A brief history of the Georgetown Garden Walk wouldn’t be complete without exploring Georgetown’s colorful past. Let’s start with June 1851, the first homesteaders to King County settled next to a small village of the Duwamish people in a valley clearing along the lazy loops of the river.  The meadow’s fertile soil was a perfect match for these hardy farmers, orchardist, cattle and dairy folk. Over the years the Duwamish village became the platted town of Georgetown and then a city of 7000. On March 29, 1910, Georgetown held a special election to decide whether or not to be annexed to Seattle. After the votes were tallied and announced the brewery whistle was heard throughout the streets and fields of the valley, sealing Georgetown’s fate as a Seattle neighborhood.  

A garden centric tour, the Georgetown Garden Walk also showcases artist studios, interesting shops,  neighborhood restaurants and tours of The Communication Museum. Sadly this year The Georgetown Powerplant Museum will not be open for the Walk.

The Georgetown Garden Walk is always on the second Sunday in July, between the hours of 10am to 5pm. The Garden Walk is a free self guided tour, free maps will be available on the day of the Walk at the Georgetown branch of the Bank of America parking lot located at 1112 South Bailey St, Seattle, WA 98108.  No reservation or tickets are needed.  

Plan to attend as we always inspire, delight and inform whether your interest is gardening, local history or a pleasant day strolling the retail restaurant artist core.

To be honest Georgetown has had its good times and bad, but through it all we’ve remained a neighborhood that loves to garden. Mid 20th century aviation and industrial expansion left Georgetown’s residential core a fraction of its original size. Even this was not enough to extinguish the Georgetown gardening spirit. The idea of a garden tour was bounced around for several years with the hope that it would be the prefect vehicle to showcase our green thumbs and community spirit. On a perfect summer day in 1996 we launched the first Georgetown Garden Walk, fifty people attended, taking a peak at our hidden gardens.

Why does the Georgetown Garden Walk resonates with fellow gardeners? We’re a truly walkable tour with over 30 gardens and nurseries that reflect a distinctive style and personality. Most gardens are a typical Seattle lot size. Creative use of reclaimed and found objects highlight the gardens. This makes for a unique and friendly environment to grow your garden passions.