Tourists can hop aboard Laurel Home Tours' hot pink Hummer limousine for a ride around town to glimpse 40-plus of these renovated houses. The tours run 45 minutes to one hour long, with no stops.

In addition to Ben and Erin Napier, the HGTV show "Home Town" touts a third star: downtown Laurel, Miss. “Everything happening positive now is a direct result of that show,” says Laurel’s ...