Friends of Fourth Ward Celebrates

31st Anniversary of Holiday Home Tour

Three Decades of Yuletide Splendor

The Friends of Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour celebrates its 31st wonderful year with a three-day event showcasing the grand Victorians and luxury condominiums for which Fourth Ward is famous – all dressed in their holiday finery.  The tour includes admission to 7 private uptown homes and the beautiful Gothic Revival-style First Presbyterian Church – organized in 1821 as the Queen City’s first church. On Sunday only, guests may also tour the historic McNinch House restaurant and Victorian home.  Tour homes represent the juxtaposition unique to Fourth Ward between the historical neighborhood of single family homes and the new, modern condominium buildings making their mark on Center City

Tour Hours

Friday, December 5th (5:00 – 9:00 pm)
Saturday, December 6th (5:00 – 9:00 pm)
Sunday, December 7th (Noon – 4:00 pm).

Exchange ticket for Guide Booklet at kiosk at 9th & Poplar Streets during tour houses

Tickets

$20 per person
Good for all 3 days
Available after November 20th at:

ORDER NOW

Reid’s Fine Foods (on 7th Street at the light rail tracks)
Park Road Books (Park Road Shopping Center)
Dean and Deluca locations (Uptown, Phillips Place, Stonecrest)
FastFrame (1235 East Blvd. and Matthews Festival Shopping Center)
The Bookmark at Founders Hall
Brixx Pizza locations (Uptown, Birkdale, Blakeney, Foxcroft and Dilworth)
or online at www.fofw.com

(Same day purchases available at kiosk at 9th & Poplar Streets)

Parking

All tour stops are within walking distance of one another.
Free on-street parking is available throughout the neighborhood.

Additional Parking:

Odell Building/GW Fins Restaurant (9th & Tryon) parking garage
7th Street Station/Reid’s Fine Foods
IJLBuilding/Stool Pigeon’s Restaurant (6th St. entrance)

Caveats

More information at 704 651 4183
This is not a handicapped or child friendly tour.

In addition to touring Historic Fourth Ward’s lovely homes, participants will be treated to a variety of seasonal entertainment. Throughout the weekend, tour-goers will enjoy holiday music from various handbell choirs and carolers, complimentary horse and carriage rides through the neighborhood, and seasonal beverages and snacks at various locations.

Founded in 1977 by neighbors who visited each other’s homes to feast, sing carols and enjoy holiday décor, the Friends of Fourth Ward Holiday Home Tour has evolved substantially in 31 years.  In 1979, the event opened to the public and quickly became a successful fundraiser for the neighborhood.  To this day, all tour proceeds benefit important neighborhood projects such as neighborhood beautification, children’s programs; preservation of historic landmarks; public art; social and safety programs. The annual home tour is hosted by the Friends of Fourth Ward, a not-for-profit neighborhood organization.

In the mid-1830s, Charlotte was divided into four political wards. The northwest quadrant was called Fourth Ward – a prosperous area that was home to merchants, ministers, physicians and numerous churches, forming a strong center of social and religious influence.

By the early 1900s, the trolley had expanded beyond uptown Charlotte, making nearby “suburbs” such as Dilworth the neighborhoods of choice. Fourth Ward entered a period of decline that continued until 1976, when the Junior League undertook a restoration program that fired the imaginations of adventurous urban “pioneers”.

Today, Historic Fourth Ward is an active, charming community of grand Victorians, luxury condominiums, urban apartments, parks and businesses, as well as cultural, religious and educational activities – all within walking distance of Charlotte’s thriving uptown business center.