Gawk All You Want

If it's spring in Boston, it must be time for peeks into hidden gardens, grand Victorians, designer kitchens, and open studios. Don your walking shoes, get your map and ticket, and set out for the season's tours and designer show houses.

76th Anniversary Tour of the Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill
May 19, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. $25 in advance, $30 on day of tour. 617-227-4392; www.beaconhill gardenclub.org/tour

Tours start on Charles Street at Mt. Vernon or Chestnut street and will include 14 gardens. Although most are enclosed, Karen Cord Taylor of the Beacon Hill Garden Club says many gardens are contiguous, so visitors can peer down lovely rows of connecting flower-filled spaces. Most growing areas are small and shaded by buildings, providing special challenges for gardeners.

Newton Historical Society's 23d Annual House Tour
May 22, noon to 5 p.m. $22 in advance, $25 on day of tour. 617-796-1450; www.ci.newton.ma.us/jackson

Tours begin from The Jackson Homestead, 527 Washington Street (Route 16), Newton. This year's eight homes are a mix of styles dating from 1869 through the 20th centuries. Many house historic paintings, sunrooms, and music rooms, along with features like high-tech kitchens. Tour booklets provide architectural and historical details.

81st Annual Tour of Historic Homes and Buildings
June 12, 1 to 7 p.m. $20 in advance, $25 on day of tour. 781-749-1851; www.hinghamhistorical.org

Starting at the historic Old Ordinary, 21 Lincoln Street, Hingham, this house tour is believed by its sponsors to be the oldest in the country. This is not surprising, for the town itself is a virtual walking tour of historic Colonial, Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian, and Italianate houses. In addition to six private homes, the tour will include four historic sites, including the Old Ordinary, a 14-room house museum built around 1680; the 1818 Old Derby Academy; Hingham Cemetery; and the 1681 Old Ship Church, named for its vaulted ceiling that recalls an inverted ship's hull.

Codman Square House Tour
June 12, noon to 5. $22 in advance, $25 on day of tour. 617-265-7460; www.codmansquarehousetour.com

The tour begins at historic Great Hall, 6 Norfolk Street, Codman Square, Dorchester. There, visitors can board trolleys that shuttle ticket holders to three neighborhoods - Ashmont Hill, Ashmont and Carruth streets, and Melville Park - where eight houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries will be open. Now in its ninth year, the tour includes homes in a variety of architectural styles and degrees of restoration or renovation. "These are all amazing houses with interesting details," says tour committee member Vicki Rugo. In addition to the Gothic arches, ceiling medallions, elaborate chandeliers, Victorian paint colors, and elegant baths, many have handsome gardens. Trolley guides also offer a history of the area.

Pilgrim Hall Museum Designer Show House
May 21 to June 12. Daily 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays 5 to 8 p.m. $15 in advance, $20 after May 19. Tickets to the May 20 preview party are $60. Contact Peggy Baker at pegbaker@pilgrimhall.org or call 508-746-1620; www.pilgrimhall.org

The Daniel Webster Estate, Webster Street, Marshfield, is the setting for this event to benefit Pilgrim Hall Museum of Plymouth. When statesman Daniel Webster's Marshfield home burned in 1878, his daughter-in-law had it rebuilt as the impressive Queen Anne it is today. With its grand foyer and stairway, music room, wraparound porch, stained-glass windows, and elaborate gingerbread trim, the estate obviously was built for entertaining. Through the years, the interior suffered its share of abuse, and was long used as a children's camp. The exterior of the home, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, has been restored, and 20 designers are decorating 21 interior spaces for public viewing.

This Old House Designer Show House
April 15 through May 29. Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m to 7 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. $23 for WGBH members, $28 for nonmembers. 617-931-2787 (Ticketmaster); www.thisoldhouse.com

For its 25th anniversary celebration, the public television show This Old House has renovated an 1849 Greek Revival-style country farmstead at 730 Concord Street, Carlisle. Work on the house started last spring. The property is laid out in the classic New England three-part style of main house, middle building, and timber-frame barn.

While maintaining the house's classic, rustic character, designers have added a modern flair. Eighteen designers, from young local talent to some with international reputations, have decorated sleeping quarters, a pantry, hallways, and a library, as well as a contemporary media alcove.

2005 Decorators' Show House
May 5 through 26, Tuesdays through Fridays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m., Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Groups of 10 or more can book special tours, $5 per person, including lunch, for May 2 through 4. 617-536-9640; www.jlboston.org. For group tours, call Melissa Fox, 617-753-9205.

Since 1971, the Junior League of Boston has made its annual show house for designers its principal fund-raising event. This year, 30 designers have been invited to decorate spaces at historic Prowse Farm, 5 Blue Hill River Road, Canton, a 1920s grand Colonial home on 44 acres. Once the site of a Colonial tavern and later home to champion horses, the farm still hosts Native American ceremonies and events for horse-drawn carriages. Following the show, the house, once a wedding gift to Martha Peabody Prowse, will become a museum.

Holliston Mill Open Studios
April 30 and May 1, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. 617-733-1170; www.hollistonmill.com

The resident and visiting artists in the former shoe factory at 24 Water Street, Holliston, display and sell their paintings, pottery, handmade books, clothing, home accessories, and photography.

Now in its sixth year, this show has grown into a serious art event, but casual strolling and free home-baked goodies keep the atmosphere low-key. "The work is very diverse, very high quality," says coordinator Cristine Santo, who sells her handcrafted lighting. "It's like a treasure hunt." Prices range from about $10 for seconds or experiments to about $500 for large paintings.

Barbara Claire Kasselmann is a freelance writer. She can be reached at Bkasselm@cs.com.