Presenting Preservation Durham's 2026 Home Tour
Online ticket sales close at 12 pm on Friday, May 15th. Tickets can be purchased at our Home Tour HQ during the hours of the tour.
Home tour ticket pick-up:
Ticket pickup will be available at our annual meeting/home tour lecture on Tuesday, May 12th, or at the Hope Valley Country Club (3803 Dover Road, Durham, NC 27702) Tennis Pavilion during the hours of the tour, May 16th-17th. For ticket pick-up, there is parking at the Tennis Pavilion and the Country Club. There, you will receive your wristband that gets you into the homes, as well as your home tour program with more information on the homes and a map/parking directions.
Frequently Asked Questions listed below. An update email with tour information will be sent out the afternoon of Friday, May 15th.
Join Preservation Durham as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of Hope Valley with this year's home tour! Started in 1926, the community was built around the Hope Valley golf course, and was explicitly designed to accommodate the rise of the automobile in the early twentieth-century United States. From its inception, Hope Valley has been defined by incredible period revival homes; many of the originals designed by Durham architect George Watts Carr. Hope Valley is one of the twenty national register historic districts in Durham, an indication of its rich and integral role in Durham's history.
To celebrate Hope Valley's centennial, Preservation Durham is hosting our 2026 home tour in the neighborhood. The eight homes on this tour, all spanning from within 10 years of the neighborhood's establishment, represent the vision the Hope Valley designers had for the professional-class neighborhood.
The home tour takes place on May 16th-17th, 2026, from 12-4 pm each day. Early bird tickets are on sale now, with a discount for Preservation Durham members. General public ticket comes with a one-year membership to Preservation Durham. This offer is for new members only and cannot be used to renew an existing lapsed membership. Ticket prices will increase starting April 1st.
Interested in volunteering as a docent for the 2026 home tour? Sign up using the link below! Home tour volunteers can work 2 or 4-hour shifts on either or both days of the tour. All home tour volunteers will receive a
free ticket to the home tour to enjoy while not working their shift!
Frequently Asked Questions:
-Parking/Accessibility:
Numerous homes along the tour are within walking distance from each other, with ample street parking nearby. There are a few homes on the tour where parking is more limited and requires more walking. We have outlined parking instructions/recommendations for each home in the home tour program. We highly recommend carpooling or finding a central spot to park and then walking to as many of the nearby homes from that spot. For accessibility reasons, drop off in the home's driveway is allowed, as long as the car does not remain parked there. Note that there are some homes with steep driveways and/or exterior stairs to get inside.
-Children:
Children are allowed on the tour and do not require a ticket. We ask that all children be supervised and that no strollers be brought into the homes.
-House Rules:
We require that people either take their shoes off or wear booties (provided by us) in the home. Please be courteous to other tour goers. Please refrain from touching anything. There will be docents stationed around the home if you are in need of assistance. If you have an emergency, please call 911.
-Weather:
The home tour is rain or shine. If it does rain during the tour, we ask that all umbrellas and raincoats be left outside of the front door.
Thank You to our 2026 Sponsors!
2026 Presenting Partner
Preservation Partner
George Watts Hill Circle
Preservation Friends
