LIFE

9 home, garden tours where you can snoop without guilt

Maureen C. Gilmer
maureen.gilmer@indystar.com

It's no wonder many organizations plan house and garden tours this time of year. It's perfect weather for peeking inside other people's homes and yards. Take your pick of these upcoming tours.

Ransom Place neighborhood tour

6 to 7:30 p.m. May 28, (317) 822-7923,www.indianalandmarks.org

Get in some walking and a dose of history on this tour. Indiana Landmarks partners with Historic Urban Neighborhoods to offer a tour of the Ransom Place neighborhood just west of Downtown. An early home for the city's African-American community, it boasts colorful, well-preserved homes. The tour begins at the Indiana Builder's Association, 11th and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets. $10 ($5 for Indiana Landmarks members and neighborhood residents).

Historic Meridian Park 2015 Tour of Homes

Noon to 6 p.m. May 30-31, www.historicmeridianpark.org

Historic Meridian Park, one of Indianapolis' first suburban neighborhoods and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will offer a glimpse inside seven homes and two gardens during the 2015 Tour of Homes. The tour focuses on "Historic is the New Green: Restoring the Urban Community." It highlights how homeowners use green building practices, such as creative reuse, landfill diversion, energy efficiency and pesticide-free gardening in their historic homes. The tour starts at Trinity Episcopal Church, 3243 N. Meridian St. Locations are 3302 and 3363 Washington Blvd., 215 Washington Court, 215 E. 32nd St., 3024 and 3148 N. Pennsylvania St., 3117 N. Delaware St., 128 E. 33rd St. $12 in advance, $15 onsite, eventbrite.com and select Marsh supermarkets. Proceeds from the tour, sponsored by the Historic Meridian Park Neighborhood Association Board of Directors, will benefit a neighborhood pocket park and neighborhood beautification.

Indianapolis Garden Club Walk

9 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 3, luncheon at Woodstock Club, www.igcgardenwalk.com

Get ideas for your own yard when you tour five Northside gardens. Addresses are included on the ticket. $35 for walk, $60 for walk and lunch. Tickets (cash or check only) are available at Charles Mayer & Co., 5629 N. Illinois St.

Historic Twin Oaks Home and Garden Tour

11 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 5-7, www.indianahistory.org

Get a rare look inside Twin Oaks, the 1941 Colonial Revival home built by Lyman S. Ayres II and his wife, Isabel, at 555 Kessler Blvd. West Drive. Explore 17 rooms in the mansion and visit the English garden. Twin Oaks was the home of philanthropist Ruth Lilly from the late 1980s until her death in 2009. $18 in advance at Indiana History Center, Charles Mayer and Sullivan Hardware, $20 day of tour.

Meridian-Kessler Home Tour

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 6-7,hometour.mkna.org

Seven homes have been selected for distinctive design and architectural elements, from DIY bungalows to professionally decorated estates. Locations include 3956 Central Ave., 3959 Central Ave., 4245 Washington Blvd., 4317 N. College Ave., 139 E. 48th St., 5417 N. Meridian St. and 5727 Broadway Terrace. $15 advance, $20 at the door.

Gardens of Zionsville Tour

10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 20, www.sullivanmunce.org

Tour six gardens in Zionsville and get summer tablescape ideas. Locations are kept secret in advance, but they include a classic English garden and a local landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. The latter features a 1930s Depression-era vegetable, flower and herb garden. Also, bid on potted planters designed by area vendors at the SullivanMunce Cultural Center. $15 in advance, $20 day of tour. Tickets available online, at SullivanMunce and at Akard True Value Hardware in Boone Village Shopping Center.

Brownsburg Garden Tour

10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 27 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 28, (317) 852-3463

Tour five gardens designed by homeowners, many of them master gardeners. Get a map and directions with the purchase of a ticket, $10 in advance at Country Harmony, Frazee Gardens, Cross Roads Feed Barn and Wicker Works in Brownsburg, and Avon Gardens in Avon. $12 day of tour. Proceeds benefit Hendricks County Animal Shelter.

Woodruff Place Home and Garden Tour

Noon to 5 p.m. June 27-28,www.woodruffplace.org

Stroll the tree-lined streets while stopping to tour signature homes and gardens in the historic neighborhood just east of Downtown. Check in at Woodruff Place Town Hall, 735 Woodruff Place East Drive. $12 in advance, $15 day of tour.

Irvington Garden Tour

1 to 5 p.m. June 28, irvingtongardenclub.com

Since the first tour in 2000, the Irvington Garden Club has highlighted the best gardens in historic Irvington. Buy tickets in advance at Bookmamas, 9 S. Johnson Ave.; Antique Mall of Irvington, 5502 E. Washington St.; and Habig's Garden Center, 1105 N. Arlington Ave. On the day of the tour, tickets are available at the Benton House, 312 S. Downey Ave., and Irvington United Methodist Church, 30 N. Audubon Road.

Call Star reporter Maureen Gilmer at (317) 444-6879. Follow her on Twitter: @MaureenCGilmer.