I may be going to Philadelphia later this summer and wonder given there are so many amazing gardens and nurseries there, if you were visiting for a couple days, where would you absolutely choose to go?

Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square Pa, https://longwoodgardens.org. Mt Cuba Center in Hockessin, DE https://mtcubacenter.org, Winterthur Museum, Garden, Winterthur, DE https://www.winterthur.org

If you can only do one garden, go to Longwood!

Thanks so much for your suggestions. My parents visited Longwood many years ago and raved about it so that was first on my list. If I have time I will check out the others. There are SO many gardens in that area I think it would take at least a year to see them all!

It is an incredible place, also very close to Longwood is the N.C. Wyeth House Studio and Brandywine Battle Field. https://www.ushistory.org/bran.... Also a restaurant called Hank's Place https://hanksplacechaddsford.c....

Hadley Museum and Brandywine Valley Wyeth Museum are amazing. So too is Winterthur. Don't forget Nemours Estate. Try to schedule your Nemours tour so that can see the fancy cars.
Btw, wwwtravelzoo.com has special rates for Hotel du Pont. Highly recommend.

Thanks for the suggestions. Wyeth House Studio would be amazing, it didn't even occur to me it's nearby. And I am always interested in good places to eat

Lisa, thanks for the recommendations. I looked up the Hotel du Pont and it looks fabulous. I will have to figure out my dates at that price! I am also definitely considering Winterthur. The Nemours Estate reminds me in many ways of the Biltmore Estate in nearby Asheville, which I enjoy, so I'm sure I'd love to see that too.

There used to be performances in August in Longwood Gardens. I saw several of them: the ones I remember: Tea for two and Oklahoma. The curtains was a wide fountain, Very nice but some mosquitoes wanted to watch AND have dinner. I seemed to be yummy for them! But now there are still performances: https://longwoodgardens.org/ev.... Wish I could go too!
I fell in love with dancing water first in a restaurant I think in Bergisch Gladbach near Cologne (my very nice boss took me there, he invited me also to his house when his grandson was baptized and had a big feast). It was my very first job in my first Summer vacation, and strangely enough, I stayed in the same rooming house in Cologne where the mother of Prince Philip stayed after she ran away from the Mental Hospital in Switzerland, the world is really small, isn't it? Took the tram to the Rubber factory where I worked. I was so impressed with the small dancing water fountain in that restaurant. Then much much later went to Karlsruhe to watch the dancing water concert, in different colors at night, but just plain white during the day, but my favorite so far was at Belagio in Las Vegas with "Its time to say goodbye"---Enjoy it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

I forgot, Philadelphia also has a lot of good Chinese restaurants---long time ago, and it was the home of the best ribs and onion loaf called Ribbit. Ribbit is gone.

Hi Shortia:

If I were you, I'd peruse this website: http://americasgardencapital.o...

I don't disagree with any of the recommendations made so far. I would say that you should think about clusters of locations, though, so that you maximize each day and don't spend too much time driving between locations on any one day.

I have visited a whole lot of the places listed in America's Garden Capital, dating back to before I was married (1987) as well as on many vacations and business trips since then. Since I'm passionate about plants and less about architecture, the various arboreta will top my list.

Morris Arboretum, Tyler Arboretum, Jenkins Arboretum, Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, Barnes Arboretum, and the Laurel Hill Cemeteries collections - there is joy to be found at each and every one.

Restaurants we long for include Estia (Greek, downtown) and Creed's (seafood & steak, King of Prussia).

Don't forget to run the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum...

Lots of great hoagie and cheese steak places!

Tantefrancine- Thanks for your suggestions. I definitely plan on going to Longwood, so will look into the dancing waters. I've seen some of those and they are amazing. Your link to the Belagio display was spectacular! I've never been, but now that's on my list too! It's always too bad when favorite restaurants disappear, there have been many of those for me. But I will look for some new ones. It sounds like you have had some fascinating experiences- your trip to Cologne sounds amazing.

ViburnumValley said:Hi Shortia:

If I were you, I'd peruse this website: http://americasgardencapital.o...

I don't disagree with any of the recommendations made so far. I would say that you should think about clusters of locations, though, so that you maximize each day and don't spend too much time driving between locations on any one day.

I have visited a whole lot of the places listed in America's Garden Capital, dating back to before I was married (1987) as well as on many vacations and business trips since then. Since I'm passionate about plants and less about architecture, the various arboreta will top my list.

Morris Arboretum, Tyler Arboretum, Jenkins Arboretum, Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore College, Barnes Arboretum, and the Laurel Hill Cemeteries collections - there is joy to be found at each and every one.

Restaurants we long for include Estia (Greek, downtown) and Creed's (seafood & steak, King of Prussia).

Don't forget to run the steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum...

John, that website is what made me realize a few days won't let me even come close to seeing them all. Thanks for reminding me to go back to that link. I'm already thinking about the Morris and Jenkins Arboretum, among others. Your idea to focus on clusters of locations makes sense. I am already planning to spend at least one night in the area near Longwood, and another near Philadelphia. Realistically if I spent a couple months instead of days I still couldn't see them all.

I may skip the steps, I think that might be tough on my weak ankle and I would rather save that for walking miles through gardens and arboretums!

Thanks also for the dining suggestions. I need to be sure not to spend so much time eating that I miss the fabulous gardens though!

https://longwoodgardens.org/ev...

Thanks for the link, I am definitely planning to get to Longwood!

Crawgarden, do you know if I should buy two separate tickets, one to Longwood and one to the fountains? I am planning to arrive in the afternoon to see the gardens, but stay on at night to see the fountain. Thanks!

It looks like a ticket would be required for the fountains, just talked to my sister, the general admin will get you in, but if you want the night fountain with the music and lights you need to get a special ticket, from the hyperlinks below it looks like you have to select a certain date and time.
https://longwoodgardens.org/ab.... (there is a phone number in this hyperlink, I would probably call them.

https://longwoodgardens.org/vi...

https://longwoodgardens.org/vi...

https://tickets.longwoodgarden...

https://longwoodgardens.org

Crawgarden- Thanks so much for all the links. I will give them a call tomorrow and figure out about the fountain. I really appreciate your help!!

Just back last evening from an abbreviated trip because of the hurricane, but I saw a lot in spite of the weather. Thanks again to all the advice given here. I ended up seeing Longwood- though unfortunately not the night fountain. I also saw Chanticleer and the Morris Arboretum. I am hoping to get back again before too long, this time maybe without a hurricane. I saw the steps as I drove by, no chance to run them. It's an amazing area for plants, and there is a lot left to see. Thanks again for all the advice!

Glad the weather didn't totally derail your plans!

Glad the weather didn't totally derail your plans!