Whether you're looking for some traditional holiday decorating ideas or a glimpse of historical homes decorated for Christmas, it all begins this weekend with the annual Tours of Homes in New Smyrna Beach and DeLand, followed next week in Ormond Beach and Lake Helen.
Images Holiday Tour of Homes, New Smyrna Beach
The Images Holiday Tour of Homes is an annual local favorite that kicks off the holiday season 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, with a presentation of five unique homes decorated for the holidays that will showcase the charm of New Smyrna Beach.
The Atlantic Center for the Arts’ event is the main fundraiser for its Images: A Festival of the Arts. More than 1,000 people attended the tour in 2016, raising nearly $25,000 for prize monies for the festival. The tour features homes expertly decorated by homeowners, florists and gardeners.
The tour includes:
The Lynn home, decorated by Lindley’s Nursery & Garden Center – This amazing designer created the home of her dreams. With hard work, good friends and an eye for details, her 1970 ranch was completely remodeled into an airy coastal retreat. Enjoy her unique finds and fixtures – each painstakingly sought, found and restored.
The Rausch home, decorated by Pink Flamingo at Petals – this 1915 home is affectionately named “The Artists Cottage”
The Mahood home, decorated by New Smyrna Beach Florist – with the help of Hickson Construction, the homeowners transformed this original 1920s Mediterranean home into a Southern traditional charmer.
The Hess home, decorated by the homeowner and friends – built in 2012 by Brent Walters, this New Englander’s beach retreat embraces Florida living.
The Gatchel home, decorated by Pink Flamingo at Petals – the owners designed and located this contemporary six-bedroom house by Dave Brewer close to the beach and on the Intracoastal Waterway with extraordinary river views. As you tour this home, you will enjoy piano and vocals by local singer-songwriter Mary Beth Koplin, a local singer/songwriter.
Tickets are $25, or $20 for Atlantic Center for the Arts members. They are available at Atlantic Center at Harris House/Images (back door), 214 S. Riverside Drive; Arts on Douglas, 123 Douglas St.; Lindley’s Nursery & Garden Center, 1232 Canal St.; New Smyrna Beach Florist, 121 Flagler Ave.; Pink Flamingo at Petals, 201 Canal St.; and BJ’s Flowers & Plants, 917 S. Ridgewood Ave. in Edgewater. For information, call 386-423-4733.
Home Styles and Stories, DeLand
A bit different than its biannual event, the West Volusia Historical Society will present Home Styles and Stories from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 2-3. Combining home tours and porch/parlor chats, guests are invited to stroll through the Northwest Historic District, the downtown cultural district adjacent to Stetson University to hear the stories of DeLand’s early families, as told by WVHS re-enactors.
The tour begins at the WVHS Conrad Center Complex, 137 W. Michigan Ave. Check-in is required
You’ll visit four historic homes – from a three-story 1905 Victorian house to a 1920s cottage. The homes represent all major stages of early DeLand residential development. The homes include:
The Henry A. DeLand House, 137 W. Michigan, built in 1885 and remodeled in 1907 by Stetson Vice President Charles Farriss
A three-story colonial revival house, 422 N. Florida, built about 1910
A craftsman bungalow, 542 N. Florida, built about 1925 and home to the founder of Stetson’s fine arts program, landscape artist Harry Davis Fluhart
A large two-story masonry semi-bungalow in craftsman style, 529 N. Sans Souci, built about 1925.
Three additional homes will not be open for touring but the history and stories of the pioneers who lived there will be told on the porches by re-enactors, who will portray Professor and Mrs. Charles Farriss, professors Harry D. Fluhart and Irving Stover, and Mrs. Eloise Hulley, wife of second Stetson president Lincoln Hulley.
The tour also will showcase the architectural elements of these historic homes.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of tour. They can be purchased in the Conrad Center at the West Volusia Historical Society and online at delandhouse.com. For information, please call 386-740-6813.
11th annual Holiday Tour of Homes, Ormond Beach
The Ormond Beach Historical Society’s 11th annual Holiday Tour of Homes, a charity event, is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10. It will feature six homes, dressed for the holidays, in Halifax Plantation. Festive treats and entertainment will be provided by neighbors who donate their time and talents to the event.
Homes on the tour include the Lyons, Clausens, Pollettas, Lavignes and Vanacore Golf Villas. There also will be drawings, jewelry and refreshments at the Halifax Plantation Clubhouse.
The tour, which draws about 600 attendees, is the largest fundraiser hosted by the Ormond Beach Historical Society, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of Ormond Beach.
This is a self-guided tour. With your ticket you will receive a map to all tour locations and information about individual properties.
Advance tickets are $25 for non-members, $22 for members. Day of the tour, tickets are $30. For information or to purchase tickets, visit ormondhistory.org, or at the MacDonald House Museum and Welcome Center, 38 E. Granada Blvd., Ormond Beach.
Christmas Home Tour, Lake Helen
The Lake Helen League for Better Living will present its Christmas Home Tour from 12:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, and from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, throughout the quaint village.
Attendees will tour homes, churches and historical buildings all decorated for the holidays. The tour also will feature a marketplace that will include local talents, entertainment and refreshments. The marketplace will be open both days from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Places to eat both Saturday and Sunday during tour hours include Decker’s LH Grill, 493 S. Lakeview Drive; 3 Sisters Ice Cream Palace, 101 E. Ohio Ave.; and First Congregational Church Parish House, 107 S. Euclid Ave. On Saturday only, Papa’s Pizza, 336 s. Lakeview Drive, will be open.
Advance tickets are $15 and are available at the Lake Helen Library, 3 Sisters Ice Cream Palace, Deckers’ LH Grill; and in DeLand at Mix Salon Spa and Pretty Little Things. Tickets also are available online until 5 p.m. Dec. 8 at lakehelenchristmashometour.com. At the door, tickets are $20.
For information, call Jim Carey at 386-479-3022 or Arlene Raffa at 561-699-0020.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/entertainmentlife/20171128/tour-of-homes-offer-holiday-decorating-ideas-glimpse-of-history