Nosy parkers, mark your calendars. Generous property owners will open their historic homes to the public for five weekends in April and May during the Maryland House and Garden Pilgrimage, an annual tradition since 1937.
Visitors will have the opportunity to visit such sites as the home where Gen. Marquis de Lafayette quelled a mutiny during the Revolutionary War, the home of a Confederate supporter who aided in the escape of assassin John Wilkes Booth, the home where a War of 1812 cannon ball was lodged and, Keziah’s Diary, pictured here, an estate in Darlington containing original slave quarters.
The Pilgrimage comprises 39 properties, including historic manors, gardens, schools, and churches. Tours run Saturday, April 30, through Saturday, May 28, and include these counties: Queen Anne’s (Saturday, April 30), Harford (Saturday, May 7), Talbot (Saturday, May 14), Baltimore (Sunday, May 15), and Charles (Saturday, May 28).
Each county’s tour includes seven or eight properties. Advance tickets for each tour are $30 per person ($35 if purchasing the day of the tour). Catered lunches will be available for advanced purchase. To purchase tour tickets, or for more information, visit mhgp.org or call 410.821.6933.
