Gardens of Greater Philadelphia/Brandywine Valley

Departure Points

Yankee Trails, Rensselaer - 7:30 am
Pet Smart, Crossgates Commons - 8:00am
*Catskill, Exit 21 Park & Ride - 8:45 am (No overnight parking permitted)
*Kingston, Exit 19 Park & Ride - 9:05am (No overnight parking permitted)

Wednesday, May 13th:

Master Gardeners, Gardening Enthusiasts, & Nature Lovers will hop on board with Yankee Trails for this all new tour of the gardens of Greater Philadelphia & The Brandywine Valley. Our first stop is Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square just southwest of Philadelphia. We will explore the vision of Pierre S. Dupont who created Longwood, starting in 1907. Longwood has grown to become an 1,100 acre world-famous garden where conservation, learning and the beauty of nature all abound. We will be given a tour of the garden and afterwards have time to explore the formal gardens, perennial borders, massive conservatories, impressive fountains and colorful waterlily courtyard. Spring brings plenty of bounty as plants emerge to color Longwood with beauty! From there we will check into Mendenhall Inn (610-388-1188), located in nearby Mendenhall, PA. Delight in a wine & cheese welcome reception upon arrival, and dinner is included this evening at the hotel. Your evening is free.

Thursday, May 14th:

A buffet breakfast is included at the hotel this morning. We will begin the day with a "welcome walk” ecological tour of the Mt. Cuba Center, in Hockessin Delaware, where the Copeland family started their first naturalistic gardens in 1950. The mission of Mt. Cuba is “to inspire an appreciation for the beauty and value of native plants and a commitment to protect the habitats that sustain them. We will have a program on “ Beautiful Native Plants Year Round” presented by a staff member and enjoy a sandwich buffet lunch (included) in our private lecture hall. After lunch we’re off on a two hour walking tour, titled “Gardening For Ecological Resilience". Should you wish to opt out of this walking tour, please let us know when making your reservations. We will return to the hotel later this afternoon to freshen up and relax a bit after a full day of touring at the Mt Cuba Center. A fabulous dinner is included tonight at Brandywine Prime. Entree choices are TBA.

Friday, May 15th:

A full breakfast buffet is included this morning at the hotel. After breakfast, we will make our way to Chanticleer, where we will enjoy a 90 minute tour. Chanticleer has been called the most romantic, imaginative, and exciting public garden in America. Former home of the Rosengartens, the estate opened to the public in 1990 and features over 5,000 plant species on 35 acres of wildly creative gardens. A boxed lunch (included) is included in the return trip, to be eaten before or after the visit to Meadowbrook Farm. Our final stop will be at Meadowbrook Farm for a brief self guided visit before we continue on home at approximately 2pm. Our approximate arrival in the Capital District at 8pm. One stop each way.

LU=Lunch, DN=Dinner, FB=Full Breakfast