The Historic District of Old Wilmington is the setting for the seventh annual Secret Garden Tour. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. September 17 and 18, 2010, in Wilmington, North Carolina. These ‘hidden gardens’, Road Trips Gardeners, complement mostly Victorian homes that exemplify Old Wilmington charm.

Tours begin at the Latimer House Museum (see photo), 126 South Third Street, Wilmington, North Carolina — and are held rain or shine. Tickets cost $15 each (if purchased before September 3) or $18 each thereafter. Proceeds benefit the Latimer House Gardens and the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society.

The Historical Society of the Lower Cape Fear was founded in 1956 as a non-political, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the preservation and study of history in the Lower Cape Fear region.

For more information on exploring the region, check out the Wilmington / Cape Fear Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau.