Welcome back inside at 2022 Summer Homes Tour

Welcome back.

Come and get a peek inside some of Albany’s historic homes and buildings Saturday, July 30, on the 2022 Summer Interior Tour of Historic Homes, the first interior summer tour since 2019.

Since then, the Summer Tours have been exterior events, with homeowners decorating their porches and yards and some offering photos and video of their interiors, and many of the activities associated with the event had been curtailed because of Covid 19 restrictions.

Not this time. The tour will be held 11 a,m. to 5 p.m., and several homes, a downtown loft and other historic buildings will be open for visitors. Don’t forget to stop off at the Albany Regional Museum for some light refreshments as you take the tour, the 43^rd consecutive year the event has been held.

The tour is “self-guided,” meaning you have a choice to tour the sites in any order you like. Some of the homes are within walking distance of each other, or you can opt to drive your own car. Unfortunately, the horse-drawn carriage and the trolley will not be available this year.

Tickets

Tickets can be purchased online at monteithhouse.org until noon on Friday, July 29, and may be picked up the day of the tour. If you don’t purchase tickets in advance, a limited number will be available on the day of the tour beginning at 10 a.m. at the Albany Visitors Association, 110 3^rd Ave. SE, for CASH/CHECK ONLY. The cost is $15 per person. Well-behaved children under 12 are admitted free with a paid adult. Proceeds benefit the Monteith House Museum.

To receive your ticket, which includes a copy of the tour map and wrist band, bring your Eventbrite e-ticket receipt on tour day to the Albany Visitors Association office, 110 3rd Ave. SE. The office will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Highlights

Participating historic homes and buildings throughout the Monteith and Downtown Commercial Districts will open their doors to tour participants. Meet the owners and learn about the architecture, the original occupants and the ins and outs of restoring historic structures.

Please respect the homeowners’ wishes regarding any social distancing or mask requirements, and please do not touch any items within the homes or buildings.

Light refreshments will be served at the Albany Regional Museum, 136 Lyon St. S.

Also available for visitors will be a look at the work being done on the Cumberland Church, located at its new site at Pine Street and Old Salem Road. The church will be available for exterior viewing only. While there, visitors can get a close-up look at the 130-year-old church’s steeple, which will soon be remounted on the building. The church will be the future home of the Cumberland Community Event Center.

And as long as you’re in Albany, do a bit of shopping. Find unique gifts in antique and specialty stores. Indulge in a rich coffee and pastry, a cold brew and burger or a farm-fresh dinner in one of the many eateries and bistros downtown.

Albany’s Annual Interior Tours were created by a group of friends and neighbors to share the past through the architecture of historic dwellings. They are coordinated by Albany’s Historic Interior Home Tour Committee with the help of the Albany Visitors Association and sponsored by the Monteith Historical Society.

For more information about Albany’s Historic Interior Tours and other Albany events and attractions contact the Albany Visitors Association, 541-928-0911, or go to albanyvisitors.com.