Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward Tour 2019

Due to the evolving COVID-19 situation, the 2020 Secret Gardens Tour has been postponed. We will announce new tour dates as soon as possible. Follow the Friends of Fourth Ward on Facebook (@fourthwardclt) for frequent updates & announcements regarding new tour dates. Stay healthy, everyone!

The Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward 2019

On April 27 & 28, 2019, from Noon to 4 pm each day, the Friends of Fourth Ward will host the Secret Gardens of Fourth Ward tour, an urban garden and lifestyle tour in the heart of center city Charlotte. From the micro to the magnificent, the tour showcases a mix of private gardens, courtyards, rooftop terraces and outdoor living spaces that are rarely, if ever, open to the public. This walkable, self-guided event allows tour-goers to explore these hidden oases while strolling the brick-paved sidewalks of this charming neighborhood in full bloom, complete with food and beverage tastings at gardens and restaurants along the way. Tour-goers may also choose to tour via complimentary B-Cycles (Sat. only) or horse-drawn carriages (first-come, first-served). In addition to the featured gardens, the tour will highlight public art, historic homes and special points of interest along the tour route, effectively making all of Historic Fourth Ward – and the extraordinary quality of life it offers – part of the tour.

Secret Gardens includes admission to a variety of private and communal gardens, as well as Fourth Ward Park and historic Elmwood/Pinewood Cemetery. Cemetery tours begin at 3 pm each day.

Additional tour attractions include:  Complimentary food and craft cocktail tastings (while they last), in gardens and restaurants along the tour route and free B-cycle (Sat. only) and horse-drawn carriage rides throughout the neighborhood during tour hours.

Hospitality partners include:  Poplar Tapas, The Daily, Corkscrew on 5th, Doc Porter’s Distillery, Copper Barrel Distillery, Hendricks Gin, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Method + Standard Vodka, Southern Distilling, Sapienza, Queen City Grounds, The Asbury and Sea Level (complimentary oysters on Sunday). 

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Tickets

Tickets are $25 via the BUY NOW button above. Printed tickets will be available at Alexander Michael’s Restaurant and Park Road Books on April 15th. Though you may only visit each tour stop once, tickets are good for either day, and the tour is walkable and self-guided. All tickets are non-refundable.

During tour hours, ticket-holders must redeem their tickets for tour guidebooks at the tour ticket booth at the corner of 9th & Poplar Streets in Fourth Ward. The ticket booth also will be the only location for same day ticket purchases, if tickets are still available. Fourth Ward events sell out fast, so buy yours today!

PLEASE NOTE: You will NOT receive paper tickets by mail. Please bring a printed or digital copy of your ticket with you to the Ticket Booth when you arrive.

Parking

Tour-goers are encouraged to use light rail to access Center City. The 9th Street light rail stop is .3 miles to our ticket booth at the corner of W. 9th & N. Poplar Streets, or you may choose the 7th Street stop if you would like to shop at 7th Street Public Market before or after the tour. Limited free on-street parking is available within Fourth Ward on a first-come, first-served basis. Additional center city parking information: http://www.charlottecentercity.org/transportation/parking/

Advertising & Sponsorship

Interested in advertising or sponsorship for the tour? Please email Beth Walker at bethwalker@earthlink.net.  

Questions? 

Additional information, press kits, and group rates are available. Please contact us at: hometours@fofw.org

History of Historic Fourth Ward

In the mid-1830s, Charlotte was divided into four political wards. The northwest quadrant was called Fourth Ward – a prosperous area that was home to merchants, ministers, physicians and numerous churches, forming a strong center of social and religious influence.

By the early 1900s, the trolley had expanded beyond uptown Charlotte, making nearby “suburbs” such as Dilworth the neighborhoods of choice. Fourth Ward entered a period of decline that continued until 1976, when the Junior League undertook a restoration program that fired the imaginations of adventurous urban “pioneers”.

Today, Historic Fourth Ward is an active, charming community of grand Victorians, luxury condominiums, urban apartments, parks and businesses, as well as cultural, religious and educational activities – all within walking distance of Charlotte’s thriving uptown business center.

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