House & Garden Tour

The first House and Garden Tour took place on Sunday May 6, 1973, in the midst of contentious debate over whether the original homes in Takoma Park were worth saving. Ellen Marsh, one of the new moms on Maple Avenue, convinced a couple dozen of her friends that the best way was to let people tour their homes to see what would be lost. And the tour was born. 

A volunteer committee did the organizing until 2002, when Historic Takoma took it over. The Tour is Historic Takoma’s principal source of fundraising. Just as in 1973 and every year since on the first Sunday in May visitors receive a booklet with a map and house descriptions and proceed with their own self-guided tour.  Each tour explores a specific neighborhood within a compact set of blocks. See for yourself by joining us for the next tour.