With dear friends living in Philadelphia, we ended up visiting the city a lot more times this year. We even spent the Thanksgiving holiday with them and visited an amazing place: Longwood Gardens, a wonderful garden complex, which is not far from Philly. As it was unanimous and everyone loved the place, I thought it would be a good write a post about it, since many of you like to include Philly and surroundings in the tourist route. Longwood Gardens definitely deserves your visit!
It is that kind of place where you will have a delicious day, full of walks, enjoying every corner, looking at the landscape and of course taking many photos. The Longwood Gardens are a living expression of all that the founder, Pierre S. du Pont, found inspiring, meaningful, and beautiful. The huge is gigantic, with 1,609 mi². Get ready to walk a lot to explore the entire area, which contemplates several gardens, plus the conservatory – one of the highlights of the place, which is known for its excellence in horticulture. Each area of the place is a welcome surprise, by the design of each space. One of the most beautiful gardens is, of course, the Festival of Fountains, where there are water shows from May to September. The lakes area is also lovely.
Another thing that surprised us positively was the structure of the place. There are many options to eat – from the cafe with fast snacks to the fine dining restaurant, not to mention the choices of pizzas, beers, and sandwiches. In addition, the bathrooms are individual – and super clean – and there is even a special room for moms who are breastfeeding. Amazing!
The conservatory, that you can see in the photos above, is so beautiful.. Full of tropical plants – it was very cool to see trees and flowers that we always see in Brazil being exposed there. Not to mention that not only the conservatory but also all the rest of the garden, were in Christmas mood, with decoration and magnificent lights. The day ended early – but eventually made up because we saw the lights on.
We loved our experience at Longwood Gardens and I highly recommend the visit if you have a little extra time in the Philly area! We wondered how beautiful the place should be during the springtime. Tickets (adults) cost $23 per person – $30 during the Christmas season. Importantly note that the day we went – Friday after Thanksgiving – the place was packed and the tickets were sold out. We bought online and we got there 1:30 p.m. and left at 5:30 p.m. Please note that the place has ample free parking.
Transportation: we got there by car, but there is also free public transportation. AMTRAK trains stop at the Wilmington, DE Station where you can conveniently connect to Longwood by a reserved 24-hour advance shuttle service, for a fee. To reserve a shuttle, call Delaware Express 302-454-7800. The SCCOOT bus service connects Oxford to West Chester with stops in West Grove, Lincoln University, Kennett Square and Longwood Gardens. See the bus schedule
Laura Peruchi is a Brazilian blogger, author, and entrepreneur. She has lived in Manhattan with her husband since 2014. Since then, she has shared on her blog varied content about the Big Apple. From travel tips, including unusual things to do, shopping tips, etiquette, restaurants, and a lot more, her blog has become a reference in Portuguese (also available in English) for anyone planning a trip to New York City.
