Retirement: Visiting Longwood Gardens

Since we once owned one of Atlanta’s most successful interior landscaping companies, we were excited to discover that Longwood Gardens was only about an hour’s drive from Lancaster.

Created by Pierre S. du Pont and opened to the public in 1921, Longwood Gardens is a fabulous botanical showcase featuring flower gardens, fountains, and a massive conservatory all spread over more than 1000 acres.

Walking from the Visitor Center to the Conservatory, we were immediately blown away by the Bellagio-like fountain show complete with opera music taking place in the meticulously landscaped gardens.

We had never seen a greenhouse on the scale of Longwood’s Conservatory and didn’t know what to expect when we stepped inside.

Words can’t properly convey the beauty we witnessed and the joy we experienced. So we’ll keep the narrative to a minimum and let you relive the visit with us through our photos.

Against a backdrop of greenery, flowers alternate according to season. We were treated to spectacular mum displays.

An entire section was devoted to magnificent orchids.

Have you ever seen a hanging basket this big?!?

After spending the afternoon touring the du Pont home and wandering around the expansive grounds, we were ready for a break before driving back to Lancaster.

The Chaddsford Winery was close by, so we stopped and relaxed with a glass of vino before heading home. A perfect ending to our memorable day. 😊