CHS to host Castine House and Garden Tour
Event offers ‘rare glimpse’ of village homes, gardens, and local maritime tradition
This year’s event includes twelve houses and three gardens featuring the work of prominent historic and contemporary architects, leading interior designers and garden designers. Photo courtesy of the Castine Historical Society.
June 23, 2026
By Staff
CASTINE—The Castine Historical Society will host its 2026 House & Garden Tour on July 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. According to a press release, twelve houses and three gardens featuring the work of prominent historic and contemporary architects, leading interior designers and garden designers will be open for one day only. The event offers “visitors a rare glimpse of [the] well-preserved historic village.”
The event is held every four to six years, the release said, and draws more than 1,000 visitors to the historic coastal village of Castine, one of New England's oldest towns.
Proceeds from the House and Garden Tour benefit CHS’ free exhibitions and educational programs. A portion of the funds also go to help support community-based projects in Castine.
According to the release, the tour includes:
A beautifully restored sail loft where sails were made during the 19th century for the many boats in Castine’s active harbor
An 18th century house that is the only known residence to pre-date the Revolutionary War
A 1920s Spanish Colonial villa designed by the New York architect William Bottomley
A cedar shingled house attached to an historic windmill which was delivered to the site around 1910
A garden based on the traditional French potager built upon the foundation of an old barn, with stone walls that hold heat and create a microclimate that encourages growthof grapes and apples
A newly created space surrounding a village home that is designed to produce vegetables and fruit that will nourish food insecure people in our community
The tour will take place rain or shine, the release said. All homes and gardens are within walking distance in the village and a free shuttle service between properties is also available. Food and restroom facilities are available to participants in town and at CHS.
Ticket holders will also receive free admission to CHS’s new exhibition, Francis Hamabe’s Maine: A Life in Art.
To learn more, visit CastineHouseTour.com or www.castinehistoricalsociety.org.