Members of St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church were glad that Hurricane Arthur arrived a week before July 11 when the group held their 12th annual Gardens by the Sea tour.

“We would have been drenched,” said church member and volunteer Priscilla Ditchfield.

Instead, clear skies and warm temperatures greeted the more than 250 people who signed up.

“It’s always a nice event,” Ditchfield said. “There are so many beautiful spots in town and you can’t see them all from the road. This allows people to walk down and take a look.”

She added that the tour doubles as a church fundraiser where all proceeds are donated to fund local and global outreach programs.

With seven stops on the tour, visitors could check out seaside vistas or gardens deep in Marion’s woods.

On Old Meadow Road, there’s always something flowering during growing season at the Boone family’s home.

“I have always wanted flowers that I can pick for arrangements,” Gena Boone wrote in a guide for visitors. “There is always something blooming from early spring until the first frost.”

Off of Converse Road, two gardens looked out onto Sippican Harbor. Don and Rosemary Hudson’s Moorings Road home offered views of the inner and outer harbor, along with colorful rosa rugosa flowers.

Nearby on Taunton Avenue, Kim Redfield and Ted Romanow opened their property for the tour. The home was built in 1927 and renovated in the mid-1990s after Romanow bought the house. Redfield designed the garden patio area, which was the site of their wedding.

Between the garden tour and the four-day Buzzards Musicfest that took place from Thursday to Sunday at Tabor Academy, there was no shortage of events for residents.

“It’s a very big weekend in town,” Ditchfield said.