Three June Home Events You Won’t Want To Miss

Seeking a remodel muse? Twelve Madison-area homes that showcase the craftsmanship of local NARI remodeling contractors are on display this weekend during the organization’s 2013 homes tour. From kitchens to bedrooms, these updates and additions are sure to inspire—even if you’re not planning a project anytime soon. Couple the ideas you gather with the organization’s official Home Remodeling Directory (you’ll get a copy before you head home) and you’re on your way to the house of your dreams.
$10 per family; NARIMadison.org

You’ll have to leave the city for this one, but if you love Frank Lloyd Wright, it’s worth the trip. This year’s Wright & Like tour takes place in Lakes Delavan and Geneva. While special events—star gazing at Yerkes Observatory, anyone?—bookend the weekend, the event’s centerpiece is Saturday’s self-drive tour where eleven area buildings will be open to visitors. Among other stops, you’ll see two 19th century estates—the Fred B. Jones Estate by Wright and the never before opened Charles A. Stevens Estate by Robert C. Spencer, Jr.—and five private homes by Wright, Brian Spencer and Howard T. Fisher. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit group Frank Lloyd Wright ® Wisconsin.
$55-75 per person; wrightinwisconsin.org

Arrowhead, featured on Wright & Like 2013; photo courtesy of Ken Dahlin

Calling all history buffs! The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation will take you back in time during this bus tour led by UW Buildings, Landscapes and Cultures Program Professor Anna V. Andrzejewski and Landmarks Commissioner Erica Fox Gehrig. Travel Madison east to west, from the 1850s through the 1950s, and learn how Madisonians chose to live and move. The tour features examples of numerous historical home styles—including Frank Lloyd Wrights’ trend-setting Jacobs House I and earlier homes from the Third Lake Ridge Neighborhood. Cost includes lunch at the Italian Workmen’s Club.
$50-60 per person; www.madisontrust.org