In 1976, a children's book fair at a Lakewood school disappointed its organizers, so the parents tried something else. Five homeowners opened their houses, PTA members stood in the rooms reading from scripts, and the first Lakewood Home Tour raised $200, according to a Lakewood Advocate retrospective.
This Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 7 and 8, the 50th Annual Lakewood Home Tour opens eight homes. The tour's ticket page says that's the most in its history. Two of the eight are open on only one day, so you can't see the whole 50th tour in one afternoon anymore. You need to come back Sunday.
Fifty Years, Measured in Front Doors and Dollars
The tour is still run by the Lakewood Early Childhood PTA, and it still raises money for East Dallas public schools. What has changed is the scale.
| Year | Homes on tour | Funds raised |
|---|---|---|
| 1976, first tour | 5 | $200 |
| 2025, 49th tour | 7 | More than $400,000 |
| 2026, 50th tour | 8, across two days | To be announced |
CandysDirt reported that last year's tour raised more than $400,000 and that the PTA has raised more than $4.5 million from it over five decades. A fundraiser that size needs more homes and more hours to match. This year it also has a presenting sponsor, Fifth Third Bank, and an exclusive automotive sponsor, Sewell Automotive.
How the Weekend Is Built
The tour's own tagline is "One ticket. Two days. Eight homes." It's a fair description of how the weekend works. Six homes are open during daytime hours on both days:
- 7210 Brennans Drive
- 6823 Bob O Link Drive
- 7140 Wildbriar Drive
- 7030 Tokalon Drive
- 6645 Country Club Circle
- 600 N. Brookside Drive
The other two homes keep their own hours. 7059 Pasadena Avenue is open only on Saturday, during the daytime tour and again during the evening Candlelight Tour. 6819 Avalon Avenue is open only during Sunday's daytime hours.
Here is the schedule:
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Daytime tour, including Pasadena Avenue.
- Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 to 9:30 p.m.: Candlelight Tour, now sold out.
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Daytime tour, including Avalon Avenue.
The Daytime Weekend Pass costs $50, plus a $7.95 fee when you buy online. It covers both days and includes a guidebook. The pass is designed for two trips. It lets you walk the six shared homes on Saturday, then come back Sunday for Avalon and a second look at your favorites.
Every Candlelight option has sold out, including the VIP bus tour and the 23-seat full-bus package. The VIP evening starts with a 5:15 p.m. reception at Fifth Third Bank, 6260 E. Mockingbird Lane. Buses leave at 6:30 p.m., and an optional after-party at Birdie's Eastside follows at 9:30 p.m. The organizers describe the night as a gallery-style evening built around fine art and architecture, with light bites and wine tastings in the homes. Candlelight tickets also include Sunday daytime access, so evening guests have the same two-day weekend.
The 1929 House on Tokalon
One of the six shared homes has already had a detailed preview. 7030 Tokalon Drive is a French Eclectic residence designed in 1929 by architect Vern E. Shanklin for L.H. Lacy and his wife, Nina. The Lakewood Advocate notes that Lacy was a prominent Dallas builder whose work included Central Expressway, Woodrow Wilson High School and parts of Love Field.
The house has had very few owners. The Lacys sold it in 1972, and the current owners, Jed and Shelby Dolson, bought it in 2022. They had already owned two Clifford Hutsell homes in the neighborhood. They lived in the back house while a large rear addition and a new kitchen went in.
Look for the original millwork, the original light fixtures and the peacock doors. The 1920s bathrooms still have their bright original tile, and an eclectic bar anchors one end of the kitchen. The lot is about an acre. Shelby worked with Land Pro on a formal, English-style garden design, and the couple added a pool and a tennis court in back.
"It's a very livable home," Shelby told CandysDirt. "Even though it is architecturally formal, we have made it functional, casual, and comfortable, so that you can feel relaxed here."
She also told the outlet the weekend format was part of the appeal this year, pointing to "exclusive homes featured on Saturday and Sunday" and tastings at different houses. Tokalon is open on both days, so it's a good place to start either day.
Before You Leave the House
The rules reflect what the tour has become. A few hundred dollars from neighbors has grown into a six-figure event in private homes, so the tour page spells out its policies:
- Start anywhere. You can check in at any participating home and visit them in any order.
- Buying at the door works, but bring a card. Each home sells tickets during tour hours, and the event is cashless.
- Keep your shoe covers. You'll get a pair at your first stop. Take them off when you leave each home and reuse them at the next.
- No photos. Photography requires media credentials, and the homes are look-don't-touch.
- Plan your own route. Daytime guests arrange their own transportation between homes and are asked to follow posted parking restrictions.
- Ages. The daytime tour is recommended for ages 12 and older, and every child who can walk needs a ticket. Strollers aren't allowed inside, and infants must be worn in a carrier. Candlelight is 21 and older with photo ID.
- Rain or shine. The tour goes on in any weather.
The guidebook that comes with every ticket is the easiest way to plan a route between the eight addresses. Organizers are also still recruiting volunteers through the LECPTA home tour page. Volunteering is another way to spend the weekend inside these houses.
The Weekend That Opens the Season
The home tour comes first on Lakewood's holiday calendar, and the rest follows close behind. Holiday at the Arboretum opens at the Dallas Arboretum the following Wednesday, Nov. 11, and runs through Jan. 3, 2027. The Arboretum says this is the final season for its 12 Days of Christmas gazebos. On Friday, Dec. 4, Light Up Lakewood runs from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lakewood Shopping Center, 2021 Abrams Road, with the tree lighting at 7:45 p.m. Admission is free.
This weekend, start with the six shared homes on Saturday, then come back Sunday for 6819 Avalon Avenue, the one house you can't see on Saturday.
We love Lakewood homes like the ones on this tour: original millwork that has lasted almost a century, additions that respect the original architecture, gardens that took years to grow in. If the tour gets you thinking about your own house, whether that means restoring it, updating it or preparing it for the market, The B.A.R. Group is glad to walk through it with you. Contact The B.A.R. Group.
