Beyond The Hedges

The Southampton History Museum’s annual Insider’s View returns September 12, offering guests rare access to privately owned historic homes and gardens before concluding with a reception at Rogers Mansion.

For one afternoon each September, Southampton’s celebrated hedges reveal what they usually conceal.

The Southampton History Museum’s annual Insider’s View returns on Saturday, September 12, 2026, inviting guests inside a carefully curated selection of privately owned historic houses and exceptional gardens. The event has become one of the East End’s most distinctive cultural traditions, combining architecture, landscape design and local history with access to properties that are rarely open to the public.

Rather than announcing the participating homes in advance, organizers preserve an element of mystery. Tour locations remain confidential until the day of the event, when ticket holders receive an exclusive map and parking information at check-in.

That sense of discovery is part of what has made Insider’s View a perennial favorite.

“The element of surprise and discovery is what makes this tour so special,” said Sarah Kautz, Executive Director of the Southampton History Museum. Each property, she noted, contributes to the larger story of Southampton while helping support the Museum’s mission of preserving and sharing that history with future generations.

Board President and event chair Averitt Buttry echoed that idea, describing the tour as an opportunity to experience Southampton’s architectural history “one beautiful surprise at a time.”

The self-guided tour will conclude with a reception sponsored by Sant Ambroeus on the grounds of the Museum’s historic Rogers Mansion. Guests will gather there to celebrate the village’s architectural legacy while supporting the Museum’s preservation work, educational programming and stewardship of its historic sites, collections and archives.

The timing is especially fitting as the nation continues its America 250th commemorations and public interest in local history remains strong. Insider’s View offers a reminder that history is not limited to museums or textbooks.

In Southampton, it can be found in preserved facades, long-established gardens, architectural details and the private residences that have helped shape the character of the village for generations.

By opening a select group of these properties for just one day, the Museum gives visitors a rare opportunity to experience that heritage in an unusually intimate way.

For ticket and sponsorship information,
visit: www.southamptonhistory.org/iv