The cottages of Mount Gretna will throw open their (often antique and always unique) doors to the public once more.
The 30th annual Mount Gretna Tour of Homes & Gardens will take place Saturday, Aug. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The tour is self-guided, allowing visitors to explore nine homes, one garden and three historic buildings at their own pace, according to event coordinator Emi Snavely.
Homes featured on the tour vary widely in aesthetics and style.
A few highlights on the tour include an English country cottage, an authentic “Gretna Green” cottage (the title referring to its distinctive siding color) that hasn’t changed in appearance since it was built in 1892 and the Hall of Philosophy in Chautauqua, featuring an exterior inspired by classic Greek architecture.
“People love Mount Gretna,” Snavely says. “They love getting into the homes here, and every year we feature homes on the tour that have never been on it before.”
Nearly half of the homes featured this year are new to the event.
The event offers a full day of fun in Mount Gretna, with plenty to experience to fill the entire seven-hour tour window.
However, the tour is quite visitor-driven, allowing guests to spend their Saturday doing what they’d like, when they’d like.
“The walking tour could last about a day,” Snavely explains. “If you do it leisurely, you’ll still be able to see all of the homes on the tour. If you arrive around noon or 1 p.m., you’d have to concentrate and plan your route, but you still could do it!”
With the purchase of an event ticket ($20 in advance, $25 day-of), visitors will receive a map and a tour brochure with an informational blurb about each cottage.
The tour begins out front of the Mount Gretna Post Office, where tickets and all information will be available to event guests on Aug. 2.
Snavely suggests that visitors budget some time to visit the Mount Gretna Area Historical Society, calling it a “wonderful place to stop.”
She also advises visitors looking to relax for a spell to visit the Gretna Heights Community Building, “a good place to stop, pick up a light refreshment and talk to people who live in Gretna.”
The annual event is very popular; between 800 and 1,200 visitors take part each summer.
“People enjoy walking through the forest and trees, and just spending the day in Gretna,” Snavely says.
Proceeds from the event benefit Gretna Music, a nonprofit that organizes performances at the Gretna Playhouse and Leffler Performance Center at Elizabethtown College.
The Mount Gretna Tour of Homes and Gardens is the organization’s best fundraiser, according to Snavely.
“It’s a friendly day,” Snavely says of the tour. “I’d like to say welcome to all who can come to Gretna that day. It’s a fun day.”
- Advance tickets are available at all Lancaster County Stauffers of Kissel Hill Market locations, online at gretnamusic.org or by calling Gretna Music at 361-1508.
