Longwood Gardens: The Ultimate Guide to One of the World’s Greatest Places

Can’t-Miss Experiences

Longwood Gardens welcomes millions of international visitors each year with its ever-changing flower displays, dynamic programming, gorgeous vistas and tranquil grounds.

The Chester County institution — modeled after Versailles — was originally founded by Pierre du Pont in 1906 and has since become world-renowned for its dedication to botany, design, education and art.

Don’t know where to start? Here are just a few must-sees.

1. Main & East Conservatories

These two connected conservatories make up the shining centerpiece of Longwood Gardens.

The Main Conservatory’s grand entryway greets visitors with indoor fields beneath cascading living flower chandeliers, which then branch into paths leading to several biome-like gardens.

Across the two conservatories, find gems like:

• the brand-new Orchid House, curated almost daily from a selection of 5,000 orchids
• the elaborate Ballroom, home to the largest residence organ in the world
• the Cascade Garden, which is modeled after a coastal rainforest (and is Brazilian designer Roberto Burle Marx’s only North American garden); and
• the Indoor Children’s Garden, featuring fountains, a bamboo maze and plenty of alcoves.

Orchid House   — Photo by H. Davis for Longwood Gardens

2. West Conservatory

More like a floating crystal palace than a traditional conservatory, the brand-new West Conservatory is not a display garden like most of Longwood, but a Mediterranean-inspired landscape of water features and blooming perennials designed to grow over time.

The state-of-the-art conservatory is a living, breathing structure with geothermal heating and cooling, and computerized windows and vents that open and close in response to the seasons.

Don’t miss the all-new Bonsai Courtyard just outside the conservatory, which resembles a serene Japanese garden.

  — Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens

3. Meadow Garden & Forest Walk

The sun-dappled Forest Walk is a series of treehouses and bridges, each cresting an arboretum of poplars, oaks, sugar maples and other trees.

Back on solid ground, the Meadow Garden features trails and boardwalks with views of the expansive landscape — along with occasional sightings of the fauna that inhabit the gardens, like white-tailed deer, red foxes, swallowtail butterflies and more.

Meadow Garden   — Photo by B. Mathias for Longwood Gardens

4. Main Fountain Garden

Spectacular doesn’t even begin to describe this grand Italianate theater.

A gem of Longwood Gardens, the Main Fountain Garden regularly springs to life with mesmerizing fountain displays. Featuring over 1,700 jets — with water soaring up to 175 feet high — the choreographed fountains dance to music throughout the warmer months, with full-spectrum light shows during summer nights.

  — Photo by B. Mathias for Longwood Gardens

5. Flower Garden Walk

Those looking for a more traditional garden experience can find it at one of Longwood Gardens’ most picturesque outdoor spaces, Flower Garden Walk.

Longwood’s very first garden is also one of its most colorful, with over 100,000 flowers spanning more than 600 feet — all of which are replaced with the changing of the seasons.

Flower Garden Walk also features a few hidden surprises and compartment gardens, like the romantic Whispering Bench, the charming Round Fountain and the shaded Dogwood Plaza.

6. 1906

Tucked beneath Longwood Gardens’ Main Conservatory is the newly revamped full-service restaurant, 1906.

Overlooking five acres of fountains, 1906 features a stunning 6,100-square-foot dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a fully stocked bar, a lounge, and upscale lunch and dinner menus that utilize fresh produce grown mostly on-site.

The menu includes various meat and vegetable dishes — many of which use produce grown on-site — and features rotating seasonal cocktails, an extensive wine list and a chef’s tasting menu.

  — Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens

Annual Events

With five seasons (the holiday season included), there’s no bad time to visit Longwood Gardens —  and it’s the type of attraction where you’ll keep coming back.

Winter Wonder

January through March

The horticultural minds at Longwood Gardens prove that there’s a lot of life in the cold months with their annual Winter Wonder display.

Outdoors, the gardens pop with yellow and orange witch hazel, while winter grasses provide texture to the landscape.

Or guests can escape the chill and bask in the warmth of the beautiful conservatories, adorned in white and purple with flowering chains of glory, primroses, violets, camellias, palms and more, while hundreds of orchids bloom magnificently.

  — Photo by B. Mathias for Longwood Gardens

Spring Blooms

March through May

Spring’s arrival opens up an entirely new world of possibilities and blooms for the floral dreamland and plant-lover’s playground.

Wander the garden’s expansive 1,100 acres, catching the first bursts of spring color and fragrance from the garden’s blossoming trees — like cherry blossoms and magnolias — and early-blooming bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, peonies, azaleas, wisteria and poppies.

Idea Garden   — Photo by K. Giarrocco for Longwood Gardens

Festival of Fountains

May through October

The summer months bring all the roses, water lilies, native perennials and showy tropical foliage you’d hope for, but it also brings a full lineup of outdoor fun.

All of the Longwood Gardens’ water features burst to life with fountain shows at the Open Air Theatre, Italian Water Garden and Main Fountain Garden — including nighttime illuminated performances and seasonal fireworks displays. Visitors can also enjoy nature walks and live music in the Beer Garden.

  — Photo by S. Krocker for Longwood Gardens

Autumn’s Colors

October through November

The shortest of Longwood’s seasons is also one of its most colorful. Fall foliage comes in hues of red and gold while goldenrod, sage and asters pepper the grounds.

Plus, ’mums the word when the annual Chrysanthemum Festival transforms the conservancy into a living work of art.

Outdoors, the family-favorite Garden Railway adds a touch of whimsy to the season with dozens of miniature locomotives making their way through a multi-level display.

A Longwood Christmas

November through January

Half-a-million twinkling lights and spectacular fountain shows combine to create a winter wonderland during A Longwood Christmas, a five-time winner for Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Visitors can stroll the grounds of Longwood Gardens and enjoy miles of lights glowing in hundreds of trees, decorated seasonal plants, the opulently ornamented Ballroom, a festive outdoor railway, cozy fire pits, holiday dining and the famous fountains dancing to iconic holiday tunes.

  — Photo courtesy Longwood Gardens

Admission & Info

Longwood Gardens allows a limited number of visitors per day, so purchase tickets in advance to guarantee admission.

While most guests typically stroll the grounds for three to four hours, those who prefer to take their time are welcome to stay until closing.

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