Longwood gardens are located in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania. a beautiful area in all seasons: summer, spring, fall, and winter. . Longwood is a world-class garden and museum.
Be sure to visit both the Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine River Museum, located a few miles from each other.
Can you see Longwood Gardens and the Brandywine Museum in one day?
We spent a full day exploring the area. Longwood Gardens which is in the historic Brandywine Valley of southeastern Pennsylvania (PA) and northern Delaware (DE) was our first stop.
Pierre S. du Pont established and maintained the Longwood Gardens so it is often called the DuPont Gardens. The gardens were established in 1906. Today, hundreds of employees and volunteers work to keep Longwood beautiful and pristine.
There are more than 1,000 acres of both indoor and outdoor gardens featuring over 10,000 different varieties of plants, gorgeous fountains, and frequent events and activities for everyone in the family. Longwood is visited by almost 1 million people each year.
They feature everything in children’s programs, concerts, and gardening demos. Their famous fireworks displays will delight and always ends with applause from the crows attending.
Where do you see the most fountains in the US?
Longwood is famous for its fountains they have more fountains than any other garden in the US. Longwood fountains are much like European fountain displays. Pierre du Pont was passionate about fountains and water. Creating 3 unique fountain gardens and many smaller water displays makes Longwood Gardens very special indeed!
Over the years the fountains have been restored and some were enlarged. The fountain shows are some of the most visited parts of the gardens.
DuPont was also a gunpowder and fireworks enthusiast.
The DuPont company has been manufacturing gunpowder for close to 200 years. Pierre Dupont’s fascination with pyrotechnics and fountains lead to the creation of one of the best displays of fireworks and waterworks shows. They offer 3-4 shows per year so be sure to check the schedule when you plan your trip.
Don’t miss the fireworks or at least the fountain shows, new technology has been added to make the show outstanding displays.
Pierre du Pont was cutting edge in his time so I’m sure he would be pleased with the technological advancement made to show off his fountains and fireworks
Brandywine River Museum
Just down the road from Longwood Gardens is the Brandywine River Museum. It’s located in an 1850s grist mill that’s been transformed into a museum. This Museum has a stunning collection of Wyeth family paintings.
Surprisingly this rural setting has the largest and most complete Wyeth collections in the world. The exhibit changes frequently and features artwork from the Brandywine Valley area artist and other Pennsylvania artists.
Since much of the art features the local area you can pinpoint local sites. Many special events are held throughout the year, both indoor and outdoor, including concerts, slide shows, and crafts fairs.
Hungry after all these displays?
both restaurants at the Longwood Garden and Brandywine River Museum are excellent. There are also many other restaurants nearby.
You will be sure to enjoy this unique and beautiful area and glad you added it to your bucket list.
