Sure, you can read Frances Hodgson Burnet's A Secret Garden, but why not live your own version? Through April 17, Charleston's Festival of Houses and Gardens takes you into the private azalea-filled gardens and homes that remain hidden behind closed gates the other 11 months of the year.

Known for three centuries as "a city set in a garden," the walking tours feature seven to 10 homes in one of 11 neighborhoods in Charleston's Old and Historic Districts, easily accessible from the Aloft Charleston. Some highlights include a tour of Church Street, sometimes called the "most romantic street in America," which is home to famous churches, graveyards and Georgian-style dwellings. Head from romance to riches by way of the Legare Street Tour, which features some of the city's finest pre-Revolutionary mansions, complete with original outbuildings like kitchens, carriage houses, and slave quarters. And you'll quickly forget about New Orleans' famed French Quarter after visiting the homes and gardens of the Charleston neighborhood of the same name. Guides, stationed at each location, share their formidable knowledge about garden design, plant material, and history. Beyond the homes, the festival includes some great events like an oyster roast and picnic at an 18th century plantation, wine and sweet tea vodka tastings, and a luncheon lecture series that covers everything from how to serve a proper tea to secrets of Southern cuisine.

[Image via the Historic Charleston Foundation]