One of our favorite places just outside New Jersey is Longwood Gardens. If you’ve been there, you know how beautiful the landscape is, with 1,100 acres of flowers, plants and trees blooming throughout the year.
The 2024 holiday season promises to be as gorgeous as ever. The gardens come alive during A Longwood Christmas, with bright lights and glittery tinsel. New for the season is A Taste of Christmas in the Fountain Room, where you can warm up in the airy space with unparalleled views of the holiday displays. You can also experience the new 1906, a dining space with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooks the iconic Main Fountain Garden.
This is all part of Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience, a revitalization project that expanded exhibitions, programs and events on the grounds. The public spaces are now connected from east to west, and offer you views of the beloved formal gardens all the way to the open meadows of Pennsylvania’s Brandywine Valley.
The largest component of Longwood Reimagined is the new 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory. Designed with gardens and water features, the conservatory will feature asymmetrical peaks rising from a pool, giving the illusion that the building floats on water. Its interior features Mediterranean-inspired gardens set amid canals and fountains.
In all, there will be 3 acres under glass decorated for the holiday season: wander through the East Conservatory, which will be transformed into a snow globe; or discover fantastical holiday trees seemingly floating in mid-air in the historic Main Conservatory. The Music Room will be decorated in peppermint-themed finery, while the Fern Floor features a shimmering 30-foot tall tree created by Studio Roso of Denmark.
Don’t forget about the flowers: Thousands of poinsettias, paperwhites, amaryllis, begonias and other plants are part of the grand Conservatory. For the holidays, there will be wreaths made from succulents and other plants, a chandelier featuring white phalaenopsis orchids, and ornaments crafted from a variety of plants.
There will be more than half a million lights inside and outside, covering nearly 100 trees. Outside, wander down Flower Garden Drive where you’ll walk under dozens of strings of colorful lights. At the Large Lake look up because it will appear that stars are coming down from the sky. A giant string of retro holiday lights will look like they are floating on the Small Lake. The Wildlife Tree features birdfeeders crafted by Longwood volunteers using colorful toy building blocks; you may even see a furry friend or two pop by.
Luminarias line the pools of the Italian Water Garden, surrounding a 24-foot-tall tree made out of holiday lights. Follow the flickering lights along the Meadow Boardwalk, which ends in a 200-foot-long tunnel of flickering lights.
Another must is the Garden Railway, which rolls past miniature Longwood landmarks decorated for the holiday season.
The Main Fountain Garden features a 150-foot-long light tunnel with a specially designed light show, and the Chimes Tower basin is home to a 30-foot-tall floating tree.
If you want to bring some of the magic home, sign up for a hands-on workshop, with themes such as Celebratory Cornucopia, From Field to Fireside: Christmas Trees, and Grateful Tables.
You can also celebrate the sounds of the season through organ music and outdoor Christmas musicians.
A Longwood Christmas will be on view from November 22 through January 12, 2025, at Longwood Gardens, 1001 Longwood Rd., Kennett Square, PA. The gardens are open from 10 am to 11 pm daily. You must purchase tickets in advance for a specific date and time. Members have access to free but timed reservations every day. Gardens Premium Members and Innovators don’t need reservations to visit.
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