From staff reports
Tickets are available but selling fast for Historic Beaufort Foundation’s popular Fall Festival of Houses and Gardens Oct. 21-22.
“The opportunity to experience Beaufort’s historic architecture and gorgeous gardens close-up is a rare treat, and we are so thankful to the gracious property owners who make these tours such as magical experience,” said Cynthia Jenkins, Executive Director of Historic Beaufort Foundation. “The Fall Festival of Houses & Gardens is perhaps the best time to experience Beaufort.”
Tickets are available online at https://historicbeaufort.org/. Organizers encourage early ticket purchases because these tours typically sell out, attracting visitors from across the country.
The Saturday tour will lead visitors through an historic and architectural timeline dating from the 19th century and into the economic recovery of the early 20th century. Saturday highlights include the George Moss Stoney House, built ca. 1823 and remodeled in the 1840s; the Berners Barnwell Sams House, #1, ca. 1810; the Joseph Hazel House, ca. 1815-1820; and First African Baptist Church, ca. 1861.
Another highlight is the John Mark Verdier House, which underwent a comprehensive exterior renovation in 2021 followed by a rare restoration this year of the Federal Period door surround and entrance.
Tickets for the Saturday, Oct. 21 tour are $65 for HBF members and $75 for non-members. The tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday’s tour and Southern brunch will showcase a 15-acre farmstead and former plantation nestled among pecan trees and mature live oaks less than half a mile from one of Beaufort’s busiest intersections.
This property, which was the center of one of the Lowcountry’s earliest truck farming properties, includes the impressive ca. 1905 farmhouse with wraparound piazzas, a barn and packing shed now transformed for use as an event venue that maintains the property’s rich agricultural character and history. Join us for a rare glimpse at this important phase of Beaufort’s early 20th century economy and way of life.
Tickets to the Sunday event are $130 for members and $150 for non-members of HBF. The Sunday brunch and tour are from 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
All sales are final and the tours will be held rain or shine.
Historic Beaufort Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit education foundation created to preserve, protect, and present sites and artifacts of historic, architectural, and cultural interest throughout Beaufort County. For more information on the entity’s mission and history, visit historicbeaufort.org and follow them on social media, including Facebook and Instagram.
