Virginia Explorer - Demo - (Page 12)

Celebrate Virginia Garden Week’s 75th Anniversary in April By Sharon Cavileer pril in Virginia heralds more than just another season. It brings a blessing of blooms, a riot of color, and a celebration of spring from the Atlantic Ocean to the Blue Ridge Mountains, encompassing small towns and big cities, cottage gardens, colonial plantations, and contemplative Chinese designs. Virginia Garden Week, America’s oldest and most comprehensive celebration of the garden, will sparkle with its Diamond Anniversary tours. Scheduled from April 19 though 27, 2008, the statewide events are sponsored by the Garden Club of Virginia and beneﬁt the restoration of historic grounds and gardens. Visitors interested in horticulture, architecture, interior design, history, and art will revel in the opportunity to see more than 250 of the state’s most beautiful gardens, historic homes, and landmarks representing four centuries of Virginia history. Many of these homes are not open to the public on a regular basis, so Garden Week allows group tours to meet Virginia ﬁrst-hand and enjoy a unique experience in Southern hospitality. These private homes have more than fabulous A Auburn Plantation on the North River will be featured on the Gloucester-Mathews Tour. Gardens at Belmont (above right) and the Executive Mansion (below right) were restored with funding from Virginia Garden Week tours. gardens; their family histories read like a novel exposing the heart of the Colonial period, the American Revolution, the Civil War, and more contemporary times. Among the homes open are ones owned by George Washington’s physician and George Washington, James Madison, Nora F.M. Davidson (the woman who began the Memorial Day movement), and a couple who deﬁned the Sixties . . . Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Unique tours are held daily, allowing motor coaches to traverse the entire state or select a region and explore it in depth. From Alexandria to Winchester and from the Eastern Shore to Lynchburg, Virginia will hold America’s largest open house. On April 19, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Ashland, Hanover, Courtland, Orange County, and Portsmouth will offer different tours, including ﬁve or six homes and gardens each. On April 23, tour groups and individuals are invited to experience Hampton and Newport News, Harrisonburg-Rockingham County, the Northern Neck, Richmond, Virginia Beach, Martinsville, or the James River Plantations. Each day offers different homes and gardens to explore—and more. Far from an ordinary homes tour, Virginia Garden week will offer such highlights as witnessing an equestrian adventure . . . riding out with the hounds, ﬂoral design seminars, interpretation of headstone symbols, a lecture on garden statuary, and a demonstration house using geothermal energy. It’s easy for group tour operators to develop a tour during the worst winter months without leaving the ofﬁce. The schedule of dates and participating destinations are listed online now at www. vagardenweek.org/schedule. Each location prices its own tours at a cost ranging from $10 to $35 (advance purchase or group discounts are available.) Tickets to all tours (except the James River plantations) are available online at www. vagardenweek.org/tickets. Complete tour details and tickets will be available in January from the website at www.vagardenweek.org or by 804-644-7776. The comprehensive guidebook will be available in February by mailing $6.00 to Historic Garden Week, 12 East Franklin Street, Richmond, VA 23219. Complimentary guidebooks for tour goers are available at the sites in April. Accommodations information is available from the Virginia Tourism Corporation at www.virginia.org. Tours to Virginia during Garden Week will prove so popular that you’ll want to return for a blooming encore. Future dates have already been set for April 18 through 26, 2009, and April 17 through 25, 2010. And, of course, you’ll want to stop and smell the ﬂowers. Think Spring! VIRGINIA April 18-May 26 2008 ARTS FESTIVAL SPRING IN VIRGINIA A SEASON TO CELEBRATE A REASON TO TRAVEL. GREAT MUSIC, THEATER, DANCE AND WEEKEND ESCAPES. Noche Flamenca Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater The Peking Acrobats® Virginia International Tattoo Count Basie Orchestra Audra McDonald E rience Expe nce celle x R SIX WEEKEND ESCA PES ING OU DUR . FOR MORE INFORMATION Groups (15+) save 15% – 50%, call 757-282-2819 and to plan your trip call 1-877-741- 2787 or visit www.vafest.org/travel 12 • Winter/Spring 2007-2008 www.grouptournews.com http://www.vagardenweek.org/tickets http://www.vagardenweek.org/tickets http://www.vagardenweek.org http://www.vagardenweek.org http://www.virginia.org http://www.vagardenweek.org/schedule http://www.vagardenweek.org/schedule http://www.vafest.org/travel http://www.vafest.org/travel http://www.grouptournews.com

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Virginia Explorer - Demo ABA Marketplace to Land in Virginia Beach in February Tracing Our Ancestors' Footsteps along the Wilderness Road From the Publisher Virginia's Spirited Spots Lead to American Whiskey Trail Dine Around Tidewater: Virginia's Seafood Style On the Road With Dylan and Pop-Pop: A Mountain Experience Sightseeing Tours: Seashore, Settlers, Steeples, Spirits, Shopping Celebrate Virginia Garden Week's 75th Anniversary in April Meet the People Making Virginia such a Wonderful Place to Visit Virginia Advertisers Specializing in Group Business

Virginia Explorer - Demo

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