Longwood Gardens

Longwood Gardens - Horticulture Gardens and Performance Venue

Located in the town of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, Longwood Gardens boasts more than 1,000 acres of gardens, meadows, exhibition space and performance venues. Visitors flock to the area to tour the grounds, learn about the venue's rich history, and enjoy performances by world-famous musicians in stunningly beautiful settings.

Longwood Gardens History

The land that now makes up Longwood Gardens was home to the Lenni Lenape tribe for thousands of years. In 1700, a Quaker farmer named George Peirce bought 400 acres of land, which included the current site of the gardens; his great-grandsons built a 15-acre arboretum on the land in 1798. Eventually, it fell into disrepair, and the land changed ownership several times before Pierre du Pont purchased it in 1906 and started planting the gardens, constructing buildings and creating the Open Air Theatre. He formed the Longwood Foundation to ensure that the gardens would be accessible to the public after his death.

Longwood Gardens Events

In keeping with the beauty and tranquility of Longwood Gardens, musical events held here are usually classical in nature. Both the summer and the yearlong music series feature performers who play jazz, organ and world music. Longwood Gardens also hosts a variety of theater and dance performances each year, including works by Gilbert and Sullivan. Some musical performances are designed to use the venue's three "resident instruments": a custom-designed organ with 10,100 pipes, a 62-bell carillon housed in a dedicated tower, and the Longwood Steinway, a rare piano. All three instruments were purchased by Pierre du Pont.

Longwood Gardens Seating Layout

There are three performance venues at Longwood Gardens. The Ballroom was built in 1929 to house the Longwood organs and to host events and parties. Performances in the Ballroom are intimate, with a single level of seating that's divided into three sections, totaling about 300 seats. The Exhibition Hall often hosts dance and vocal performances, as well as flower shows. Performances in the hall typically have about 370 seats arranged in rows of 16 seats, so attendees in the far rows may struggle a bit to see the stage. The Open Air Theatre hosts concerts and theatrical performances. Because it's an outdoor venue located in the Northeast, the Open Air Theatre is only open during the summer. It's the largest venue at Longwood Gardens, with seating for 1,500. All three venues are wheelchair-accessible.

Kennett Square, Pennsylvania

Kennett Square is a quiet small town, located close to several major urban centers. Philadelphia is 30 miles away, and Wilmington, Delaware, is 12 miles away. Mushrooms are king in the area, and the annual Mushroom Festival is a highlight of the summer season. Visitors to this quaint town enjoy wandering the picturesque downtown area, touring nearby mushroom farms, and taking in the cozy ambiance at the Kennett Flash, a cafe-style performance space.

Trivia

Sixty percent of the country's mushrooms are grown in and around the Kennett Square region.