Join us in The Garden Shop for this whimsical hands-on workshop and create a naturalistic, vegetative floral fairy design woven with a thread of imagination. When the sun goes down, the lights around the gardens begin to twinkle. Open daily and free with admission, self-guided tours include historic photos, artifacts, home movies, and a video that details Longwoods story from its beginnings. Comfortable clothes and shoes are a must, and layering for the cold with hats, gloves, and scarves is a good idea. The Christmas lights and displays are spectacular, but so are the mums and the bulbs. Field of Light has been exhibited on several continents across landscapes, waterways, forests, and cityscapes, each location offering a different experience. Its a serene scene that properly kicks off the tour. The best experience is from dusk until closing at 11 pm. More than 500,000 lights will be used to illuminate more than 100 trees and other displays throughout the gardens, with the festivities taking place both inside and outside. Follow the red line on the Christmas Light Display Route to the Meadow Garden and walk through at your own pace. From the Garden Railway landscape to the decorations made from plants to the unique uses of water and reflections, every winter brings something new and fantastic. It is a glorious and interactive way to engage in a fantastic show. The Longwood Gardens Christmas Displays & Lights Okay, and now onto Longwood Gardens' famous Christmas display! The interior tree shimmers with hundreds of lights, and its sheer size makes it the focal point of the house. Other food stands will keep you fueled with hot chocolate, spiked eggnog, warm cookies, and even donuts straight from the fryer. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. You could spend hours inside this space wandering around and smelling the incredible scent of hundreds of flowers. (Fire pits are on if weather permits.). Inside the 4-acre Conservatory, the jaw-dropping displays of poinsettias, paperwhites, lilies, and amaryllis (among other plants) and festive trees highlight the beauty of the season. But, she said: Its not a high science priority for us.. The Longwood holiday light extravaganza is not only a regional tradition, it draws visitors from all over the world. Copyright 2023 WPVI-TV. From just before Thanksgiving to just after New Years, the grounds are decked out in over 550,000 lights that glow, dance, shimmer, and even move in time to music. Our goal, to share the worlds unique, hidden and once in a lifetime locations with you to create unforgettable memories. Nevertheless, Longwood Gardens' events change as the blooms change according to the season. On view through Oct. 30, Thursday-Sunday evenings, timed tickets required. The elaborate display includes seasonal plants and realistic models of the iconic buildings on the property while the trains, including Thomas the Tank Engine and friends, whiz by. The property, known as the horticultural gem Longwood Gardens, was originally a hunting and fishing ground for the Lenni Lenape tribe. A year-round project If You Go. For him, he said, when the lights went on Friday next year already had begun. best things to do near Philadelphia at Christmas. All Rights Reserved. The 90-mile exclusion allows gardens to exclude members of other gardens within 90 miles of them from receiving their reciprocal benefit (s) unless the gardens mutually agree to lift the exclusion. For the past 20 years, Horticultural, Facilities, and Guest Services and local artisans team up to create a replica of Longwood Gardens, but in miniature form. Longwood Gardens shines brightly in the Brandywine Valley throughout a Longwood Christmas, from Thanksgiving through the Epiphany, with more than 500,000 sparkling lights spreading holiday cheer throughout the gardens every night. They are strategically placed to warm you as you spend time outside admiring the inspiring displays. Every season, designers create a multi-level miniature world for the dozens of engines and train cars to pass through. From live music to light shows. At $30 for an adult ticket less for seniors and children that would be several million dollars in nonmember admissions alone, not to mention being an enticement for memberships, along with food, beverage, and gift-shop sales. Find out more, Three 15-foot diameter structures, each formed using 100 fishing rods on illuminated etched discs, cast a beautiful reflection upon the still surface of our Small Lake, Along the pathway near our Large and Small Lakes, Field of Light features 18,000 illuminated bulbs stretching across the landscape, Near the Meadow Garden, our Orchard landscape is transformed