The Museums Committee of Oglebay Institute is once again hosting its popular garden tour for its spring fundraiser. The Secret Gardens of Wheeling Tour & Garden Market takes place Saturday, June 9, and begins at the Mansion Museum in Oglebay.
Area residents can view some of Wheeling’s most creative gardens, meet the passionate gardeners who create these lavish outdoor spaces and enjoy marketplace shopping with nearly 40 vendors. Guests will walk through six unique gardens, learn gardening tips and techniques and discover creative ideas to take home to their own backyards.
“As always, the tour reveals gardens and homes that reflect the charm and tucked-away scenery of Wheeling’s neighborhoods all decked out in their spring splendor,” said Oglebay Institute director of museums Christin Byrum.
From butterfly bushes, majestic trees and fragrant perennial beds to garden sculptures, ponds and decorative brickwork, tour-goers will find plenty of features to please the senses.
“Each space is alive with color and reflects the imagination and special interests of each homeowner,” Byrum said.
Adding to the excitement of the event, the locations of the gardens are kept secret until the day of the tour. To discover exactly whose gardens are being featured, guests should arrive at the Mansion Museum between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., June 9, to purchase a ticket and receive a detailed map to find each of the secret gardens.
The Garden Market opens at 9 a.m. and is free and open to the public. The brick pathways outside the Mansion Museum will be lined with dozens of merchants and artisans displaying and selling everything from garden-related items and plants to jewelry, antiques, paintings, crafts, handmade cards, skincare, makeup, maple syrup, fudge, chocolate-covered strawberries, glass figurines, Christmas ornaments, knitted items, candles, soaps, bath bombs, skin lotion, woodworking, beach bags, totes, encaustic artwork, quilting products and quilt books, elegant home decor and decorating items, and handmade pottery.
Refreshments will be available for purchase.
The public is welcome to shop the marketplace even if they choose not to tour the gardens.
Vendors include: Bellaroses Boutique, Lynn Buch Interiors, Connie’s Cards, DW and Co., East Wheeling Clayworks, Family Roots Farm, Grace and Heart, Hello Haberdashery, Images in Bloom, Jeweled Bird, Knits & Handmades, Lippencott Alpacas, LogCreek Design, Lone Star Designs, Mary Kay Cosmetics, Misty Mountain, Renee’s Confections, Samara Shop, SeneGence, Sweetest Inspirations, Touch of Amish, WV Bag Lady, Yardscape LLC, Zeb’s Barky Bites and more.
Wheeling residents Jane Mahlke, Vicky Musicaro and Hydie Friend chair the Secret Garden Tour for the Museums of Oglebay Institute. Chairs of the vendor market are Kassie Edwards and Janet Hart. Other committee members also assist them. All proceeds from the event support the Museums of Oglebay Institute.
The Museums of Oglebay Institute include both the Mansion and Glass Museums, located in Oglebay, and offer the public an elegant glimpse into the past. Once the summer home of millionaire philanthropist Earl W. Oglebay, the Mansion Museum offers 13 period rooms, the Wymer General Store and Sinclair Pharmacy collections and a changing exhibit in the Sauder Gallery. The nearby Glass Museum houses the finest collection of Wheeling glass in the country.
For more information, call the museums at 304-242-7272. Tickets for Secret Gardens Tour can be purchased at the door or in advance at www.oionline.com.
