Gardeners who also are interested in supporting artists and craftsmen might want to add the 13th annual Brown County Studio and Garden Tour to their Road Trips schedule next month.

Over the last century, artists and craftsmen have gravitated to Brown County, where there are now more than 200 working artists among a population of about 15,000 in this rural Indiana region south of Indianapolis.

The Brown County Studio and Garden Tour is a free, self-guided event designed to showcase the arts and crafts of this present-day “Art Colony of the Midwest.” The studios and gardens will be open to visitors from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both June 24 and 25, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 26, 2011.

Twenty-seven juried artists and artisans will take part in this year’s tour. Visiting the studios offers a glimpse into the lives of working artists and craftsmen. Gardens will be in bloom and visitors can wander among the blossoms and be inspired by the natural beauty.

A map is available online to help Road Trips Gardeners find there way in this rural Indiana county. There’s also an online brochure.

(Photo courtesy of Martha Sechler, who is one of the artists on the Brown County Studio Tour)