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I do my best to keep readers up to date on any up coming old house tours I happen to hear or read about and enjoy getting feedback from anyone who had the opportunity to visit any of the tours. I heard from an OldHouseWeb.com blog reader who attended the Harvest of Homes old house tour in Reno recently and she reported the event was a big success and there were some great old homes available for touring. I have always found that touring old houses is a great way to find inspiration, motivation, and ideas for working on my own old house. Numerous times I have looked at what an owner has accomplished with flooring, windows, or interior trim and thought, “That would look great in my house,” or “Why didn’t I think of doing that?”
A Local Beauty
The holiday season is rapidly approaching, each year seems to go by faster than the one before, and many historic organizations and districts are going to have their old houses decorated and on display for the season. Louisville, Kentucky, has their Holiday House Tour scheduled for December 4-5 which is less than two months away now. The historic old houses on the tour are located in old Louisville, and it sounds like anyone attending will have a chance to see some beautiful homes and get in the holiday spirit all in the same weekend.
Bridgeton, New Jersey, is home to the largest historic district in New Jersey, and I’ve mentioned before that New Jersey has some really nice old houses that have been preserved or undergone restorations. Bridgeton is having their Historic Holiday House Tour on December 4.
Your Very Own Old House Tour
Make a New Friend
Not everyone is lucky enough to live close to an area where organized old house tours are held, but that doesn’t mean you can’t head out on your own tour. The area I live in has enough old houses around that I often throw a camera and some water bottles into a backpack and head out on a several hour hike looking at homes, or if I don’t have much time to spare, I’ll jump on a bicycle and combine house touring with exercise. You might be surprised at the number of people who enjoy meeting a fellow old house enthusiast, are proud of their homes and the renovations they’ve done, and really like talking about them. You might even find that some people like talking about them almost a little too much, but they’re usually just happy to find someone with common interests.
Even if you don’t have old houses within hiking or bicycling distance, grab a camera and take a road trip. It’s a great time of year for a drive in the country and you haven’t tasted apple butter or apple cider until you’ve purchased it from a quaint roadside stand.
