For 115 years, Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, has stood as one of the world’s leading collections of plants, showcasing botanical splendor and state-of-the-art glasshouses. Celebrate the yuletide season at Longwood during a day that explores a newly reopened conservatory, holiday-themed gardens, and a stunning light display.
“Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience” opens to the public in November. The project is a transformation of 17 acres of conservatories and grounds, including the 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory that blends traditional 19th-century glasshouse styles with new sustainable technologies. The building appears to float on a pond and integrates water inside and out, showcasing Mediterranean-inspired gardens amid pools, canals, and fountains in a tapestry-like design. Discover a refreshed suite of formal outdoor gardens that incorporate stunning vistas of the Brandywine Valley.
Karl Gercens, Longwood’s conservatory manager, draws on his quarter century of curating displays as he leads a tour of the tropical Cascade Garden, the Orchid House, and the historic Main Conservatory, highlighting magnificent arrangements that harmonize 19th-century architectural elements with traditional and contemporary garden displays. This intimate curator’s tour also offers a chance to gain behind-the-scenes insights into current horticultural trends.
After lunch at Longwood’s café, there’s time to relax and explore the grounds on your own. Take in the seasonal splendor of thousands of poinsettias, paperwhites, amaryllis, and other winter blooms and enjoy the famed holiday garden light display, where strolling carolers and cozy fire pits add to the atmosphere.
Know Before You Go
- The tour departs by motorcoach from downtown Washington, DC with a designated secondary pick-up outside the city. Content delivered by the study leader on the way to the destination, after the secondary pick-up, is an integral part of the study tour experience. Meeting the group once the tour is en route is discouraged.
- Tour participants meet at and leave by bus from the Mayflower Hotel, Connecticut Ave. and DeSales St., NW., with a pickup stop at the I-495 Exit 27 commuter parking lot at about 8:25 a.m.
General Information
- Registration for this tour will end by 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 3, 2024.
- Smithsonian Associates is a mask-friendly environment. Please feel free to bring and wear a mask at any time during a tour, both for your safety or the safety of others.
- As we aim to move away from single use water bottles, guests are strongly encouraged to get in the habit of bringing their own reusable water bottle on tour.
- For additional tour information:
