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In a manner of speaking, Lakewood was made for getaways, beginning with the founding of a number of country estates in the 19th-century by Tacoma area business leaders.  And although the then-bedroom community has since grown up, some of those estates remain, clustered around the local lakeshores. One such estate on Gravelly Lake now belongs to a nonprofit group that maintains its long-celebrated gardens for public enjoyment. The estate's name is Lakewold Gardens. Today marks a three-week run of publicity for the Gardens as the Designer Showhouse 2013 moves in.

Nothing like bringing the outside elements of beauty inside - a splash of color inspired by a favorite rose bush, a furniture arrangement that mimics an outside design, or window treatments that let the sun shine in just so. That's exactly what will happen as several professional designers have transformed the rooms of Lakewold's Wagner House Mansion into works of art, allowing visitors to explore rooms and view them as never before, even allowing entrance to rooms that have previously unavailable to the public.

This pairing of interior design and the breath-taking array of gardens on the 10-acre estate at Lakewold Gardens will surely delight and inspire visitors of all ages.

LAKEWOLD GARDENS, WEDNESDAYS 11 A.M. TO 8 P.M., THURSDAYS-SATURDAYS 11 A.M. TO 6 P.M., SUNDAYS 11 A.M. TO 5 P.M., $18-$22, 12317 GRAVELLY LAKE DR. SW, LAKEWOOD, 253.584.4106