Take a 90-minute tour of the Summit Avenue neighborhood, named one of America’s “Greatest Streets” in 2008. The popular walking tours include a discussion about the Gilded-Age mansions that line the elite avenue and the people who owned them and built them, as well as the architecture, social history and current preservation issues of the historic neighborhood. Tours start at the James J. Hill House (admission to the historic site not included). Tours are offered every Saturday and Sunday May through September. Call for group tour information.

Dates: July 11, 2009, July 12, 2009, July 18, 2009, July 19, 2009, July 25, 2009, July 26, 2009, Aug. 1, 2009, Aug. 2, 2009, Aug. 8, 2009, Aug. 9, 2009, Aug. 15, 2009, Aug. 16, 2009, Aug. 22, 2009, Aug. 23, 2009, Aug. 29, 2009, Aug. 30, 2009, Sept. 5, 2009, Sept. 6, 2009, Sept. 12, 2009, Sept. 13, 2009, Sept. 19, 2009, Sept. 20, 2009, Sept. 26, 2009, Sept. 27, 2009

Time: 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays

Fee: $10 adults, $8 seniors and college students, $6 children ages 6-17; $2 discount for MHS members.

Reservations: recommended, call 651-297-2555

Or tour at your leisure with the help of Larry Millett’s AIA Guide to St. Paul’s Summit Avenue and Hill District