Longwood Gardens

20 Aug 2018

We'd been living in Philadelphia for four years before we decided to visit Longwood Gardens.

I was working full time around 50 hours per week sitting at a desk. Originally from a suburb known for being "Tree Country" for the number of trees in the town, I didn't like the idea of walking around Center City with the car fumes for exercise. We sporadically visited Longwood and absolutely loved it, we got a membership. We didn't have a car at the time so we rented one every weekend and made a trip out to spend the day there. It was a great reset and provided a great way for me to walk around the gardens outdoor and indoors.

Even after our child's birth, this was one of our fave places to go. The family bathrooms are incredibly spacious (fits your stroller and probably a family of 4 comfortably), there's a nursing room and once our child was a toddler, there's a Children's Garden area to enjoy. The conservatory is stroller friendly.

I don't recommend a stroller if you want to walk around the Meadow Garden but their conservatory and other walkways are perfectly fine. We like walking in the Meadow Garden so we pushed the stroller there but definitely took more effort. A carrier would be better.

We've brought my mom to 1906, their restaurant to celebrate mother's day and we've also enjoyed the Christmas trees and trains (see more in Christmas post).

There's an illuminated fountain performance that was wonderful to watch. We enjoyed the evening stroll and an ice cream before watching it. I asked several people where they recommended we stand and watch. They didn't recommend near the conservatory but at the grotto instead. Here are some evenings photos and illumination photos that don't do the event justice.

Longwood Gardens

20 Aug 2018

We'd been living in Philadelphia for four years before we decided to visit Longwood Gardens.

I was working full time around 50 hours per week sitting at a desk. Originally from a suburb known for being "Tree Country" for the number of trees in the town, I didn't like the idea of walking around Center City with the car fumes for exercise. We sporadically visited Longwood and absolutely loved it, we got a membership. We didn't have a car at the time so we rented one every weekend and made a trip out to spend the day there. It was a great reset and provided a great way for me to walk around the gardens outdoor and indoors.

Even after our child's birth, this was one of our fave places to go. The family bathrooms are incredibly spacious (fits your stroller and probably a family of 4 comfortably), there's a nursing room and once our child was a toddler, there's a Children's Garden area to enjoy. The conservatory is stroller friendly.

I don't recommend a stroller if you want to walk around the Meadow Garden but their conservatory and other walkways are perfectly fine. We like walking in the Meadow Garden so we pushed the stroller there but definitely took more effort. A carrier would be better.

We've brought my mom to 1906, their restaurant to celebrate mother's day and we've also enjoyed the Christmas trees and trains (see more in Christmas post).

There's an illuminated fountain performance that was wonderful to watch. We enjoyed the evening stroll and an ice cream before watching it. I asked several people where they recommended we stand and watch. They didn't recommend near the conservatory but at the grotto instead. Here are some evenings photos and illumination photos that don't do the event justice.