This Year’s Whimsical McKinney Garden And Home Tour Keeps The Phones Ringing

Phones in McKinney have been ringing and ringing. People are eager to know one thing: Just when is the McKinney Garden and Home Tour?

Here’s the answer: From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 8. Six homes in McKinney’s charming historic district will be open for public view on that day. You can put down your phones now and start making plans to attend this big event in this fabulous North Texas town.

Chairwoman and McKinney real estate expert Valarie Kerby is excited about the event and can’t wait for people to turn out to see the six homes.

“I love it because I love showing people our town,” Kerby said. “It’s the second largest historic district in the state after Galveston.”

Kerby should know. Not only has she chaired the tour five times, but she’s also a Realtor who knows and loves McKinney and its famed historic district well. To show the town of McKinney best, she and other volunteers start scouting years in advance for homes worthy of home tour status.

Sponsored by the McKinney Garden Club, the tour is held every other year. Gardens start being watched as far out as six years before being chosen — all to ensure they’re something the public would want to see.

As Kerby’s mother told her, plants sleep the first year, creep the second, and leap the third. So, she keeps that mantra top of mind as she maintains a running list of possibilities that could be contenders four years from today.

McKinney Garden And Home Tour Features Gardens of Whimsy

This year’s houses are top choices, Kerby thinks. She’s selected the theme “The Gardens of Whimsy” because the homes are free-flowing, creative, unusual, and, yes, whimsical.

“I pick the houses, so I love them,” she said.

The six homes feature a mix of gardens and interiors for ticketholders to tour. Kerby says there’s something to like about each stop along the tour.  

A local artist has modernized this 1883 bungalow located at 406 S. Chestnut St., with her art and that of other artists.

“She’s a local artist in town, and her house is just amazing,” Kerby said.

Pathways, a stone patio, fire pit, outdoor dining space, and fountains enhance the landscape at 506 W. Virginia St.

“It was just a blank canvas, and they added everything,” she said. “It’s unbelievable.

The “little pink house,” a mid-century cottage, was once a lackluster gray house at 1007 S. Tennessee St., and the landscape is the highlight here.

“It’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen in your life,” Kerby said.

Also on the tour will be 510 Church St., a treed yard filled with lilies, sage, and begonias.

“It’s beautiful, and their home is 100 years old,” Kerby said. “They add a new section of landscape every year to their home.”

Mature oak and pecan trees shade the 1903 Victorian home found at 808 Tucker St.

“This one was built for County Commissioner Sam Hockaday Fox and has been renovated,” Kerby said.

A garden gate opens to the 1919 Craftsman bungalow at 1005 W. Hunt St. that exudes charm from the porches to the pool.

“Their backyard just showcases so much talent,” the Realtor said.

Get Your Tickets For a Day of Fun

Now that the homes are selected and the date chosen, Kerby and her committee are ready to sell tickets. They will be on sale for $25 at the McKinney retailer Diggin It and on the club’s website. Since the tour is held every two years and because her phone is already ringing with questions from interested fans, Kerby thinks the crowd could exceed its normal 1,000 visitors.

“Why wouldn’t everyone want to come?” she said. “It’s the most fabulous one-day event. Everybody’s invited. It brings so many people to our town. It’s just a day of fun.”