The coming of spring in Georgia’s
beautiful Golden Isles means it is time for the annual St. Simons-Sea
Island Tour of Homes and Gardens. The Tour will celebrate its 58th
anniversary on March 19, 2011. The apostle, Paul, in Romans 12:13,
reminds us extend hospitality to all. Happily, residents of the Golden
Isles are generous about welcoming others by opening their exquisite homes
on St. Simons and. Sea Island. We invite you to join us for a wonderful
day exploring unique and exciting homes and gardens that are rarely or
never open to the public. You may order tickets from this web site and
they will be mailed to you in early March, 2011.
The
Tour will feature a variety of fabulous homes that represent the diverse
architecture and interior design for which St. Simons and Sea Island are
famous. The homes on St. Simons are self-guided with the help of the map
in your ticket brochure, as well as directional road signs on the Island.
Parking assistance is available at each location. The Sea Island homes
are, however, accessible only by the Tour of Homes motor coaches
that depart from Gascoigne Bluff located near the entrance onto St. Simons
Island. Tickets are color coded for Sea Island departure times. This
means, for example, that if you have an afternoon ticket for Sea Island,
you will be driving your own car to the homes on St, Simons Island in the
morning and visiting Sea Island by motor coach in the afternoon. Morning
ticket holders for Sea Island will visit Sea Island by motor coach in the
morning and will drive their own cars to the homes on St. Simons Island in
the afternoon. Tour hours are 10:00am to 5:00 pm.
Please
be advised that you will be negotiating stairs in most of the homes on
Tour, and there may be a short walk between houses on Sea Island. Be sure
to wear comfortable shoes and note that high heels are prohibited. While
pictures are not permitted inside the homes for security reasons, you’ll
find plenty of opportunities to photograph the historic landmarks also
open for your exploration, including Christ Church Frederica, founded in
1736, St. Ignatius Church, founded in 1886, and the Wesley Memorial
Gardens founded in memory of John and Charles Wesley. Stop in at the
Christ Church Frederica Parish Hall for light refreshments and an
opportunity to purchase our famous cookbook. Restrooms will be available
at the Christ Church Frederica Parish Hall and at Gascoigne Bluff, but not
in any of the homes on Tour or on Sea Island.
The
mission of the Tour of Homes is to raise funds for local charities
primarily benefiting women and children. One hundred percent of the
proceeds from the sale of Tour tickets and all proceeds from the sale of
the Christ Church Cookbook are donated to charitable organizations in our
community. Click on the “Charity Awards” tab on this website to see the
impressive list of organizations that have benefited from Christ Church
Tour funds over the years.
The 58th
Annual Tour of Homes and Gardens is made possible by the commitment of
countless volunteers, members of Christ Church Frederica, and the
generosity of those who have opened their homes for our guests. We look
forward to welcoming you and can’t wait to get touring!
