Yesterday, David and I boarded another L and M Bus Tour, this time traveling to Longwood Gardens, in Kennett Square, PA, not that far from where my sister, nephew and his wife and family live. I have heard of this place for years, how magical it is at Christmas, but even with my sister living near there for decades, I never got there.
She always said how immense it was, but I was not prepared for the enormity of the place. Forget the Cloisters, honey, forget the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, this place stretches as far as the imagination can go. There is no way to see its entirety in one day, which makes it a natural for return visits.
And if you are prone to sensory overload, watch out. Because all the indoor conservatories and atriums, plus outside walkways are strewn with colorful floral displays, from child decorated Christmas trees, to those fashioned out of books reconfigured and shaped into designs fitting into the structure of a Christmas tree, and a waterfall show with Christmas music that has to be seen, darlings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Simply amazing!
It was, for me, like living out my movie fantasies. At one point, I felt I was Judy Garland, as Dorothy, stepping out into the Technicolor floral and fauna that was Munchkinland. At another point, I thought I was in "The Sound Of Music" gardens, where some of the "Do-Re-Mi" sequences were shot. There were even a series of steps, where I tried to do that part of the number, but, well, it almost ended up in me having an accident, were I not so balanced enough. I have got to work on my leaps. It's like, with age, I lost the ability to leap.
The place is open until ten, each night, and, as we gathered on the bus to leave for home, around 5PM, people were pouring into the place, like it was midday. I guess the advantage of living nearby is to go at pitch darkness to get the full impact of the lighting displays.
Longwood Gardens must have an enormous staff, to be able to do all the creative work it does, season to season. I did not see Santa, but I heard there were period dress carolers singing, a sing-a-long I wanted to go to, but missed, and a delightful model train set.
Darlings, it is every secular Christmas fantasy one could hope for! Don't wait for a bus tour! Go, and just spend a day, or evening here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's like being in "The Nutcracker," where dreams really come true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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