Hay House Presents Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight

News provided by

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Mar 11, 2010, 12:02 ET

April 30 - May 2, 2010

MACON, Ga., March 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Hay House will host Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight Friday-Sunday, April 30 – May 2, 2010. Central Georgia's premier home and garden event includes tours of private gardens and historic homes, a free garden market on the Hay House grounds, and free seminars by nationally recognized guest speaker Tara Dillard. Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight has received numerous designations as a "Top Twenty Event" by the Southeast Tourism Society.

The venerable Secret Gardens Tour (Friday-Sunday) is now in its 17th year and will feature five large gardens in North Macon. The romantic Moonlight Tour (Friday and Saturday evenings only) will feature loft homes in Downtown Macon. The Historic Homes Tour (Saturday and Sunday afternoons) will highlight four (4) homes in the North Highlands and Shirley Hills historic districts.

Guests may purchase a combination ticket for all three home and garden tours, or tickets are available for each tour individually. Every ticket purchase includes a complimentary tour of Hay House during the event weekend. Advance tickets are available for sale through April 29th at ACE Hardware Stores in Macon, Gray, Perry and Warner Robins, as well as Creter's, Society Gardener, and Johnson's Garden Center in Macon. Tickets are available in advance and throughout the event weekend in person at Hay House. Tickets may be purchased on-line at www.HayHouse.org. An order form can also be downloaded and printed from this website and faxed to 478-745-4277 or mailed to Hay House, 934 Georgia Avenue, Macon GA 31201. Special advance ticket prices are available for the Combination Tour, Secret Garden Tour, and Historic Home Tour before April 29th. All ticket holders should stop by Hay House to pick up a program book with maps and directions before starting their tour.

Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight also includes a Free Garden Market held on the historic Hay House grounds. Specialty home and garden vendors will set up on the Hay House lawn to sell flowering plants, herbs, exotic flowers, garden art, planters, home decor and other accessories. The Garden Market is open Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., and Sunday 1-5 p.m.

Tara Dillard is a nationally recognized garden designer, author, and speaker who has hosted her own TV program, The Better Gardening Show, on CBS. After earning degrees in engineering and horticulture, she began designing and installing sustainable landscapes emphasizing the balance of home-garden-life. An award-winning author of five books, including Garden Paths and Stepping Stones, Beautiful by Design, and The Garden View, Tara writes magazine articles and maintains a landscape design blog, www.TaraDillard.com. Based in Atlanta, Tara knows creating a beautiful landscape will create a beautiful life.

Tara Dillard will be speaking twice:

Saturday, May 1st at 11 a.m.: Vanishing Threshold: Combining Life, House & Garden

Sunday, May 2nd at 2 p.m.: Beautiful by Design: Stunning Blueprints for Harmonious Gardens

All seminars by Tara Dillard are held at Hay House and are free and open to the public.

The event is sponsored by Riverside Ford Lincoln Mercury, ACE Hardware, Chris R. Sheridan & Co., T. Lake Environmental Design, Butler Automotive Group, Cox Communications, The Telegraph, 13WMAZ, Macon Magazine, and Smart Creative Media.

For more information about Macon Gardens, Mansions & Moonlight, please call 478-742-8155 or visit www.HayHouse.org.

Hay House is a National Historic Landmark and a property of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Hay House was featured on the 2007 "Oprah's Favorite Things" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, and has also been featured on the A&E Channel program "America's Castles." Hay House is open to the public for regular guided tours and is also available for private rentals including weddings, receptions, and corporate parties.