Sponsors: The Harborfront Garden Club and Garden Club of Norfolk

Tickets: $30; single-site, $10; ages 6-12, half-price

Info: (757) 489-2804; www.VAGardenweek.org

The central theme for Norfolk, founded in 1682, is water, and its miles of lake, river and bay front are a hallmark of many of the city's neighborhoods.

Norfolk's logo a young mermaid can be seen in many places across the city. It is a symbol of the city's maritime and naval heritage.

Tour highlights:

1106 North Shore Road (Mr. Scott Fever, owner) was built in 1952 and the 4,000-square-foot home has retained many original elements.

The current owner has repainted rooms and decorated with a blend of fine art and thrift-store finds. A garden courtyard is accessible from the interior on three sides.

7300 Woodway Lane (Mr. and Mrs. Samuel J. Webster, owners), a traditional Cape Cod built in 1951, has undergone several renovations.

The interior features antique furnishings, many inherited from family members, as well as railroad memorabilia throughout.

A pool addition has soaring wooden beams and skylights.

7301 Woodway Lane (Mr. and Mrs. David Goode, owners), built in 1949, has been renovated several times, and the gabled contemporary ranch is now a showcase for the owners' collection of art prints, sculpture, glass and artifacts.

Almost every room offers views of the sculpture garden, seating and Lafayette River beyond.

1044 North Shore Road (Mr. and Mrs. Brendan J. Murphy, owners), a cottage built in 1928, exudes a casual elegance, and the newly renovated kitchen and dining room addition complement the house's older sections.

The family room has a nautical theme from the teak flooring and ship model on the mantel to the sailing prints.

1033 North Shore Road (Mr. William Gray and Ms. Dona Phaneuf, owners) is a traditional Colonial-style home built in 1930 on the site of a ferry landing established in 1647.

A renovation in 2000 added central air, expanded and modernized the kitchen and created a family room. Contemporary artwork complements artifacts and antiques.

*Admire the luminous Bertil Vallien glass and metal sculpture at 7301 Woodway Lane.