Museum District Association Mother’s Day House & Garden Tour

EVENT INFORMATION

Thank you for your purchase! You are attending the 28th annual Museum District Association’s Mother’s Day House and Garden Tour, which takes place on Sunday, May 12, 2024 from 1:00–6:00 p.m.

THIS IS NOT A TICKET.

You will need to pick up your ticket at the Will Call table at the Hospitality Center inside the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard, rear entrance off Kensington Avenue). There, you’ll find parking, tour guidebooks, and restrooms.

PHYSICAL TICKETS ARE REQUIRED TO ENTER THE HOMES.

HOUSE RULES

• Do not touch furniture, fixtures, or decorative items.
• No food or beverages inside the homes or library. Resealable water bottles are okay.
• No high or pointy-heeled shoes (they can damage old floors). Slip on shoes recommended.
• No smoking inside any tour facility, in line outside a home, or on the trolley.
• No strollers, backpacks, or large bags. Children under three must be carried when inside homes.
• Pets are not permitted (except service animals).
• No photography or video recording inside tour homes.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Parking

Parking is available in the lot behind the Virginia Museum of History and Culture (428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard at Kensington Avenue) and along surface streets throughout the Museum District. Please note the paid parking deck behind the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (200 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard) is only open until 5pm.

Where do we go first?

Once you pick up your ticket from Will Call, you will see the addresses of the tour homes listed on the back. Start at any address you like! You’ll find a suggested walking map in the guidebook, which is available with your ticket at Will Call, or

Restrooms

Yes, at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. There are no public restrooms inside tour homes.

Trolley Info

Take a break and ride awhile! The free, air-conditioned trolley departs from the Virginia Museum of History and Culture parking lot and runs a continuous 20-minute loop from 1:00–6:00 p.m. Check the guidebook map and look for signs at trolley stops.

What if I don’t get to all the tour homes?

Our hope is that guests will have time to visit all homes if they choose, but it is possible that variables including weather, total turnout, and wait times might not allow that to happen. We recommend you and your party review the tour map and the home descriptions in the tour guidebook, flag the homes you most want to see, and plan your route accordingly.

Is the tour handicapped accessible?

Unfortunately, no. The Museum District Mother’s Day House and Garden Tour is a 2.5-mile, rain-or-shine walking tour over the public streets and walkways of a busy urban neighborhood. Our tour homes, many of which are over a century old, include rail-free exterior stairs and porches, narrow interior passageways, and uneven flooring. We regret that our sites are not handicapped accessible, and that we are unable to accommodate walkers, wheelchairs, or strollers inside homes or on the trolley.

What if it rains? What is your refund policy?

Our tour is a rain-or shine non-profit community fundraiser. Tour tickets are non-refundable for any reason.

May children attend the tour?

Our tour takes guests through private homes and the contents of which are most likely not geared toward young children. Strollers are not allowed inside tour homes or on the trolley. Children under three must be carried when inside homes. Children 17 years of age and younger must be accompanied by an adult at all times inside tour sites and on the trolley, and we do not offer discounted tickets for children over the age of three.

Where do the proceeds go?

The Mother’s Day House and Garden Tour is the Museum District Association’s sole annual fundraiser. Each year, proceeds from the event are reinvested in our neighborhood for maintenance, beautification, and enhanced safety. We donate 25% of each year’s proceeds back into community non-profit organizations. 2023 recipients included Albert Hill Middle School, Health Brigade, Humphrey Calder Community Center for after-school programming, Meals on Wheels/Feed More, Belmont Library, Lois Harrison Jones Elementary School (formerly John B. Cary), and Prevent-A-Liter. We also established the MDA Educational Scholarship Fund in 2017.

By purchasing an MDA House Tour ticket, the holder releases from any and all claims, actions, or causes of action, and waives, releases, discharges and agrees not to sue, the Museum District Association, its officers, representatives or agents, any of the homes or homeowners whose homes or apartments are on the 2024 tour, or any of the event volunteers participating in planning or presentation of the 2024 MDA House Tour, of or from any liability whatsoever for personal injury, accident or illness (including death), and/or property loss, however caused, that arises from, and/or in any way relates to or arises from the holder’s participation in the MDA Mother’s Day House & Garden Tour. This knowing waiver of liability does not apply to injury to persons or property that is adjudicated to be caused by willful misconduct, gross negligence, or intentional torts.