Sneak Preview – Part 2

This is a sequel to my first post, Sneak Preview – Part 1.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit more of the properties that will be featured on Saturday’s House & Garden Tour (July 8 – link HERE)

As I poked around and chatted with the owners, I came away very excited about the upcoming tour. The various architectural features, and garden features, are just so interesting. Add to that the opportunity for a take-away… a piece of one of these heritage buildings for your very own. And add to ALL that some great “random acts of theatre” compliments of the Annapolis District Drama Group’s cast from The Railway Children, and you can understand why I am so excited.

Here are some photos of that journey…

It’s going to be a great day – hope you can make it. Just hit the “Buy Tickets Online” button on the right hand side of this page to buy online. Or give us a call at 902-532-7018.  Order by end of day July 6 and save!

Sneak Preview – Part 1

In preparation for our upcoming Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour (July 8, 2017), I have toured several of the feature properties – a sneak preview. All I can say is… Wow! I learned so much that I had never known about these properties (and since I am FROM Annapolis Royal, I had considered myself reasonably knowledgeable about the local houses… lesson learned.) And I also very much enjoyed the glimpse into the interests and hobbies of the current owners, very evident in what they have done with their properties.

Some high points to watch for when you come:

• a collection of needlework which graces the walls of one home, stitched by the owner. Gorgeous work!
• some very cool pieces of furniture – some antique, some custom built
• the various light fixtures and chandeliers were a highlight throughout
• very unique tilework around some of the old fireplaces
• garden statuary adds so much character
• every bit of decor had a purpose and a story for the owners
• check out the the woodwork – floors, railings, mantles
• gardens that demonstrate how to battle the urban deer issue, and win!

I will share some random photos with you, to give you just a glimpse of the offering for Saturday’s event. Then I invite you to make plans to head to Annapolis Royal this weekend. Stayed tuned for “Sneak Preview – Part 2” to be released in another day or so. For more information, visit the main House & Garden Tour Page.

So, here we go…

For more information, visit the main House & Garden Tour Page.  To buy your tickets now, hit the “Buy Tickets Now” button on the right hand side of this page. Advance sale price is good through Thursday – full price after that.

 

 

Sneak Preview – My Favourite Room

I had the pleasure of sneaking a peek inside several of the properties being featured on this year’s House & Garden Tour. Wow! There are a lot of really interesting architectural features… special furniture, art, needlework… and lovely gardens as well. I will share more in a future post, but for this post I just want to tell you about My Favourite Room.

This room is small, on an upper floor. Just big enough for a rocker, a small table, a perhaps a cat curled up on the floor. The late afternoon sun was shining through lacy curtains, casting just enough light. I can picture myself spending hour after hour in this wee room, with a book in one hand and a wine glass in the other. Oh, and maybe the kitty cat would be curled up on my lap too.

 

Ahhhhhh….  my favourite room!

(For details on this event, head over to the Main Website.)

Check out the 2017 Lineup!

Volunteers and Staff at the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens are pleased to announce details for the 2017 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, on Saturday, July 8, 10am-4pm, highlighting a full weekend of activities.

This year’s edition celebrates Canada’s sesquicentennial, featuring properties spanning the past 150 years. Notable highlights include a confederation period Greek Revival, an 1882 brick Queen Anne Revival, two late 1890s homes and an award-winning restoration of the 1913-14 Annapolis Royal Train Station. In addition, visitors will visit two special Riverview Drive gardens, as well as the Historic Gardens where a Victorian Tea will be hosted in the afternoon.

For more information on this year’s lineup, head over to our Feature Property page.

SAVE THE DATE!

SAVE THE DATES – July 7-9 2017

 

Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour highlights a full weekend of activities
 
Volunteers and Staff at Canada’s 2015 Garden of the Year in Annapolis Royal are pleased to announce plans for the 2017 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, on Saturday, July 8, 10am-4pm, highlighting a full weekend of activities.
The much anticipated annual House & Garden Tour is a fundraiser for the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, building on the community’s notable awards for heritage preservation and world class gardens. Participants will enjoy a great mix of garden styles, meet some very knowledgeable gardeners and have a look inside some incredible houses as well. This year’s edition celebrates Canada’s 150^th, featuring an 1867 house as well as several other heritage properties.

