Annual fundraiser preserves organization’s historic Bernard Maybeck clubhouse and benefits an array of Marin nonprofits, including the recent the just-restored landmark downtown clock.
Whether they catch a glimpse of flowers on a residential hillside on an morning walk or hear through the grapevine that a neighbor has a stunning display of their gardening prowess, lovers of amazing gardens are often left wondering about the amazing creations just outside their field of view.

For those people, the event of the year is coming up next month.

The Outdoor Art Club’s biennial Garden Tour is set for Thursday, April 27, from 9am-4pm. This year’s theme is “The Secret Gardens of Mill Valley,” and organizers are promising a dandy of a tour across six gardens, from the fruit trees and sustainability efforts of “Pooh Bear’s Paradise” to the hidden scultpures and heart stones lining the paths of “Paradise Achieved.” Shuttles depart the OAC’s historic Bernard Maybeck-designed clubhouse at One West Blithedale Ave. from 9am to 2:30pm. All gardens close at 4pm.

The Garden Tour serves as the OAC’s major fundraiser, with proceeds going to both preserve the clubhouse and pay for grants to an array of Marin County nonprofits, with nearly $400,000 going to Marin organizations over the past 20 years. That includes the OAC’s issuance in 2016 of an $11,000 grant to the Mill Valley Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center‘s Enjoy Mill Valley Fund to renovate the downtown clock tower at the northwest corner of Throckmorton and Miller avenues. The clock has since been restored.

In addition to the OAC’s Curried Chicken Salad lunch (or vegetarian alternative) at the clubhouse from 11am-2pm, a number of local restaurants will be offering discounts to Garden Tour participants that day, including Piazza D’Angelo, Balboa Cafe, Prabh Indian Kitchen, Boo Koo and more. Info on participating restaurants and discounts will be distributed at the OAC on the day of the tour.

The 411: Tickets for the Outdoor Art Club’s 2017 Garden Tour are $45 in advance until April 25 at 5pm, and $55 at the door. Lunch at the OAC is $15. The OAC clubhouse is at One West Blithedale. MORE INFO & TIX.


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