The collection of antique houses that line Litchfield's North and South Streets are so impressively well-kept that you cannot help but wonder whether they're historic homes or merely facades constructed for a movie set. They are very real indeed, and this weekend you have an opportunity to peer inside five of the best. The 63rd annual Litchfield Open House Tour benefits Connecticut Junior Republic, a private non-profit organization dedicated to helping at-risk, special needs and troubled youth become productive members of their communities.
The five architecturally distinguished houses on this year's tour include the Ardley, a superb example of Colonial Revival style; the Victorian Italianate Holmes Morse House that dates to 1874; and the Lyman Smith House, a high-style Federal, superimposed on an older Georgian center-hall, double-chimney Colonial from 1833. Points of interest on the 2010 Tour include the Oliver Wolcott Library, and Lourdes of Litchfield, a shrine built in 1954 by the Montfort Missionaries as a replica of the famous Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. The Litchfield History Museum and the Tapping Reeve House and Law School, recognized as the first law school in America, will also be included in the admission price of the tour. 63rd Annual Open House TourSaturday, July 10, 2010 Self-guided Tour 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. rain or shine. Advance Tickets: $30 Day of Tour Tickets: $35
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