Under the banner “Walking in the Footsteps of the Past”, this year’s offering spans 3 days (July 7-9), starting with “Wine & Roses” in the Historic Gardens on Friday evening (5pm-7pm), the House & Garden Tour on Saturday (10am-4pm), and a series of activities on Sunday.

Community events add even more excitement to the weekend.

Wine & Roses Eve

Well it looks like we will have a great crowd Friday evening for Wine & Roses. It is a lovely event, and aside from good music, fine local wines and some great finger food… it is an incredible social event as locals and visitors enjoy the evening together in beautiful surroundings and share stories. We are even expecting a group of folks from the States travelling together on an RV trip.

With 17 acres of gardens to spread out in, even a big crowd is not “crowded”… just nicely active!

The rose garden is looking terrific, and the weather is going to clear mid-day, setting the stage for a beautiful evening.

 

For more information, head on over to our Wine & Roses page.

Sneak Preview – Part 2

And for the second installment of our “Sneak Preview” for the 2016 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, I will give you a glimpse of the Fortier Mills properties in Annapolis Royal.

As mentioned in Sneak Preview – Part 1, I spent some time Wednesday touring the feature properties and chatting with our enthusiastic (and generous) homeowners. What a pleasure it was!

The Fortier Mills neighbourhood in Annapolis Royal is a very new residential development on lands that have a rich heritage. This land was once part of an area called “Hog Island” (although not a true island in nature) and was the location of the local gallows among other things. Then, more recently, when I was very young, it was the location of the Fortier Mill, known for making many things – most of us locals remember the skis and the children’s toys that were manufactured there.

But enough about the past – what is presently here is one of the most beautiful residential developments you will ever see, with a view second to none and a cul-de-sac that has to be the most beautiful ever created.

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of what awaits you there on Saturday:

Fortier Mills

 

Columbine

 

Charming frog

 

Funky Light

 

Great Chandelier

 

What a view

 

Work in progress

 

Garden Emoticon

 

Pillar

 

Catching the breeze

 

A view second to none

 

The nicest cul-de-sac EVER!

 

Ship in a window

 

Deer proof!

 

Garden Ornament

 

First Place for Fire Hydrant siting!

 

Quite the garden shed

 

Another view

 

And you should see the interiors… oh, but you will on Saturday. Gorgeous houses!

For more information on the 2016 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, head on over to our main event page.  To buy tickets, call the Gardens at 902-532-7018, or hit the “Buy Now” button on your left to purchase online.

Sneak Preview – Part 1

Wednesday, I had the pleasure of informally touring the properties being featured on Saturday’s House & Garden Tour. What a great time I had, chatting with the homeowners and taking random photos here & there along the way.

The homeowners are infectiously enthusiastic, even as they stress a bit in these last few days of preparing for hundreds of guests to their properties. What a monumental commitment – I can’t imagine getting ready for that kind of company!

The first half of my excursion was along Granville Road, where I stopped at our four heritage properties for 2016. The oldest of these dates back to 1769! All have very unique characteristics, and have been lovingly restored and rejuvenated over the years by various owners along the way. And the gardens surrounding these homes are all quite different as well, and all very beautiful. I could have taken photos for hours, but tried to limit myself a bit.

Here are a few random photos from my Granville Road excursion:

The Township of Granville

 

Great Metal Art

 

Peaceful

 

1769 construction

 

Muscovy duck

 

Back deck

 

Ready for work

 

Colourful foliage

 

Metal railing by Brad Hall

 

Metal Art

 

Bird on a perch

 

The view from Granville

 

An owl – by Heather Lawson

 

Rest area

 

The “Ferry House”

 

Taking a break

 

Window panes galore!

 

Wishing well

 

My next post will focus on the four Fortier Mills properties – with an entirely different flavour, and modern construction that honours the rich heritage of the area. (Here’s the link to Sneak Preview – Part 2)

For more information on the 2016 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour, head on over to our main event page.  To buy tickets, call the Gardens at 902-532-7018, or hit the “Buy Now” button on your left to purchase online.

Sunday Series of Activities – July 5, 2015

Bridging the Past to the Present

July 5, 2015

To cap off a great weekend of activity in Annapolis Royal surrounding the Annual House & Garden Tour, we offer a series of Sunday activities on July 5 that will further immerse you in the rich heritage of Annapolis Royal.

