"Please note most of the homes on this year's Tour are the same ones featured in the 2024 Tour of Homes." That line ran on the City of Dallas event page for the 2025 Historic Tour of Homes. It sold out anyway.
The 2026 tour on Saturday, December 12, keeps six residential homes. It also adds two buildings that belong to the whole town: the Paulding Historical Society's Little Red Schoolhouse Museum and what the city calls the "newly renovated Dallas Woman's Club House." The tour has been a walk through decorated private homes for two years. Those two stops make it a tour of the buildings where downtown Dallas first organized itself, too. That makes this year's ticket more interesting and probably harder to get.
The Clubhouse on Main Street Was Dallas's Library for 58 Years
The Dallas Woman's Club was organized on July 12, 1920, by May Belle McGarity. According to the club's own history, its founding purpose included community improvement. Its first big project was a building. The clubhouse on Main Street was completed on July 4, 1921. It was built to serve as a community library and a women's "rest room."
The library part lasted a long time. The club says the building was Dallas's first community library from 1921 to 1979. That's 58 years, during which this was where Dallas went to borrow a book. On December 2, 2024, a city proclamation called the club the oldest women's organization in Dallas and recognized its service and charitable work.
The restoration began the next day. The club's January 2025 newsletter reported a ceremonial groundbreaking on December 3, 2024. It also said Pennant Construction had put up project signage. The Dallas New Era reported that Pennant was hired as the restoration contractor. It also reported that the only planned changes to the building were for disability access. That detail matters when you walk in. The plan was to restore the 1921 building, not remodel it.
Much of the work came from the community. The same January newsletter listed donated plumbing, painting, roof work and surveys. It said the club was looking for sponsors for furniture and appliances. The newsletter also described a brick campaign to fund a planned Walk of Honor beside the building and around Judge Bartlett's statue. So the building on the December tour is the result of about two years of local fundraising and donated labor.
The Schoolhouse on North Johnston Street Doesn't Need a Ticket
The Paulding County Historical Society runs the Little Red Schoolhouse Museum at 295 N. Johnston Street in Dallas. The building dates to the 1860s. The society says its mission is to preserve and share Paulding County artifacts, photographs and family histories.
It also keeps regular hours:
- Days: Tuesdays and Saturdays
- Hours: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Otherwise: by appointment
That makes a difference for anyone who doesn't get a ticket. You can't visit the six private homes any other day. The schoolhouse is open twice a week all year. Seeing it decorated on December 12 is the special part, and for anyone who misses the ticket window, a Saturday morning visit is the backup.
Two Years of Sellouts, Then a Bigger Tour
On the 2026 page, the city says the Tour of Homes "has sold out within 72 hours TWO years in a row." The page also said ticket-sale details would be announced on October 23 at 10 a.m. That announcement was set for last Friday. If you haven't checked the city's event page since then, check it today.
Here is how the three tours compare:
| 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Dec. 14 | Dec. 13 | Dec. 12 |
| Hours | 2 to 6 p.m. | 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. | Starts at noon |
| Ticket | $25 plus fee | $35 plus fee | Not yet listed on the city page as of Oct. 20 |
| Stops | 7+ decorated stops | Mostly the 2024 homes | 6 homes plus 2 public buildings |
| Result | Sold out | Sold out | On sale soon |
The city ran the 2024 tour as a self-guided route, with shuttles linking stops from Confederate Avenue to Hardee Street. That year's $25 ticket covered transportation and included a Christmas gift. In 2025, the price went up $10 and the hours stretched to seven. Ticket listings for that year still show it sold out, even though the city had said most homes were repeats. So people bought tickets knowing they'd already seen most of the homes.
This year the price hasn't been posted. The city hasn't said whether the 2026 format will copy the 2024 shuttle setup. The 2026 page lists 11 Courthouse Square as the event location, and that's the one place to watch.
The Tour Caps Four Downtown Weekends in a Row
Getting the timing right matters more than usual this year, because December 12 is the last of four straight downtown weekends. Each one centers on Courthouse Square:
- Friday, Nov. 20, 5 to 9 p.m.: Girls Night Out + Pink Friday. Downtown shops offer discounts and specials, and there will be activities and pop-up vendors. The city's page calls it shopping small before the big-box stores on Black Friday. Event page.
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m.: 7th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting. The evening includes photos with Santa, food trucks and live music on the stage in front of the police department. Main Street stores stay open late. The countdown and fireworks start at 6:30 p.m. in the courtyard. Event page.
- Friday, Nov. 27: Midnight on Main. The city calls it nostalgic Black Friday shopping and lists it from midnight to 2 a.m., which is late Thanksgiving night. Pop-up vendors aren't part of this one, and the list of business deals still said "check back soon." Confirm the hours on the event page before you go.
- Saturday, Dec. 5, 11:30 a.m.: 34th Annual Invitational Dallas Christmas Parade. The Paulding County Rotary Club hosts it, and this year's theme is "The All American Christmas." Parade entries register starting at 8 a.m. and must be in place by 9:30 a.m. for judging. Details are on the Rotary's parade page. The morning start also leaves the evening open. Kennesaw's holiday parade moves to 6 p.m. on the same Saturday, so one family could see both.
- Saturday, Dec. 12, noon: Historic Tour of Homes.
The first four events are free to walk into. Only the last one needs a ticket. And the ticket sale for that last event opens weeks before the first one even happens.
Where Downtown's Gatherings May Go Next
The Woman's Club House was built so the town would have a shared gathering place. Downtown Dallas may get another one. A September 1, 2026, press release published by The City Menus describes a planned mixed-use project with the Dallas Downtown Development Authority. It would include 280 apartments, about 20,000 square feet of commercial space, and a public village green from the City of Dallas with an outdoor amphitheater and performance stage. The project's name and groundbreaking timeline haven't been announced yet. For now, the tree lighting stays in the courtyard. If you're already making a downtown night of it, the Memorial Drive openings are close by downtown.
The tour starts at 11 Courthouse Square on December 12 at noon. Tickets will go on whatever date the city announced on October 23.
If you're curious about the older homes on these downtown streets, or how a historic Dallas property compares to newer homes across Paulding County, Amber Stout at Stout Property Group is happy to talk it through. Schedule a free consultation any time this season.
