CARLSBAD — The Carlsbad Library and Arts Foundation’s popular charity event — the Castles of Carlsbad home tour — is returning this May with six new houses on display.
In its seventh year, the self-guided tour will once again give the community an inside look at some of Carlsbad’s most eccentric and extravagant homes. This year’s event, titled Carlsbad: Home Sweet Home, will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 1, with proceeds benefiting local library programs.
“It’s a fun day to be with friends, walk through Carlsbad’s different homes and just enjoy the community,” said Anne Linehan, the tour’s co-chair.
The tour committee sought out the six unique homes that represent the varying housing styles found in Carlsbad. From a cozy cottage to a new build in La Costa, an oceanfront property to a charming villa, the homes exude the personality and interests of each homeowner. They were selected based not only on their style, but also their location, so as to show off all of Carlsbad, Linehan said.
“It’s about every cottage and castle,” Linehan said. “It’s about where you want to live and what you make it.”
On the day of the tour, volunteer docents will staff each stop to answer questions about the homes. The docents are filled in on any unique and special features of each home so the homeowners can walk the tour themselves knowing that their house is “completely taken care of,” Linehan said.
“They are so gracious to open their homes for this,” she said. “Without them, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Local businesses have donated refreshments that will be available at each stop on the tour, including Starbucks coffee and freshly baked cookies. Community sponsors have also donated items, like hotel and restaurant gift certificates, that will be put together as gift baskets and raffled off during the tour, Linehan said.
As the finishing touches are being put on 2010’s Carlsbad: Home Sweet Home event, the committee is already looking ahead to their next tour. While this year’s official tour map has a note inviting owners to nominate their own homes, the committee members have even gone door-to-door looking for participants — and they said they have enjoyed every minute of it.
“It’s been fun for me to be able to interact with all of these people, see their homes and get to know them,” Linehan said.
Tickets for the Castles of Carlsbad tour are $30 and can be purchased at Carlsbad library locations or online at www.castlesofcarlsbad.com. They will be available the day of the tour for $40.
