One of Boston’s most iconic and prestigious neighborhoods, Beacon Hill is situated just north of the Common and lined with multi-million-dollar homes. The Beacon Hill Garden Club’s annual Hidden Gardens tour gives attendees the chance to see the incredible outdoor spaces that lie behind these lavish residences—and sometimes even get a peek inside the homes themselves.
This year’s can’t-miss, botanical event of the spring takes place on Thursday, rain or shine. Tickets, which cost $45 in advance and $55 the day of the tour, allow each attendee entrance into between 10 and 12 gardens, as well as complimentary refreshments in Moseley Hall at the Church of the Advent.
Self-guided, the Hidden Gardens tour takes visitors all around Beacon Hill on foot as they explore treasured gardens tucked away behind some of Boston’s oldest real estate. The Garden Club anticipates upwards of 2,500 tour attendees this year, which should provide a nice economic boost for area shops and restaurants.
Urban gardening takes on a whole new meaning in the historically unique spaces carved between, behind and on top of the buildings of Beacon Hill. Thanks to the time of year, tour attendees will see gardens at their lushest, including purple wisteria overhead in full bloom. Some neighborhood residents who are not members of the Garden Club also allow their gardens to be viewed without entry as an extra perk on the tour, referred to as “ribbon gardens.”
The Beacon Hill Garden Club, which has been in operation for close to 90 years celebrates the height of spring annually with this tour. According to the Club, “From its first garden tour since the club was founded in 1928, club members have opened their gardens every year on the third Thursday in May, even through the Depression and World War II.”
If you go:
Thursday, May 18, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., corner of Charles St. and Mount Vernon St., $45-$55, beaconhillgardenclub.org
