A Stroll Through Time

By Christy Simo
Say goodbye to cold and snowy weather and welcome the springtime with Grant Park’s 40^th annual Tour of Homes Saturday and Sunday, May 17–18, 2014.
To celebrate its 40^th anniversary, the tour will take visitors on “A Stroll Through Time,” from turn-of-the-19th-century Victorians and 1910s bungalows to mid-20th century cottages, renovations of recent decades and a Queen Anne Victorian built in 2001.
“This will be a great tribute to an event that has been going on for 40 years. Grant Park has a wonderful collection of homes from every decade important to Atlanta, and we’ve got a little bit of everything to pique people’s interest,” said Abbi Rabeneck, 2014 Tour of Homes coordinator, who just moved to the neighborhood only months ago and has jumped right in. “There is even a home that will be in the early stages of renovation with the builders on hand to answer visitors’ questions.”
Ever wanted to know when your house was built or who lived there before you? As a new addition this year, information seminars will be included free of charge as part of the two-day ticket. Learn how to research your home’s history and how to use historic preservation tax credits on major home renovations.
Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 day of the event. Children under 18 are $10; children 3 and under are free. Purchase tickets online atwww.gpna.org/tourofhomes. Discounted tickets to the Cyclorama will also be available to purchase with your Tour of Homes ticket, good for Saturday only.
The Tour of Homes needs volunteers! For just 2.5 hours assisting visitors at a home on the tour, you will get some great gifts from neighborhood businesses and get a free ticket to the Grant Park Moth Ball, the annual costume party benefiting the neighborhood each fall. “We’re just finalizing the slate of homes, and we’re glad to have had so many offers to show properties,” said Rabeneck. “But now is when it takes a lot of volunteers from the neighborhood to help make the tour happen.”  To volunteer, visit www.gpna.org/tourofhomes.
If you are a business and would like to place an ad in the tour brochure, it’s not too late! Contact Kelly Tenedini, GPNA fundraising chair, at fundraising@gpna.org.
40^th Annual Grant Park Tour of Homes
Saturday, May 17, 10:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 18, 12 noon–5 p.m.
Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 day of event. Purchase tickets at www.gpna.org/tourofhomes