Get charmed on home tour

Editor’s note: This corrects how many homes will be included in the tour.

Six homes will be featured on the 39th annual Charm House Tour on May 15.

This year the tour will showcase classic and contemporary homes, some newly renovated and others maintained in their original condition.

“One example of this year’s featured homes is a charming 1926 cottage, hidden away but within walking distance of many Laguna retail establishments,” said event spokeswoman Barbara Picheny. “The home is abutted by a lush backyard garden which is visible from the ‘indoor/outdoor’ room overlooking meandering brick pathways, mature trees, an aviary and specimen plants such as cycads and a huge euphorbia. Inside the home is a life-time’s collection of children’s literature, antiques and noteworthy items of interest.”

Other homes on the tour will be announced at a later date.

All the homes are in what is being called the central village, two on Catalina Street, one on Temple Hills Drive, another on Virginia Park Drive and one on Ocean Way.

“This is not a walking tour, but wearing comfortable shoes is a good idea,” Picheny said.

The annual tour is presented by Village Laguna, which is dedicated to the preservation of the Greenbelt, the Bluebelt and other qualities that distinguish Laguna from other South County communities.

Proceeds from the tour benefit the group’s philanthropic and political efforts.

Tours begin at the Festival of Arts Grounds, 650 Laguna Canyon Road. Buses will transport visitors to the homes and back to the grounds.

The first bus will leave the grounds at noon, the last at 3 p.m. Homes will be open until 5 p.m.

Pre-event tickets are $40, $45 on the day of the tour, if still available.

Tickets may be bought at Animal Crackers, 30822 S. Coast Hwy.; Laguna Nursery, 1370 S. Coast Hwy.; Coast Pet Supplies, 880 N. Coast Hwy.; Copy & Print Center, 240 Beach St; Cottage Furnishings, 802 S. Coast Hwy.; Fawn Memories, 384 Forest Ave.; Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy.; La Casa del Camino, 1289 S. Coast Hwy.; Laguna Beach Books, 1200 S. Coast Hwy.; Silver Images, 311 Ocean Ave.; Rock Martin Custom Jewelry, 268 Forest Ave.; and Monarch Bay Optometry, 13 Monarch Bay Plaza, Dana Point.

Paypal may be used to buy tickets at https://www.villagelaguna.org. Tickets may also be obtained by mailing P.O. Box 1309, Laguna Beach, CA 92652. Tickets will be mailed until the week before the tour, after which they will be in will-call at the first home on the tour, where tour-day tickets will be sold.

For more information, call (949) 472-7503.