I'm not generally a house tour kind of guy, but I was intrigued when someone sent along a notice about one happening this weekend in Stonington.

Actually it is more a garden tour, sponsored by the Washington-based Cultural Landscape Foundation, part of its Garden Dialogues series, which promises to bring together "patrons and their designers" to talk about what they have wrought on the landscape.

Saturday's tour includes three magnificent properties on North Main Street, one of the region's most beautiful country roads. It also meanders through some of the most expensive real estate around here.

Two of the houses are of striking and unlikely modern design, including one built by an architect who taught at Rhode Island School of Design and is credited as a co-creator of the Quonset Hut.

Stonington First Selectman Rob Simmons, billed as a lifelong resident of North Main Street, is expected to welcome the tour guests.

The third property on the tour, Stone Acre Farm, is a historical farm sold recently by Simmons' wife's family for the creation of a still-evolving "farm to community table campus for sustainable living."

The notice of the tour that came my way did not include a price. I thought it might be in the neighborhood of $30, which is what historic garden and house tours in nearby Stonington Borough usually charge.

Still curious, I discovered, on the foundation's website, it is a much more expensive neighborhood than that.

After clicking down to the buy ticket button, I discovered the tour is $300.

Yikes. Although, they say it is tax-deductible and does include what will probably be a very nice lunch, by the Oyster Club of Mystic.

I'll be skipping the tour and the "exclusive access" it promises. I'm not sure, but you may even be able to book a tour to Bermuda for that price.

I'm a little disappointed, although I will enjoy even more now my future drives up and down North Main Street, free rides on a public road.

Actually, I am cheered by the high price.

Indeed, when I went back to double check it on Thursday, there was a "sold out" notice.

First, I would suggest to anyone who organizes fundraisers around here: Raise your prices, by a lot.

Maybe I've missed it, but I can't think of any local fundraiser that's charged that kind of price, and there are some that put on a good show.

Imagine if people are willing to donate to an organization that celebrates the landscape, in this case landscapes created by the rich, imagine the generosity when it comes to, say, helping feed or house the poor.

The other exciting thing I learned while poking around the foundation's website is that tours in the Hamptons this month were going for a paltry $75.

Our real estate may sell for a lot less, but it costs a lot more to tour it.

And there are people paying it. That's got to be good, right?

Another reason to skip the tour — if it were not sold out and you could afford it — is you'd be better off waiting till later this month for a members' open house at Mystic Seaport's exciting new exhibition building, the showpiece of an evolving new gateway to Mystic on Route 27.

It's not too late to join the Seaport, if you don't already belong, get an exclusive access building tour and support a fine local museum, at a fraction of the cost of preserving the cultural landscape.

This is the opinion of David Collins.

d.collins@theday.com