Garden Day in Lynchburg

TUESDAY, APRIL 29th 2025

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DETAILS

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Lynchburg's Historic Garden Week Tour gives visitors access to four private homes and gardens, showcasing the city’s Rivermont Historic District and the educational treasure of Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center. Located just east of the Blue Ridge Mountains, visitors will enjoy a combination of old-world charm with new conservation and horticultural practices that inspire and delight.

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Details of the Day

Ticket Info

Tour Map

Properties

Special Events

Special Events

Ticket Information

Tickets includes admission to four private homes, Camp KBY Nature Center, and garden access at the Places of Interest.

Advanced Tickets

$50 per person. Available at VAGardenWeek.org. Tickets may also be purchased in-person at Enchanted Antiques, The Farm Basket, Findings Art Gallery, George’s Seed, Feed & Grow, Hill House Gifts, Lynchburg Museum and Visitor Services, Overstreet Ace Hardware, Paisley’s, Rainfrost Nursery, and Virginia Garden Supply.

Day of Tickets

$60 per person. Available at VAGardenWeek.org. Tickets available at Camp KBY Nature Center and tour properties. $15 single-site tickets sold at properties.

Note

This is a park & walk tour; walking shoes recommended. The tour is not handicap accessible; however, drop off locations are available. Facilities are available at Camp KBY Nature Center.

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Tour Map

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Properties on Tour

3115 RIVERMONT AVENUE

Purchased in 1983 by Randolph College, this Georgian Revival mansion has been home to the college’s presidents ever since. Inspired by Tidewater Virginia plantation homes, it sits prominently on Rivermont Avenue, just a half mile from the college. It was designed by Lynchburg architect Pendleton S. Clark and built by local contractor C. Raine Pettyjohn. Mr. Pettyjohn had a dual purpose in undertaking this project—to build his family home and continue paying and keeping his employees busy during the lean depression years. With its hipped, slate roof set off by dormers, the stately brick home is anchored by two formidable chimneys. Bay windows, flanked by ornate, custom crown molding and wainscoting, are hallmarks of the home’s craftsmanship. During Historic Garden Week 2025, the home will showcase art from the collection of Sue Ott Rowlands, Randolph’s current president. The park-like gardens surrounding the home were designed when the home was built in 1932 and are filled with peonies and grandiflora magnolia trees.

Sue Ott Rowland, 11th President of Randolph College

Parking available at First Christian Church (3109 Rivermont Avenue).

3125 RIVERMONT AVENUE

Meticulously crafted in 1941, this two-story, five-bay brick Colonial boasts classic design elements, generous living areas, and a newly renovated modern kitchen. The home is located in the Rivermont Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A north-facing Doric entrance welcomes guests into a foyer where generations of family portraiture line the stairwell—a three-foot by six-foot highly detailed replica of the U.S. Capitol in the living room anchors the space. The model, built by a Shenandoah Valley craftsman, was painstakingly restored by Mr. Burton’s father and is over a hundred years old. While history abounds, the current owners’ interests influence the furnishings. Visual arts in pastel hues brighten and modernize timeless architectural elements, while taxidermy specimens speak to a love of nature and the hunt. Behind the home, a slate terrace provides a place to lounge and view the garden. Encased by a serpentine brick wall, an arched fountain draws visitors to the southeast corner. Generous planting beds of boxwood, hydrangea, spring bulbs, and flowering perennials soften the formal landscaping.

BETSY AND JEB BURTON, OWNERS

Parking available at First Christian Church (3109 Rivermont Avenue).

1602 PARKLAND DRIVE

This restored French Provincial home in Boonsboro was built in 1929 and sold to the Ivey family in 1932. It remained in that family until the current owners bought it in 2021. The house had fallen into disrepair, and they undertook a complete renovation, going to great lengths to keep the home historically intact, complete with the original turret and courtyard, arched doorways, and wide plank floors. Despite its petite size, the home includes many modern amenities with its remodeled kitchen and baths and is perfect for the couple to age in place. Visitors will especially enjoy the thoughtful renovations and the open and airy living room with a vaulted ceiling, which is original to the house. The interior of the home contains many pieces of art by Mrs. Jones’ mother and other local artists. Open for the first time, this home is warm and inviting and shines with a lovely outdoor covered patio and courtyard entrance.

Torii and David Jones, owners

Street parking available.

