NATCHEZ — Touring well-known houses in Natchez is almost an everyday activity anyone in town can enjoy, but only once a year do Natchezians get to peek inside the homes of people opening their doors for a good cause.

Four homes will soon be decked out for the holidays and ready for visitors in the annual Library Tour of Homes.

The tour is sponsored by the Friends of the Library, the volunteer fundraising arm of the Armstrong Library, and is the library’s biggest fundraiser of the year.

Friends of the Library Board President Maria Bowser said the tour gives locals the opportunity to see homes they do not get to see year-round.

“These four houses are not houses everybody in Natchez has had the opportunity to see,” she said. “They’re not places that normally would be open for tours, and most of the homes have really interesting histories.”

The houses on tour this year are the homes of Bill and Cammie Dale at 423 S. Wall St., Yvonne Murray at 309 Washington St., Pat and Connie Burns at 602 S. Union St. and Richard and Coral Byrd at 406 Orleans St.

Cammie Dale decided to open her house for the tour this year because she knows how important the fundraiser is to the library.

“It’s their major fundraiser, and I really just wanted to help the library,” she said.

Dale and the other homeowners said they have been cleaning, stringing lights, hanging wreaths and decorating trees in preparation for the tour.

Bowser said the tour gives people an opportunity to see how their neighbors decorate for the holidays and perhaps borrow a few ideas for their own decorations.

“These homes have a lot of charm and will look great decorated for the holidays,” she said.

But most importantly, Bowser said, the tour is essential to helping the library operate throughout the year.

“It’s a way in this down economy to help your local library,” she said.

The tour is from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. Dec. 2. Tickets are $15 or $25 for two tickets. Tickets can be purchased at the library, the Natchez Visitor Reception Center or at the homes on the day of the tour.