Preservation Austin’s annual Homes Tour returns April 18 and 19, offering a rare opportunity to step inside some of the city’s most architecturally and historically significant homes.

The Homes Tour was launched in 1993 to celebrate the nonprofit Preservation Austin's 40th anniversary. Featured houses on past tours have ranged from Victorian-era homes and Craftsman bungalows to midcentury modern and postwar designs.

Themes have included Victorian Austin — The Age of Opulence (1994), Atomic Austin — Mid-Century Modern (2008), Austin’s Postwar Boom! (2016), and Art of the Craftsman Style (2019), along with neighborhood spotlights like Old Enfield (2004) and Bouldin Years (2017), and cultural programs such as the 2021 Rogers-Washington-Holy Cross — Black Heritage, Living History.

This year’s tour takes a broader approach, focusing less on a single theme and more on the range of Austin’s architectural history. The 2026 lineup spans multiple eras and styles, adds a 1970s home for the first time, and introduces two neighborhoods never featured on the tour: Montopolis and University Hills. Ten homes will be open for self-guided tours, with five featured each day from 10 am to 5 pm Saturday and Sunday. Volunteers will be on hand at each house to answer questions.

“The Homes Tour is a celebration of Austin, and the people and places that make our city so unique,” Preservation Austin executive director Lindsey Derrington said in a statement. “We showcase beautiful homes while connecting with Austin’s history and culture.”

Tickets are available at PreservationAustin.org, with early-bird pricing at $35 for members and $45 for non-members through March 31. Standard ticket prices are $40 for members and $50 for non-members, with $55 tickets available on the day of the event. A $125 VIP preview party, which includes an evening soiree and a wristband for the Homes Tour, is scheduled for April 7 at the Crestway Drive home.

Preservation Austin focuses on protecting the city’s historic places through advocacy, education, and public programs like its annual Homes Tour and preservation grants. The nonprofit connects residents with Austin’s architectural history while advocating for policies that support preservation.

That mission aligns with the City of Austin’s efforts to landmark historic properties and preserve neighborhood character. Austin homes may qualify for landmark status based on architectural significance, historical associations, connections to notable individuals, or cultural importance. Historic districts, in place since Hyde Park in the 1980s, extend city protections to entire neighborhoods by establishing design standards and guidelines that help preserve their historic character.

This March, Preservation Austin established its first permanent home, dedicating the McFarland-McBee House as its headquarters. Located on Red River Street in the Hancock neighborhood, the restored 1947 Streamline Moderne residence is one of Austin’s most recognizable historic homes.

Photo by James H. Ruiz Photography

Designed in 1960 by modernist architect Harwell Hamilton Harris, this landmark apartment complex exemplifies regional modernism and is the focus of ongoing preservation efforts.