Discover an historic herb garden, tour six private gardens and find local treasures at a pop-up craft and food fair at the Wornall/Majors House Museums Garden Tour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 4.
The bi-annual garden tour is the organization’s largest fundraiser which supports the museums’ efforts to bring history to life through hands-on programs for children and adult visitors. Both houses are on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each of the tour gardens mixes art into their unique landscapes:
- The Normandy farmhouse garden of Judy and David Aull at 1025 W. 53rd Terrace, just west of Loose Park, is filled with charm and history, including an 18th-century stone fountain and a 19th-century English wall fountain and antique well.
- The Tom Corbin Sculpture Garden is located at 1166 Southwest Boulevard behind Corbin’s studio, which is in an historic firehouse in Rosedale, KS. The garden is as meticulously sculpted as Corbin’s statues that grace the garden. Corbin’s bronze sculptures can be found in public installations at the United Nations, the Kauffman Foundation and the Firefighter’s Memorial. His studio will also be open during the tour.
- The Christopher Filley and Rich Hoffman garden, 5433 Cherry St., is filled with sun and shade plantings and eclectic items from Christopher Filley Antiques.
- Crestwood Garden of George Terbovich, 5531 Crestwood Drive, features a garden terrace for entertaining and a pond framed in shades of green.
- Oak Street Mansion, 4343 Oak St., is an art hotel in the historic Southmoreland district. Owners Roland and Marcia Sabates will open the well-manicured gardens and the first floor art gallery for garden visitors. The Sabates’ are avid collectors of lithographs, Cuban paintings and African sculpture from emerging artists.
- The John Wornall House Herb Garden at 6115 Wornall Road showcases a wide variety of historic and unique herbs behind museum.
Strawberry Swing will sponsor the garden-themed vendors and food trucks featured on the Wornall House lawn for tour visitors and the general public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Wornall/Majors House Museums is a nonprofit that manages two of Kansas City’s antebellum landmarks. The John Wornall House, 6115 Wornall Road, is in the Brookside neighborhood of Kansas City, MO. Constructed in 1858, the colonnaded Greek revival residence provides tours and school field trips and features Civil War-era exhibits. The Alexander Majors House, 8201 State Line Road, Kansas City, MO, is an 1856 house built by the founder of the Pony Express. It features historically accurate furniture and fixtures, including tools, wagons and carriages. It is surrounded by a park and includes a rustic barn used for weddings and other events.
Tickets are $25 if purchased by June 3, and are $30 the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased online at the Wornall/Majors House Museums, by calling 816-444-1858, or at local Hen House Markets.
