Rain or shine — most likely rain, according to the forecast — the Columbus Spring Pilgrimage will kick off its 75th year today with its first tour of homes and a kickoff party featuring crawfish at a shrimp boil.
With rain likely throughout the day, the Pilgrimage Kickoff Party has been relocated from the lawn of the Tennessee Williams home to the Trotter Convention Center. The event will run from 5 to 8 p.m.
Pilgrimage tours begin today with the Orange Tour from 2 to 5 p.m., featuring visits to Rosewood Manor and Gardens, Whitehall and the Amzi Love Home. Four other tours will commence later this week, including the Green Tour (Rosedale, Stephen D. Lee Home and Museum, White Arches), Blue Tour (Bryn Bella, Ole Magnolia and Waverley Mansion Home and Gardens), Yellow Tour (Baskerville Mannor, Colonnade Garden, Snowdoun), Red Tour (Errolton, Temple Heights and Gardens, Shadowlawn) and a pair of one-day tours on April 12 (Ole Homestead, The Cedars) and April 16 (Twelve Gables and The Haven).
Other events on the 16-day schedule include a Garden Party at Colonnade Gardens, the Pilgrimage half-marathon and 5K run, Catfish in the Alley, Artisans Alley and Mayor’s Unity Picnic, all scheduled for Saturday.
The first “Tales from the Crypt” performance by students from Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science will be held Wednesday. Horse-drawn carriage rides will be available throughout Pilgrimage.
At 10 a.m. on April 18, Columbus novelist Michael Farris Smith will hold a reading and book-signing at the Tennessee Williams Home of his highly-acclaimed novel, “Rivers.”
This year’s Pilgrimage runs though April 18.
For more information, call 800-920-3533 or go to www.visitcolumbusms.org.
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