Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square looks to the stars this year. A Longwood Christmas fills the conservatories and grounds with galaxies, supernovas and moons, and timed tickets are on sale now at the Longwood Gardens website.
“Holiday décor has often looked to the sky for inspiration,” says Jim Sutton, Director of Display Design. This year’s display puts that idea at the center of the show.
Inside the conservatories
The journey starts in the Visitor Center, where images from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, recommended by the Space Telescope Science Institute, set the tone. In the East Conservatory, a gilded supernova of woven vines greets you. A swirling galaxy of planet-like forms made from moss and poinsettias fills the Exhibition Hall, with Moravian stars and white orchid baskets glowing overhead. On the Center Walk, a 22-foot rotating Frasier fir wears giant metallic red ornaments and a lit shooting-star garland.
The Music Room becomes an astronomer’s observatory. An 18-foot Fraser fir turns slowly beside a floor-to-ceiling view of the cosmos, and the 1923 Porter Garden Telescope, once owned by founder Pierre S. du Pont, stands nearby. In the historic ballroom, trees carry ornaments made by local groups including Space 1026, Centered Clay Studio, Chester County Art Association and Bellefonte Arts.
Plant lovers get more than 25 varieties of poinsettias, plus paperwhites, amaryllis and living wreaths made from succulents. Elsewhere, moons in various phases light the Acacia Passage, and warm white orbs float among baskets of Tradescantia ‘pistachio’ in the West Conservatory. In the Peirce-du Pont House, a 15-foot Frasier fir carries handmade miniature stargazing instruments and 3D paper stars.
Outdoors after dark
More than half a million lights and over 100 decorated trees line the paths. The Wildlife Tree on Flower Garden Drive, dressed in grapevine stars and birchbark garlands, returns, and volunteers replenish grain for visiting woodland creatures every day. Oversized stars burst over the Small Lake, lights dance to holiday music in the Italian Water Garden, and 750 jets perform daily in the Open Air Theatre.
The Meadow Garden has a refreshed path with shooting-star shards and new half-moon arches, leading to the Meadow Tunnel. A new starry lantern lights the Waterlily Court, and three treehouses become celebrations of the sun, a nebula and a supernova. The Garden Railway runs again past miniature Longwood landmarks.
Food, drink and classes
Taste of Christmas at The Fountain Room runs December 20-24 and 26-30, with chef-prepared dishes, a hot chocolate station, house wines, local craft beers and a themed cocktail. Tickets cost $136 for adults 21 and over, $95 for ages 16-20 and $51 for ages 5-15. Children 4 and under are free. Gardens admission is separate. At 1906, the signature restaurant, a three- or four-course prix-fixe menu is available daily by reservation on Tock.
The Beer Garden will pour Longwood Seasons: Pomegranate Ginger Winter Wheat Ale, brewed with Victory Brewing Company from ginger grown in the Gardens. A new Coffee and Cocoa stand opens in the East Conservatory.
Holiday classes start before the display opens. Upcoming classes include:
- A needle felt shadowbox workshop on November 6 costs $105.
- A Christmas tree decorating class on November 7 costs $59.
- A winter backyard bird feeding session on November 8 costs $45.
- A holiday wine pairing night on November 12 costs $109.
Later option includes a planter workshop on December 5. ($149) and a Scandinavian-inspired floral design class on December 19 ($195).
See the full list on the Longwood education page.
Tickets
Entry is by timed ticket for a specific date and time. Adults pay $45-$52, and youth ages 5-18 pay $25-$32. Members need free timed reservations every day, except Gardens Premium Members and Innovators, who do not. Book through the official website.
