BY KEA MEACHAM

Special to The Pilot

The 63rd annual Southern Pines Garden Club Home and Garden Tour will be held Wednesday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The tour begins at the Campbell House in Southern Pines, where exhibits by two renowned N.C. artists, potter Ben Owen III and painter William Mangum, will be on display. The tour will feature two homes and a garden in the historic village of Pinehurst, two homes in the Country Club of North Carolina and a home in the Horse Country of Southern Pines.

A well-kept secret tucked among the pines at the Country Club of North Carolina is the Canoe House, an original log home enjoyed for years by the family of George and Nancy Lyles. With the back door leading directly to a long deck overlooking the lake, this cottage commands a stunning view and has been the sight of many Lyles family gatherings. This tiny cottage glows with charm, from the hand-applied oak leaf wall paper in the foyer, to the antique canoe hanging from the living room ceiling.

Certainly casual and comfortable, this home overflows with style. Chic leopard-patterned carpet layers with overstuffed chintz upholstery. Antique beds puffed like tuffets furnish the guest rooms, each with its special personality and private bath. The master bedroom is dominated by an elaborately carved oval mirror, a family heirloom treasured not for its collectible value, but for the fact that Grandmother had the guile to dress down the gold leaf with a fearless coat of white paint. Hanging above Nancy Lyles' dressing table, the mirror is testament to this family's tremendous panache - the Canoe House, passed down through the generations.

Also included on this year's tour are the homes of John and Julia Kober, Fred and Debbie Hobbs, Julie Sanford, Matt and Trippy Dyer, and the garden of Hugh and Jean Rae Hinton.

Tickets may be purchased in advance for $15 at the Campbell House and The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines or at Lyne's Furniture Gallery in Pinehurst. Tickets may also be ordered in advance by calling (910) 295-4617 or by going to www.southernpinesgardenclub.com.

Tickets the day of the tour are available for $20 at all the houses and at the Campbell House. Lunch will be offered the day of the tour at the Country Club of North Carolina, and tickets for the lunch will also be available on tour day at the Campbell House.

Proceeds of the tour go toward beautification projects in the community and for horticultural scholarships at Sandhills Community College.