[Times photo — Michael Rondou]
Pam Barger’s kitchen will be on the Florida Orchestra Kitchen and Patio Walk today. The kitchen features distressed wormy walnut cabinetry stained in a Tuscan yellow and pocket doors with inserts of antique church glass separating the kitchen and piano room.
Holiday tours and idea houses are planned all around the area. Here are the details:
THIRD ANNUAL KITCHEN & PATIO WALK: Kitchens and patios of seven homes in the northeast section of St. Petersburg will be open for tours to benefit the Florida Orchestra Guild. Boutique House and Gingerbread House will sell holiday items and things to eat. When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Tickets: $10 each, available today at three of the tour homes: 307, 1648 or 2050 Brightwaters Blvd.
HEAVENLY HOLIDAY TOUR OF HOMES: Five homes decorated for the holidays to benefit the Dunedin Youth Guild. When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. today. Tickets: $18 at First Presbyterian Church, 455 Scotland St., where a complimentary tea is served from noon to 4 p.m.
HOLIDAY TASTE AND TOUR: Twelve bed-and-breakfast inns - in St. Petersburg, Tampa, Pinellas Park, Gulfport and North Redington Beach - are decorated for the holidays, each with a tree based on one of the 12 days of Christmas. When: 3 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $15 adults, $5 children. Call 727 742-5751 for where to buy, or visit www.spaabbi.com Local restaurants provide food and beverages at each house. Benefits the St. Petersburg Tennis Center's First Serve Grass Roots program, which offers after-school tutoring and tennis lessons for children.
HOLIDAY HOME TOUR: Ten homes in Safety Harbor are open to benefit the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History. They include the Tucker Mansion, built in the 1920s in the style of a Virginia plantation; and "Whimzey," the folk-art gingerbread cottage of artists Todd Ramquist and Kiaralinda. When: noon to 5 p.m. Dec. 13. Tickets: $15, available at the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History, 329 Bayshore Blvd. S, Safety Harbor, where the tour begins. Call (727) 726-1668.
HISTORIC OLD NORTHEAST CANDLELIGHT TOUR OF HOMES: Sixth annual tour in this neighborhood from Fifth Avenue to 30th Avenue N and from Tampa Bay to Fourth Street, St. Petersburg. Eight homes will be on this year's tour. When: 3 to 9 p.m. Dec. 14. Tickets: $10 in advance, $15 on tour day. Call (727) 821-3711 for recorded message listing ticket outlets. On tour day, tickets will be available from 1:30 to 7 p.m. at Westminster Palms Retirement Center, 825 Beach Drive NE, and Westminster Presbyterian Church, 126 11th Ave. NE.
BOW WOW HAUS: Display of doghouses designed by artists, architects, builders and contractors. Sixteen are viewable during business hours at Reeves Import Motor Cars, 11333 N Florida Ave., Tampa. Next May, the houses will be sold to benefit the Humane Society of Tampa Bay.
COASTAL LIVING IDEA HOUSE: Showcase at the Colony Golf & Bay Club in Bonita Springs, between Naples and Fort Myers. The model is a high-rise condo with three bedrooms, 31/2 baths and two terraces in a tower called LaScala, overlooking Estero Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. When: through Dec. 28. Home is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Tickets: $5; two schools benefit. Information: 239 495-1300. Virtual tour at www.coastalliving.com
