Voice of Travel

Last Thursday I took a day trip to Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, PA.

Longwood Gardens is just what the name would suggest…beautiful gardens that you can spend the day walking through. They have both indoor and outdoor areas to walk around. The Conservatory is 4 acres, and is always filled with beautiful flowers, and each room has something different in it. The outdoor gardens span 1,077 acres.

They also have a restaurant and shop, so you really can spend the entire day at Longwood.

They have different “seasons” of flowers, and you’ll find different displays during each one. These are the seasons you’ll find:

• Orchid Extravaganza
• Spring Blooms
• Festival of Fountains
• Autumn’s Colors
• Christmas

This past week was the last week of the Spring Blooms season, with it going from March 31st to May 20th.

Even though there were still a lot of beautiful flowers to look at, the outside definitely seemed more sparse than the last time I visited, which was in the end of June a few years ago.

Here you can see the roses as well as some of the topiaries.

They were starting to put in the flowers for the next season, so there were a few empty areas where workers were working, and a few others where the flowers were definitely past their prime.

But that was a pretty small portion of the total amount of flowers, and you can still enjoy your day if you go at the end of the season…but if you do have a choice, I’d make sure I didn’t go during the last week of a season again!  I must say, even considering this, I still took over 600 pictures while I was there, so there was still a lot of beautiful things to see, and take pictures of.

There was still a lot to see outside, from beautiful roses in the rose garden to the plenty of other flowers out there. The topiaries were pretty cool to look at, and the water features were really nice to walk by.

Inside the Conservatory there was plenty to see as well, with everything looking perfect. The room full of orchids were beautiful, as were the indoor roses, cacti, and many other flowers indoors. There were also bonsai plants, tropical plants, ferns, and more.

Here is one of the larger rooms in the Conservatory.

The one downfall? The waterlily display is only open from June through the middle of October, and I didn’t realize this before we went, or I would have waited. I don’t know why, but I really loved the waterlily display last time, and was looking forward to seeing it again so much that I might have to make another trip out to Longwood Gardens this year, just to make sure I see it.

If you want to have lunch at Longwood, you’ll be in for a treat. You have two choices, a formal full service dining experience at 1906, or The Cafe, which you can walk through and choose from fresh local salads, sandwiches, soups, entrees, and more. You can even bring your own food and eat at the picnic area.

While I did not eat here this past week, my last trip I stopped for lunch at The Cafe, and was really impressed with the foods offered. Even though it was cafeteria style, the food all looked really good, and the sandwich I got was really tasty.

What’s also really cool is they are a certified green restaurant, so you know that you’ll be dining green if you visit.

If the flowers aren’t enough to convince you to visit, you might be happy to know that they also have some events that you might like. A few times throughout the summer they have fireworks, and also you’ll find different music, performances, and theater acts some nights. I’ve even read about some of the classes you can take, but have not been able to sign up for one yet.

If you’re looking to spend a day looking a beautiful flowers, landscapes, and want to take a nice long walk, I really recommend Longwood Gardens. You’ll have a great time, get a lot of exercise, and will see some beautiful sights on your way.

Visit the Longwood Gardens Website to learn more