1509 LINDEN AVENUE

This Federal-style brick home with an American foursquare design represents a mix of old and new. The house was constructed in 1931 during the Great Depression for Randolph and Glenna Myers and their young family. It remained in their ownership until 1987 when it became home to the Vermilyas and their three children. Although altered over the years, the owners have exercised care to maintain the character and architectural integrity of the house. The den was enlarged, and a sunroom was added in 1996, which was followed by an upstairs renovation in 2000 and a kitchen remodel in 2018. The home’s interior is appointed with antique furniture, rugs, porcelain, silver, and art, inherited and collected over forty years. The upstairs bedrooms were redecorated by the owner in 2020 and reflect her classic style. The mature garden has evolved over many years and is in the English cottage style. It features a collection of David Austin English roses and a variety of perennials and shrubs designed to produce blooms from early spring until frost. Open for the second time for Historic Garden Week and in honor of the owner’s late wife, Dea.

George Vermilya, owner

Street parking available.

4415 BOONSBORO ROAD Camp Kum-Ba-Yah Nature Center

Nestled in a 47-acre urban forest with 42 acres in a conservation easement, Camp Kum Ba Yah (CKBY) Nature Center is a naturalized play and educational space for public enjoyment. Organized in 1950, founder Bev Cosby recognized the need for a safe outdoor haven for children during the summer. CKBY Nature Center has evolved with year-round programming, offering environmental education field trips, gardening, hiking, team building, swimming, and special events. This year, the camp has added Addison’s Amphitheater, an outdoor classroom space that is also used for concerts and weddings. Blue Ridge Conservation will supply information on how homeowners can use native plants to create certified pollinator habitats in their own yards, and local vendors will have plants and gardening products available for purchase.

AMY BONNETTE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Parking available at Peakland United Methodist Church (4434 Boonsboro Road).

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Special Events

Special Events at Camp KBY Nature Center

Vendor marketplace with plants and gardening products available for purchase
Addison’s Amphitheater staged with florals for a wedding ceremony
Children’s activities from 4 - 5 pm including flower arranging & cookie decorating

Follow the Lynchburg tour on social media for more details on vendors and activities

Don't forget to pre-order your boxed lunch!

$20 per person

Order by April 15

Pickup at Camp KBY Nature Center

on tour day from 11 am - 2 pm.

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Places of Interest

Free access to the gardens for Historic Garden Week ticket holders.

Point of Honor	In Daniel’s Hill overlooking the James River. An example of Piedmont Federal architecture, built c. 1815 for Dr. George Cabell.	112 Cabell Street pointofhonor.org
Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest	Poplar Forest provided Jefferson with the perfect setting to pursue his passion for reading, writing, and gardening after retiring from public life. A Virginia and National Historic Landmark. Free admission for garden only.	1776 Poplar Forest Pkwy poplarforest.org
Sweet Briar Gardens	Surrounding the historic Sweet Briar House, the Boxwood Garden and Daisy’s Garden date to the 19th century. Gardens only.	Route 29, 12 miles north of Lynchburg (434) 381-6163
Anne Spencer House & Garden	This Queen Anne-style house was home to noted Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and a two-time winner of the GCV’s Common Wealth Award.	1313 Pierce Street annespencermuseum.org
Miller-Claytor House & Garden	Lynchburg’s only remaining 18th-century townhouse was originally located downtown and was moved to Riverside Park 1936. A Virginia Historic Landmark.	2200 Miller Claytor Lane
Old City Cemetery	An arboretum of historic plants with specimens botanically labeled, including more than 425 antique roses, medicinal herbs, a butterfly garden and pond, shrub garden, antique daffodils, and hundreds of native and ornamental trees. A Virginia Historic Landmark.	401 Taylor Street gravegarden.org

The HILLSIDE Garden Club

EST. 1935

Garden Day in Lynchburg

TUESDAY, APRIL 29th 2025

We hope to see you!

Details of the Day

Ticket Information

Tour Map

Properties on Tour

Special Events

Places of Interest

COMMUNITY
EVENTS

HISTORIC
GARDEN WEEK

GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA CALENDAR

The HILLSIDE Garden Club

EST. 1935

Garden Day in Lynchburg

TUESDAY, APRIL 29th 2025

We hope to see you!

Details of the Day

Ticket Information

Tour Map

Properties on Tour

Special Events

Places of Interest

COMMUNITY EVENTS

HISTORIC GARDEN WEEK

GARDEN CLUB OF VIRGINIA CALENDAR

COMMUNITY
EVENTS

HISTORIC
GARDEN WEEK