About the Tour

The first Falls Church Elementary PTA Home & Garden Tour in 2006 was the brainchild of innovative parents who were determined to raise vital funds for the elementary schools … but wanted to go about it in a different way. The tour was a stunning success and has since been repeated biannually. Residents, newcomers, businesses and a host of others with a passion for beautiful design and history have made taking the Home & Garden Tour a cherished Falls Church tradition.

Proceeds from past tours have helped to fund technology, teacher grants, and Outdoor Classrooms at Mt. Daniel and Thomas Jefferson elementary schools.

About Falls Church City

Falls Church City is small in area (2.2 square miles) and population (12,300), but its heritage dates back to the late 1600s when it was an early colonial settlement. The brick parish from which the City gets its name was one of the earliest churches in the area; George Washington would travel to services from Mount Vernon and famously served as a vestryman.

Although just six miles from Washington, D.C., Falls Church was considered a remote and rural area despite significant activity during both the Revolutionary and Civil wars. The Victorian era brought a surge in population as well as many beautiful homes, some of which can still be seen today. During the period between the first and second World Wars, neighborhoods sprouted up to accommodate government workers; many homes made use of pink granite quarried locally as well as bricks manufactured from rich Virginia clay.

Known for our nationally recognized independent school system, community spirit and easy access to Washington, Falls Church City again surged in population in the 1990s and early 2000s. Families have seen potential in older homes with renovations designed to accommodate today’s families, and beautiful new construction has replaced older structures. Walk, bike or drive our tree-lined streets, and you’ll see Civil War-era farmhouses, ornate Victorians, cute ramblers and Cape Cod houses, classic Colonials and stunning modern structures.

And you’ll see a little of everything on the 2012 Home & Garden Tour!