Sponsors: The Garden Study Club and The Martinsville Garden Club

Tickets: $15; single-site, $5; for Speedway, $10; ages 6-12, half-price

Info: (276) 632-2260; www.VAGardenweek.org

Lunches: $12; 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; The President's Suite at the Martinsville Speedway, 340 Speedway Road. (One mile north of U.S. 220/58 Bypass and U.S. 220 Business in Henry County.) Reservations by April 18.

Info: Janice Cain, (276) 638-6006 or janicecainstationery@yahoo.com; or Lynne Beeler, (276) 638-1030, ldcb@adelphia.net

The Ridgeway area south of Martinsville, most of which used to be farmland, still has a rural feel despite the new development. The homes on tour are in the Farmingdale neighborhood of this area. Ridgeway is also home to the Martinsville Speedway, a .526mile racetrack that is home to NASCAR events in March, September and October.

Tour highlights:

The Greenhouse and Horticulture Program at Magna Vista High School, 701 Magna Vista School Road, Ridgeway, constructed in 2004, is a state-of-the-art glass greenhouse. It has computer-controlled environmental systems, including flood and drip irrigation. Each year, horticulture students produce 2,500 poinsettias, 500 cyclamen and 40,000 spring bedding plants that are sold to the public in December and in the spring.

Located at 199 Beckford Way (Dr. Barry M. Dorsey, owner), this traditional brick ranch house is only a year old.

It's filled with memorabilia from the owner's career in academia. The family room features a collage of National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) athletes. On the mantel is a century-old round mirror in an intricately carved, gilded frame that belonged to a grandmother.

Built in 2001, 75 Derbyshire Lane (Mr. and Mrs. Christopher L. Williams, owners), this custom red brick house is designed in a traditional modern style. Tall Palladian windows and white keystone accents distinguish the exterior.

Inside is a two-story, marble-floored foyer accented with moldings, columns, staircase and balustrade above. The house features faux-finished walls, hardwood and marble floors, original artwork, family antiques and a collection of sports memorabilia.

The multi-gabled, hip-roofed brick residence, built in 2002 at 480 Owsley Drive (Mr. and Mrs. O. Lee Sigmon, owners), sits at the top of a gentle knoll.

The 7.5-acre property has a panoramic view of the former Fisher Dairy Farm. A collection of more than 100 music boxes is displayed. French doors in the sunroom lead to a deck and covered porch, and beds of azalea, crape myrtle, hosta, roses, perennials and bulbs punctuate the gardens.

The "paper-clip"-shaped oval track with tight turns and 800-feet straightaways at Martinsville Speedway, 340 Speedway Road, Martinsville (International Speedway Corporation, owners), first operated as Martinsville Speedway in 1947 as a dirt track before the formation of NASCAR.

Members of the Patrick Henry Community College Motorsports Association will conduct guided tours of the speedway throughout the day. Speedway President Clay Campbell's elaborately equipped motor home will be available for tour.

*Signed helmets and uniforms of NASCAR's sports greats are displayed at 75 Derbyshire Lane, along with autographed pieces from golf, football, basketball and boxing greats including Arnold Palmer, Joe Montana, Michael Jordan and Muhammad Ali.