Columbus Olde Towne East Home Tour Opens 11 Historic Homes and Gardens July 12

One of Columbus's oldest home tours is back this weekend. The Olde Towne East Summer Tour of Homes runs Sunday, July 12, from noon to 5 p.m. Eleven homes and gardens across the historic Near East Side neighborhood will open their doors to visitors, according to the event's Eventbrite listing.

The tour starts at the Fran Ryan Center at 865 E. Capital St. Tickets are $20 per person, per the Olde Towne East Neighborhood Association, the nonprofit that runs the event. The association says residents and volunteers have hosted the tour since 1982. That makes it a summer tradition more than four decades old.

How the tour works

This is a self-guided walking tour with 10 stops, per the Eventbrite listing. Most visitors take two to three hours to see everything. Shuttle stops sit along the route for anyone who wants a break from walking. Free parking and restrooms are available at the first stop.

The best part is the people. Homeowners and volunteers stand by at each stop to talk about their renovations and the history of each property. If you have ever wondered what it takes to restore a century-old Columbus home, this is the place to ask someone who has done it.

Why this neighborhood draws a crowd

Olde Towne East sits just east of downtown Columbus. The neighborhood association describes the featured properties as some of the most beautiful and historically significant in the city. Grand old homes here have drawn restorers for decades, and the annual tour is how the neighborhood shows off that work.

The area around it is changing fast, too. Just north, the city's Near East Side is set to add hundreds of affordable apartments at the former Latitude Five25 site, which we covered in our story on the $10 million state tax credit award. A home tour is a simple way to see a neighborhood's past and its future on the same afternoon.

A smart outing for house hunters

Home tours are more than a nice walk. They let you study floor plans, finishes, and block-by-block character in a way no online listing can. If you are curious about buying in a historic Columbus neighborhood, an afternoon here beats hours of scrolling photos. You can learn more about the area on our Olde Towne East page.

What to know before you go

It is mid-July in Ohio, so bring water and wear comfortable shoes. The route is walkable, but the shuttle can carry you between stops. Buy tickets ahead of time on Eventbrite or learn more at oldetowneeast.org.

The takeaway: for $20 and an afternoon, you can walk through 11 of Columbus's most storied homes and talk with the people who brought them back to life. That is a rare open door. It closes at 5 p.m. Sunday.