The Southport Garden Stroll, one of Pequot Library’s signature fundraisers, features exciting events and activities showcasing some of Southport’s finest private gardens.

We’re grateful to the generous owners of our participating gardens who open up their private sanctuaries to hundreds of visitors for this important fundraiser. We aim each year to include a number of new gardens—this year, you’ll find 3 new destinations plus a few that have not been on the tour in several years. As in years past, we also include two perennial (no pun intended) favorites that will delight new visitors and give repeat attendees a chance to see how these spectacular spaces evolve year to year. The Wakeman Memorial gardens have been recognized by the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution, and the other garden is attached to a historic gem: the William Bulkley house, one of the sole houses in Southport that didn’t burn during the American Revolution. We trust that you’ll relish behind-closed-gates access to all of these incredible spaces, whether they’re new to you or if you’re gaining the chance to revisit them in all of their splendor!

The festivities begin on Thursday, June 5 with an intimate cocktail party featuring Ceramicist, Author, and Photographer Frances Palmer. The celebration continues on Friday, June 6 with garden tours, engaging conversations, food trucks, rosé by the glass, live music, raffle items, vendor displays, and more!

• New this year: Start your day with drip coffee by the cup available for purchase from the Sound Coffee Cart from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
• Bud Bucks: Use your bud bucks to enter to win raffle items, enjoy a glass of rosé in our exclusive Rosé Tent, sponsored by Sturges Ridge of Fairfield, and partake in some treats along the stroll.
• Food trucks: Grab a bite to eat from local food trucks on the Great Lawn, available for purchase from BFF Grill Truck and Proof Pizza from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Live music: The Merwin Mountain Band will perform from 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m. on the Great Lawn.
• Gallery stop: As you are coming or going from the Southport Garden Stroll, please stop by the George Billis Gallery at 1700 Post Road in Fairfield to enjoy the current Group Show on display, any time between 12:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Reserve Your Tickets
Schedule of Events
Parking
Vendors
Sponsors
Volunteer Opportunities

Reserve Your Tickets

Online ticket sales are closed. Tickets for the Garden Stroll are available “at the door,” and walk-ins are welcome on Friday, June 6.

Thank you for supporting the Southport Garden Stroll. Tickets are limited and non-refundable. All events will occur rain or shine.

Schedule of Events

Cocktail Kickoff Party
Thursday, June 5 | 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Join featured guest Frances Palmer for Pequot Library’s Southport Garden Stroll Cocktail Kickoff Party at a private home.

A celebrated author, ceramist, gardener and photographer, Palmer trained as an art historian at Columbia University and for the past 38 years, has focused on the process of changing ideas into form in her functional work—handmade ceramics. Her work is represented in leading private craft and contemporary art collections around the world and has been exhibited and sold internationally including at Fotografiska, Neue Galerie, Object & Thing and Wave Hill. Palmer has been featured in publications such as House & Garden, Neptune Papers, Vogue, and The World of Interiors.

Her first book, Life in the Studio: Inspiration and Lessons on Creativity was published by Artisan Books in 2020. Her second book, Life with Flowers: Inspiration and Lessons from the Garden, also from Artisan Books, is dedicated to the subject of flowers in her work and will be published in May 2025. In this new volume, Palmer celebrates her love of gardening and her approach to planting in waves, ensuring there are always beautiful blooms for her to photograph in her vases.

Barrett Bookstore will be on hand to sell copies of Palmer’s books.

The Glass Flowers at Harvard University: Marvels of Art and Science
Friday, June 6 | 8:30 a.m.

Start the day with coffee and conversation with our special guest Jennifer Brown, Collection Manager for the Glass Flowers at Harvard University. Brown will discuss recent projects and share the history of the internationally acclaimed Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, better known as the Glass Flowers. This one-of-a-kind collection has delighted museum visitors, educated students, and inspired artistic and scholarly works for more than a century. On permanent exhibition at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the Glass Flowers were created by Leopold Blaschka (1822-1895) and his son, Rudolf (1857-1939). Over fifty years, from 1886 to 1936, the Blaschkas produced 4,300 astonishingly realistic glass models that represent 780 plant species. 

Southport Garden Stroll
Friday, June 6 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. or 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Premier event sponsor: On the Harbor

Featuring several of Southport’s finest private gardens, this self-guided walking tour starts at the heart of Southport Village at Pequot Library. Pick up your tour map, browse local vendors and farms on the Great Lawn, then wind your way through a floral adventure in an idyllic seaside New England neighborhood.

Local garden enthusiasts will guide you through the most notable features of these bountiful landscapes. This year’s self-paced Garden Stroll through idyllic Southport Village features eight of the community’s most picturesque gardens, including a garden that has been recognized by the Archives of American Gardens at the Smithsonian Institution. Thank you to our garden club friends for volunteering as garden docents: Black Rock Garden Club, Easton Garden Club, Greens Farms Garden Club, Stamford Garden Club, UCONN Master Gardeners, and Westport Garden Club.

Start or finish your day with a visit to our vendor village to shop local businesses, boutiques, artisans, makers, and markets on the Great Lawn. Enjoy drip coffee by the cup from the Sound Coffee Cart available for purchase from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Grab a bite to eat from local food trucks—featuring BFF Grill Truck and Proof Pizza—available for purchase from 11:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

Would your business be interested in sponsoring this fundraiser for Pequot Library? Contact Development Manager Grace Calderon at calderon@pequotlibrary.org.

Rosé Tent
Friday, June 6 | 12:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Sturges Ridge of Fairfield

Use your Bud Bucks and enjoy rosé by the glass.

Closing Party on the Great Lawn
Friday, June 6 | 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

End the day in the perfect way on Pequot Library’s Great Lawn with rosé by the glass, vendor shopping, and raffle drawings.

Parking

Parking Options: June 6, 2025
Map Key: Green = parking

1. Pequot Library: 720 Pequot Avenue, Southport
Parking lot plus street parking on the library side of Pequot Avenue and Westway Road

2. Wakeman Boys & Girls Club: 385 Center Street, Southport
Parking lot available 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Street parking on Center Street (2 hour limit)

3. Southport Congregational Church: 524 Pequot Avenue, Southport
Parking lot available 8:30–11:30 a.m. and 1:00–4:30 p.m. Please do not park between 11:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

4. Trinity Episcopal Church: 651 Pequot Avenue, Southport
Parking lot available 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

5. Chase Bank: 292 Pequot Avenue, Southport
Parking lot (lower level) behind Chase Bank