Introduction

Colorful, diverse, and magical, all of these describe the wonder that is Longwood Gardens. A vast garden of flowers, plants, trees and fountains. In this section you will learn about the main attractions of this magical place from its history, to the holiday traditions every year.

The land we know as Longwood Gardens originally was farmland, purchased in 1906 by Pierre S. DuPont. Pierre's dream was to turn the land into a massive garden. The DuPont's were renowned for their interest in gardening but especially Pierre. By then he was already 37 and enthusiastic for his new project and put his life into it. From 1907 to 1930 he set up most of what is there today. He started with the 600-foot long flower garden walk and built on from there. Eventually directors were hired and Pierre died.

Longwood Gardens has a tremendous amount to offer and cannot possibly be seen all in one day. Here is a small summary of the main attractions.

At the entrance to Longwood you will find a miniature model of Longwood and a theater displaying the flowers and trees that live in the Gardens. After paying the entrance fee, the immediate view is of a meadow with trees and flowers and beyond that, the conservatory. To the right is the 600-foot long flower garden walk when, in springtime, is exploding with vibrant colors. It is bordered with flowers and trees.

There is a particular bench in Longwood gardens called the whispering bench. It is a concrete half-circle bench with statues of lions at either end. If two people press their heads against the opposite lions and whisper they can hear each other. This is one of my favorite things to do but not everyone knows about it!

Another main attraction of Longwood is the famous Outdoor Theater. It is an outdoor stage that has a hill in front of it so people can sit and watch the plays. It is equipped with lighting and sound equipment also. Every year many plays, orchestras and symphonies play there for the people.

The Terrace restaurant draws many people every night to have dinner with its great food. It is located in the center of Longwood near the conservatory.

While you are at the restaurant, you might as well walk next door, to the conservatory. There are numerous points of interest in the conservatory such as the children's garden. A large room with dome shaped fountains to play in and a four-foot tall maze to play in. This is the most popular part of the conservatory. Also, there are dwarf tees, small real live trees that have been stunted but look and are real! There are many different fountains flowers lawns and trees as well.

A fun thing to visit is always the fishpond. The fish are goldfish and carp. The gardens sell fish food in little machines nut if you are having a bad day and don't want to pay then all you have to do is shake the machine and small amounts of fish food will come tumbling out into your hand, it works, believe me. Save money and feed the fish. Sweet!

Built in 1924, the sixty-foot tall Chimes tower stands tall today. It was a tower based on one he had seen in his travels to France. Pierre purchased the largest set of bells he could find from the J.C. Deagan Company in Chicago. On April 20th, 1930, Pierre DuPont stated that the chimes in the tower were rung for the first time ever.

When Pierre DuPont died, the Deagan Company sold Longwood Gardens a new set of up-to-date electronic bells. The new set of bells played sixteen thousand day concerts and 600 night concerts. Eventually, in 1989, the bells were declared in unacceptable playing condition and were disconnected.

In June of 2000, the Dutch bell company, Royal Eigsbouts was paid to install a 62-bell carillon. The tower was closed for renovation and installation. The bells were assembled on the ground and the roof was destroyed. The bells were hoisted by crane into the tower and then installed. A new roof was put back on and the tower was complete. Today, the top chamber is closed to the public but will supposedly reopen soon.

Every year, thousands of people come to see one of Longwood's most famed attractions, the Italian Water Garden. Pierre DuPont based his work of art on the Villa Gamberaia near Florence, Italy. Even though Longwood didn't have a huge water supply, Pierre used electricity to add 600 jets of recirculating water. Pierre considered his "Hydraulic Masterpiece" to be the main fountain in front of the conservatory. It shoots 10,000 gallons of freshwater 130 feet into the air!

Most people know Longwood Gardens as the gardens open to the public but to the staff and wildlife it is more than that. There are 700 acres of "Perimeter area" in the surrounding West Chester, Kennett, and Unionville area. It consists of marshes, rivers, fields, meadows, rivers, and lakes. Longwood employees manage this area for the sake of preserving the wildlife and the surrounding areas.

Longwood is an amazing place known throughout the world and every year thousands of flowers bloom and trees blossom. If you are looking for a great time, visit Longwood Gardens.