11 am – Narrative Tour of the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens. Keith Crysler will provide a unique look at the Historic Gardens, concentrating on the heritage features and theming of Canada’s 2015 Garden of the Year. You may wish to linger over lunch at the Elm Tree Cafe before you head out to the afternoon events. Free with admission, or with your House & Garden Tour booklet.

1-4 pm – Peter Bonnett House Revisited. The Bonnett House was a feature property on the 2014 House & Garden Tour, as an ambitious restoration project was in its beginning stages. For those who have been following this restoration by Barry & Sharon Moody, this is a great opportunity to see the progress and speak with the owners first hand about their passion for restoration. There will be a plaque unveiling at 2:00pm as it is designated as Registered Heritage Property, added to the honour roll of Heritage Properties in the Town of Annapolis Royal. Located at 430 St. George Street, across from the Historic Gardens. No charge.

1-4 pm – Viewing of the Old Post Office. This brick “high rise” near the Annapolis Royal wharf served for many years as the Post Office and the Customs Office. In recent decades the building has had difficulties finding a new life. The Annapolis Heritage Society is hoping to breathe new life into this special building. This will give you an opportunity to view the building and chat with volunteers from the Annapolis Heritage Society about their goals and dreams. No charge.

1 pm & 3 pm – The Great Annapolis Bridge Disaster. Yes, there was at one time a bridge that spanned the Annapolis River, connecting Annapolis Royal and Granville Ferry.  And it all came tumbling down one fine spring day in 1960.  Phil Milo, an entertaining raconteur, was right there to witness this disaster and is uniquely qualified  to speak about it.  The presentation will take place in the reception area of the modern Tidal Power Plant.  This space affords a commanding view of the Annapolis River; the footings of the bridge on both sides are clearly visible.  As an additional bonus there is a high tide on afternoon of July 5th; therefore, those who wish to do so, can also participate in a tour of the plant and see how the tidal power actually works. No charge.

9:30pm – Candlelight Graveyard Tour. To cap off the day be sure to join 10th generation Acadian Alan Melanson for the Candlelight Graveyard Tour. If you enjoy unique experiences and want to find out more about “images of the past etched in stone” don’t miss the chance to tour the Oldest English Graveyard in Canada by candlelight. Now in their 23rd popular season, these lively tours take place in Annapolis Royal at Fort Anne. Created in 1991 by internationally-acclaimed heritage interpreter Alan Melanson, they are consistently one of the most popular events in Nova Scotia, recommended by major media throughout the world.Meet at Fort Anne at 9:15pm. For more information, visit tourannapolisroyal.com  (Show your House & Garden Tour Booklet and receive $1 off!)

Meet you in Annapolis Royal!

Today’s the Day!

Saturday, July 4, 2015.

Here it is – the day of our 2015 Annapolis Royal House & Garden Tour! And what a beautiful day! A year ago on this very day, Hurricane Arthur hit and disrupted our plans. But not so today – it is sunny and gorgeous and a perfect day for our event.

The House & Garden Tour runs from 10-4. The line-up has 7 Feature Properties in Annapolis Royal and Granville Ferry, where you can explore gardens AND see the insides of these heritage homes. The Annapolis Royal Properties are in the Lower St. George Street area, beyond the Market. And the Granville Ferry Properties are in the village near the Granville Ferry Community Hall. You can easily see each neighbourhood from the other, across the beautiful Annapolis River.

And along the way, you will see other gardens and areas, such as Lois Jenkins’ gardens beside Little Market Gallery, the Annapolis Royal Haul-up, the newly renovated playground with natural playthings, the Chocolate Shop, various monuments and heritage interpretation. You will meet costumed docents along the way and have the opportunity to explore the O’Dell House Museum. Be sure to check out the heritage dancing behind the O’Dell House Museum at 2:30pm. Refreshments will be served all day in Granville Ferry Community Hall, where there will also be heritage interpretation about the village.

On top of that, your ticket entitles you to admission today and tomorrow to the Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens, Canada’s 2015 Garden of the Year. And at 4pm today, Horticultural Manager Karen Achenbach will provide a guided tour.

Also with your House & Garden Tour tickets, you are offered discount pricing to several attractions: Fort Anne, Port Royal, and the Candlelight Graveyard Tours – on both Saturday and Sunday. So take advantage of this opportunity to visit, or re-visit these sites.

Tickets are only $25 ($20 for Garden Members) and may be purchased at the Historic Gardens anytime after 9am today.

Meet you in Annapolis Royal!