Sponsor: The Petersburg Garden Club

Tickets: $25; single-site, $10; ages 6-12, half-price

Info: (804) 733-9988; www.pgcvirginia.org

Lunches: $10; seated or take-out; 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Christ and Grace Episcopal Church, 1545 S. Sycamore St. To reserve, send check to Cockade City Garden Club, P.O. Box 501, Petersburg, VA 23804.

Info: Edith Sheffield, (804) 732-3822

Old Towne Petersburg grew from the ashes of a devastating fire in 1815 to become a transportation hub. Now it is a blend of restaurants, galleries, boutiques, craft shops and renovated residences. With its older structures, the tour emphasizes historic preservation of architecture.

Tour highlights:

Centre Hill Mansion Museum, 1 Centre Hill Court. Federal-style house, completed in 1823, has decorative details and luxurious period furnishings.

A brass plaque at the front of 126 S. Adams St. (Charles J. Hampton-Snow and Henery Daniels, owners) identifies this as the home of Nora F.M. Davidson, a woman credited with originating Memorial Day. The present owners have lived in this brick, Federal-style house for seven years. The 3,000-square-foot residence is appointed with decorative arts and accessories.

132 S. Adams St. garden only (Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Cuthbert Jr., owners). A profusion of plants confined by an antique garden gate, brick walls and a carriage house add color and texture. Brick paths lead through the garden to a circle of slate and a birdbath, and to a patio.

Built in 1832, the row house is at 134 S. Adams St. (Bonny and Ben Greenbaum, owners). Visible from the kitchen windows is a "Charleston Garden" blooming with azalea, rhododendron, camellia, acuba, holly and boxwood. The formal rooms are decorated with period furnishings. Memorabilia includes a collection of Japanese Hina dolls, whose faces and hands are made of oyster shells.

The city's architecture first attracted the current owners to the house at 142 S. Adams St. (Joyce Proctor and Amos Richardson, owners) and the heart-pine floors and interior molding sealed the deal. Built in 1856, the house has many Victorian features such as bracketed eaves and bay window atop bay window. Rooms are configured one behind the other with 12-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. The rose garden features three fountains.

A couple with roots in New York have restored and artfully decorated 104 Marshall St. (Beverly Rivers and Jeff Abugel, owners). Built in 1870, the brick Italianate has trim painted in a multicolor scheme. Antique, continental and contemporary furnishings adorn interior spaces, with faux-finish techniques used alongside 18thand 19th-century oils.

Built in 1855, 18 Marshall St. (Judith White Hoyle, owner) was once part of the Ragland Mansion complex. The present owner has filled the house with cherished family pieces. A bedroom is decorated with railroad memorabilia from her father who was an employee of C&O Railway. The kitchen holds a collection of old English tins that belonged to her Scottish father-in-law.

Constructed of Indiana limestone in the Georgian Revival style, Trinity United Methodist Church, 214 S. Sycamore St., is distinguished by its three-bay portico and pedimented roof with a three-tier bell tower.

Marie Bowen Gardens. Located in the Walnut Hill neighborhood, the gardens are maintained by community groups.

Events during the tour: 132 S. Adams St., small-garden planning and planting demos, 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; 104 Marshall St., cello recital by sixth-grader Harry Smith, 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; 18 Marshall St., demonstration of container gardening, 11 a.m., 1 and 3 p.m.; 1545 S. Sycamore St., lunchtime fashion show by Ann's Dress Shoppe in Waverly.