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. Spring—when azaleas, poppies, and a host of flowering shrubs greet the season—is the perfect time to experience the beauty of its outdoor gardens.  

Follow Karl Gercens, Longwood’s conservatory manager, down a 600-foot flower garden walk into a promenade of trees planted in the 1700s and farther into gardens where vegetables and perennials grow. This specially arranged curator’s tour also offers a chance to gain behind-the-scenes insights into current horticultural trends as well as find inspiration for your own home garden.

After lunch at Longwood’s café, join Gercens for an optional tour of the vast conservatory complex filled with hanging baskets, colorful exotic plants, and collections of orchids, bonsai, and waterlilies or take time to relax and explore the grounds of this historic du Pont property on your own.

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, 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 Wednesday, May 14, 2025.
• 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:
• Study Tour Policies
• Refund/Cancellation Policy