Postcards from the River Oak's Azalea Trail

The funny thing about Houston and living that suburb life is that right when you think your life has settle into a slow moving pace, something cool comes along and perks your interest right up again. I had gotten into a routine of just eating and working out on weekends when I wasn’t traveling with maybe the occasional movie theater outing or birthday party sprinkled in. But recently I’ve been putting in much more effort in exploring my hometown and finding out all the events that take place in the city. I came across the Azalea Trail- an annual garden themed home tour that the River Oaks Garden Club hosts for the public. The Trail lets ticket holders tour 4 private homes, the Rienzi Museum (I’ve already visited!), Bayou Bend Gardens, and the River Oaks Garden Club Headquarters at the Forum. Now, anyone that knows me well knows that I love architecture and private homes. Does this make me a nosy person? Probably… But it also made the Azalea Trail a perfect event for me! For $30 I was able to live my millionaire lifestyle for 5 hours and enjoy some beautiful homes and gardens!

The Forum

Bayou Bend Gardens

I will definitely be coming back to visit Bayou Bend- the Gardens are huge! So many acres of peaceful beauty!

Rienzi Museum

I visited the Rienzi on a private tour a few weeks back- check out my in depth visit here. This time there was no tour guide bringing me around to every room explaining historical and artistic significances, but there were beautiful tulips that the River Oaks Garden Club worked hard to plant!

3606 Chevy Chase Drive

We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the homes, but this River Oaks mansion was a GEM. It had recently be renovated and was the most beautiful bright sunny space ever. There were giant windows everywhere and the entire home felt so warm and genuine.

2154 Inwood

15 Courtland Place

I thought it was so unique that the owners installed a river path on the driveway. Although, personally I would have liked to actually use the driveway to park my car inside the garage. This home, along with the one below, was located inside a private gated community with a security guard.

19 Courtland Place

Bonus- No girls day is complete without brunch so my friends and I started our Trail at the beautiful River Oaks restaurant, State of Grace. The food doesn’t come cheap, but the atmosphere is worth it!

More to come on my Houston explorations!