with 162 gabion baskets with pulses and streams of light and sound, all to the tune of an old radio, snippets of sound, and music emerging from static fuzz punctuated with Morse code, A 20-foot convex dome formed by 37 stainless steel lilies shimmers with radial starbursts of light at the bench near Paulownia Alle, A flamboyance of 1,000 flamingoes wade in the Pear-Shaped Basin near the Chimes Tower, In the East Conservatory, Green Flash is a three-and-a-half-meter geodesic sphere of 1,820 bottleseach filled with a single fiber optic cablethat slowly morphs through the colors of a rising and setting sun, with momentary flashes of green, An immersive sensory environment inspired by our water gardens awaits in our Exhibition Hall; overhead projectors cast a film sequence across a vast shimmering lake of 8,960 CDs, while surrounding sounds help provide an all-encompassing, painterly effect, The Music Room hosts the Time & Place series, where each Longwood-inspired artwork reinterprets moments in time, distilled and represented as abstractions. Fountain shows in the historic Open Air Theatre are one of the cant miss experiences at Christmas. The tradition of horticultural beauty that Longwood Gardens is known for, especially around the holidays, brings visitors back year after year. Events, festivals, food and drink, museums, and so much more - read our blog today! Enjoy live music, fountain performances, family activities, and moreall inspired by Lightduring these special evenings. Of course, the best time to visit Longwood Gardens is to see the display or exhibit you wish to see. Click the button below to read more about Light Nights. What time. Field of Light surrounds you as you walk along the installation path to the lake where reflections flicker in the water. Whether youre looking for lunch, dinner, a snack, or a hot drink to warm up, theres an option here that will fit the bill. Sights & Landmarks, Nature & Parks, Gardens, Fountains, Scenic Walking Areas More. If you arrive later in the afternoon, you will get the best of both worlds and see the gardens during the day and the evening when the lights start to glow. Mobility devices are permitted and available for rental on a first-come, first-serve basis. If they were stretched end to end, the wires bearing the bulbs for Longwood Gardens annual holiday light show would extend from the Longwood entrance on Route 1 in Kennett Square to the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. A Longwood Christmas features a half-million twinkling lights, live holiday music performed in the gardens, an outdoor railway display and much more. The music room has been transformed into a floral shop with floral couture dresses designed by students from Drexel. Special tickets are required, Members require free timed reservations if attending in the afternoons and evenings. It is a phenomenon of opposites, organic and synthetic, familiar and otherworldly, tangible and dreamlike.. A monumental sphere constructed from plastic bottles stands at one end of the East Conservatory. Please note, those with sensory sensitivities should be aware that this installation contains loud music. In 2012, Longwood hosted this installation in our Forest Walk and behind our Small Lake. Kids and adults will surely fall in love with blinking Christmas lights . I say, go into the Conservatory during the day AND at night. Admission is $30 for adults, $27 for seniors and college students, $23 for active military, $16 for youth (ages 5-18) and $2 fo those who hold SNAP, EBT or PA ACCESS cards. Strollers are not available for rent. There are always several trees inside and out. If youre visiting at night, look for places that have a little bit more ambient light so that peoples faces will be visible in the photos. Plus, themed Light Nights go down on the second Friday of every month: July 8, August 12, September 9 and October 14, 2022. Ideal for any indoor or outdoor lighting project, they are energy efficient and can connect up to 45 sets end-to-end. No holiday is complete without a visit to A Longwood Christmas at Longwood Gardens, where 500,000 twinkling lights and spectacular fountain shows compose a brilliant holiday wonderland. The nation was slow to warm to electricity, but President Calvin Coolidge gave the holiday light tradition a mighty plug in 1923 when he fired up what was the first National Christmas Tree with 3,000 lights. Field of Light has been exhibited on several continents across landscapes, waterways, forests, and cityscapes, each location offering a different experience. There are concessions around the grounds. The birds are illuminated by the shifting colors of dawn. United States ; Pennsylvania (PA) Kennett Square ; Kennett Square - Things to Do ; Longwood Gardens; Search. Where: Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Road . As you will meander through the halls, you will marvel at the array of flowers and trees decorated with over 67,000 ornaments from Longwoods expansive collection. Longwood Gardens has eight light installations indoors and outdoors, each one a chance to delight with light. In 2014 NASA noted that satellites detected as much as a 50% increase in coverage in some areas during the six-week holiday period, compared with the rest of the year. The three firepits around the property provide the perfect opportunity to get some relief from the cold. % Tickets for popular times and days sell out fast so purchase now to get your preferred date. 14 Best Things To Do In Beautiful Venice, Florida, Plus Where To Eat And Stay, 9 Amazing Experiences At One Of New Brunswicks Most Popular Tourist Attractions, New Disney Park To Host After Hours Events For The First Time Where You Can Stay Up Late, 7 Incredible Christmas Window Displays To Visit Around The World, How This Quaint Pennsylvania Town Became Known As The Town That Saved Christmas, 6 Reasons Youll Fall In Love With Connecticuts Christmas Town, Why Youll Love The Small Pennsylvania Town With Big Holiday Spirit, For details on Quillt's privacy and cookie policies, please visit our, Rob Dickenson and the Brandywine Christmas Minstrels, 15 Unique Places In Pennsylvania Perfect For Mature Travelers, 10 Pennsylvania Towns That Feel Like Youre In A Hallmark Christmas Movie, 15 Fantastic Things To Do In The Beautiful Poconos, 4 Quaint Towns In Eastern Pennsylvania You Must Visit. The stunning holiday scenery provides great backdrops for photos just about everywhere around the property. Please note, those with sensory sensitivities should be aware that this installation contains flashing lights and loud music. One addition to the property was the Conservatory that became known as Longwoods first winter garden. The Tunnel is a 140-foot open-air tunnel of light whose twinkling glow warms the stark night sky. Christmas light show - Longwood Gardens. A large dome composed of stainless steel discs appears to float at the foot of the curved bench at Paulownia Allee. Also do you have group rates, can I buy dinner tickets ahead? We want to inspire you to explore new destinations, discover new experiences and savor the journey. Follow along with her travels on Jeanine Consoli Travels. The horticultural paradise will be hosting its 2020 A Longwood Christmas display starting on Nov. 20. Carol DeGuiseppi / Longwood Gardens. Tickets are available now for the annual "A. For the last 15 years, Laura has covered US and international destinations for her site Travel Addicts and has written about travel-related topics for various publications and websites. The Galena Brass band and Rob Dickenson and the Brandywine Christmas Minstrels are frequently outside the Peirce-du Pont House entertaining visitors with traditional and contemporary music. Kennett Square, PA 19348. The path takes you in a loop through the Arboretum and you walk past and through different "scenes" and light sculptures. More than 100 Christmas trees and almost 6,000 poinsettias over the 400 acres of garden that are open for exploration. Longwood Gardens shines brightly in the Brandywine Valley throughout a Longwood Christmas, from Thanksgiving through the Epiphany, with more than 500,000 sparkling lights spreading holiday cheer throughout the gardens every night. In recent years, of course, outdoor decorative lighting this time of year has proliferated exponentially. And converting all 40 miles of that wire and those 500,000 LED bulbs into a starring role in one of the . An exhibit of 34 original works in the Music Room was inspired by a series of 360-degree photographs taken around our Gardens. Longwood Gardens most famous tradition, A Longwood Christmas, is back for the holidays with spectacular outdoor light displays that feature over 500,000 lights on 100 festively decorated trees, a miniature railway, and a stunning fountain with jets that synchronize to holiday music. Get your free Greater Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley Visitor Guide to start planning your weekend getaway! Nicole Sardella voices the audio descriptions. At night, each disc shimmers with radial fibers of light. As a note, there are certain restrictions because of COVID-19. A Longwood Christmas named the Best Botanical Garden Holiday Lights for four years by USA TODAYs 10Best Readers Choice Awards takes place November 18, 2022 to January 8, 2023. 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