This Mount Gretna home tour takes you from front porches to bedrooms in the trees [photos]

With each girlfriend weekend Lisa MacLean organized, the Mount Gretna rental may have changed but the agenda needed no tweaks: puzzles, wine and Fleetwood Mac.

Eventually, she and her husband Tim bought a home in the Campmeeting neighborhood for even more getaways.

As they spent more and more time in Mount Gretna, they found a larger home just a short walk away. This one has plenty of space for puzzling, plus stained glass windows throughout, a wood-burning fireplace and a front porch big enough for Fleetwood Mac to stop by.

The MacLeans’ son now lives in their first cottage in the woods. Each homeowner’s brought changes to their spaces and both homes are opening their doors for the Mount Gretna Tour of Homes, along with 11 other stops. The Saturday, Aug. 3 tour is a chance to look beyond the porches of Mount Gretna. It’s also a fundraiser for Gretna Music.

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Gretna Home Tour — Buy Now

The MacLeans called their first home in Mount Gretna “The Charging Station,” partially because they added a vehicle charging port.
SUZETTE WENGER | Staff Photographer

The MacLeans called their first home in Mount Gretna “The Charging Station,” partially because they added a vehicle charging port. The home they moved to in 2022 has a new name. “La Bella Zucca,” (the beautiful pumpkin in Italian) is a nod to their travels in Italy and Lisa’s love of the color orange.

A few years ago, the couple saw an open house sign but had trouble finding the house on one of the neighborhood’s walking-only streets. Once they found it, they saw the funky porch, the stained glass windows and upstairs bedrooms in the trees.

“Who doesn’t want to wake up to look out at the forest?” Lisa says. “It’s kind of enchanting.”

The MacLeans live in Camp Hill. In semi-retirement, they’re spending more time in Mount Gretna. Renovations on the kitchen and elsewhere in 1,500-square-foot home should be wrapped up in time for the tour. The construction zone does not encroach into two of Lisa’s favorite spots.

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A favorite indoors is an upstairs bedroom that serves a few roles. For girlfriend weekends, a sofa converts into a bed. Otherwise, it’s a place for putting together puzzles, watching TV or relaxing.

The exposed wooden beams in this room and throughout the house reminded the MacLeans of Lisa’s Italian heritage and their travels. They’ve hung paintings of Italian architecture and landscapes mixed with paintings of Gretna cottages, all found at salvage shops. Yellow and rust paint add a Tuscan vibe.

One thing this room lacks: enough sunlight to keep houseplants happy. Adding faux plants solves that problem. Faux plants are fine when you can sit on the balcony, surrounded by trees or open the windows to be closer to fall foliage.

Outdoors, the porch is another favorite spot. The MacLeans liked the porch’s unique details. For example, the porch rail isn’t straight. It’s angled, giving space for plenty of seats. The rail also has a cutout design, newly painted green with white accents. The same green frames the home’s windows, contrasting with a coat of Copper Mountain, an orange perfect for a home named after a pumpkin.

Hanging ferns frame the front. For flashier decor, a custom stained glass window with Lisa’s beloved butterflies hangs nearby, a special gift from friends. Cumberland Stained Glass in Mechanicsburg gave the OK to hang the piece outdoors, Lisa says. The MacLeans added a third hanging wire just to be safe.

Butterfly figurines decorate the porch ceiling fan pull chain as well.

“When you’re sitting out here, you’re sitting in nature,” says Lisa’s mother, Joan Franceschi, who was visiting from Pittsburgh.

The porch might be in a no-vehicle area but it sits at the corner of two walking paths, a great excuse for neighbors to stop and chat. And on the tour, even more will be able to step inside.