was amazing everything looks beautiful
Sarahjane says
What a beautiful slice of history! If I am ever in Virginia I will need to go here!
Eugenia says
Both the flowers and the historic homes are simply amazing ! You managed to take such wonderful photos( the Hutcheson home is my fav)
Mandy says
Wow, so many beautiful flower arrangements!
Fashion and Style Police says
This looks heavenly. What a beautiful place. So perfect.
Alissa Apel says
The sunflowers in the vase are so pretty! What a pretty place.
Azlin Bloor says
Brilliant, brilliant post! Thanks for a glimpse of these houses! I love historical homes, we have many of them here in the Uk that are open to public most of the year. Love the vases used in the arrangements too!
Hannah says
This is one beautiful looking place – I would love to visit x
Kristen from The Road to Domestication says
Oh goodness, I could wander around here for days! And those floral arrangements are GORGEOUS!!!
jennifer L says
This is absolutely incredible! I just love the architecture on those classic homes too.
LaShawn says
Wow, looks gorgeous there! I love the porch and the fireplaces! So charming
The London Mum says
Oh wow, those houses are huge and ridiculously beautiful!!
Heather says
Absolutely beautiful! I love the white columns against the brick. Such beauty…love the light house too….and now I have a new idea with sunflowers. Never would have thought to do that!
Kristi says
What a beautiful place! I agree… tough to decide what is more beautiful the gardens or the homes! Glad I don’t choose… love it all.
Amber NElson says
Wow, that is so beautiful! I love those pictures. I wouldn’t mind visiting that place!
Sarah L says
I feel more elegant just by looking at these houses. Beautiful touches.
Angela Saver says
This looks like such a beautiful place to visit! I would love to visit Fort Monroe with my family!
Kelly says
Thanks for bringing a little touch of a North American summer into my life this morning as I’m feeling slightly homesick in London! Beautiful photographs.
Lubka Henry says
Such a beautiful venue! The views are amazing and those flower arrangements are totally gorgeous!!
April Hammond says
What a neat event to attend! My husband would of liked this one too since it was at Fort Monroe. You did such an amazing job capturing all the beauty!
Jo says
All them blue skies! Always makes a garden looks so much more magical in my opinion. X
natalie z says
so much history on the east coast. It looks like a beautiful place to visit!
Brian says
That flower cake looks cool. “Garden” is a Pearl Jam song!
tanya brannan says
What an amazing looking place! Those floral arrangements are just simply breathtaking! I would love them in my house x
Niesha Byln says
I super love the carnation floral arrangement! All of these flowers are really gorgeous.
Melanie Edjourian says
It looks great there your photos are amazing. I love there are so many flower arrangements x
Angie Scheie says
Stunning homes! I remember seeing this tour on a blog post last year (maybe yours?) and being so impressed. This year is no different. Even the tablescapes are jaw dropping!
Elizabeth says
How beautiful is that place!!! I want to sit on that porch in the first photo! 🙂
Rosey says
That’s a smart tip to start backwards. I do love those fireplace photos, they’re very nice. And the outside of Kathy’s home does look wonderful.
Donnabeth says
Stunning pictures! I particularly adore the flower arrangements. They are all brilliant! If History was presented this way in college, maybe I would have participated more,lol.
Kathy Kenny Ngo says
I love the arrangements. I want to go there too. How I wish I can.
Rachel says
Wow what an amazing opportunity, I would never have wanted to leave x
Courtneylynne says
Omg what a beautiful place!!! All of your photos are simply gorgeous!
Ivelisse says
Wow so interesting! And creative houses!
Love,
Ivelisse | CarnationDreams.com
aziel morte says
What a wonderful place to visit! Looks like I want to go there and take more pictures.
Ana says
I loved Hutcheson home too. It looks so beautiful. Glad to know that you had an amazing time visiting these beautiful places!
ricci says
Oh wow!!! These gardens look gorgeous!! I would love to take a tour like this sometime!!
Kendall says
What gorgeous pictures! You must have had a blast, this looks like a gorgeous getaway!
adriana says
What a gorgeous spot! I love your pictures, they’re seriously beautiful!! : ) Hope you had an awesome time!
nicol says
i love the flowers and the arrange inside! this looks like a happy place to visit
angie says
such a beautiful place to visit. I would love to visit myself some time. I love the beautiful arrangements as well, reminds me of those my aunt would send my grandmother each birthday
Marielle Altenor says
I’ve always been so fascinated by historic homes. Would be pretty cool to visit Fort Monroe in person!
cai says
What a lovely place! I would love to see that in person too!
lauren happel says
That sounds like a fun and relaxing place to visit!
Sahana says
Beautiful place! Thank you for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty . See you again next week
Ella Ivoire says
Beautiful pictures!
Berlin says
Pretty sight. Lovely place. And i cant help but commend, such beautiful photos. Youve got great skills in photography plus your camera is so wow!