Wine & Jazz Festival, concerts and more coming to Longwood Gardens this fall
Looking to get some time outside while the weather is cooling down?
Luckily, Longwood Gardens has plenty of events happening leading up to the fall holidays. These include Grammy-winning musicians, fine dining, fountain shows and 1,100 acres of gardens, woodlands and meadows.
Here is the rundown of the can’t-miss events happening at Longwood this fall.
Visiting Longwood Gardens
Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, is known regionally for its vast and well-crafted botanical gardens, featuring over 10,000 species and varieties of plants. Longwood Gardens' hours shift slightly during fall.
Until Saturday, Oct. 26, the gardens and the garden shop will be open between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays, and from 10 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The gardens are closed on Tuesdays.
Between Oct. 26 and Nov. 17, the garden and garden shop will operate from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. except Fridays and Saturdays when the gardens will close at 9 p.m. There are extended hours available for Longwood Garden members.
Leading up to "A Longwood Christmas,'' which begins Nov. 22, the gardens will be open only Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Longwood Gardens is located at 1001 Longwood Road near Kennett Square, Pennsylvania. A mobile map is available on its website to keep track of the sprawling grounds.
Longwood Reimagined
Longwood is nearly ready to unveil its ambitious renovation plan known as "Longwood Reimagined: A New Garden Experience," which will redesign 17 acres of the garden’s conservatory and grounds.
Beginning Nov. 22, Longwood Gardens will open its expansion of the grounds and a new connection between the east and west wings of the main garden. The hallmark of the project is a new 32,000-square-foot West Conservatory made entirely of glass panels that encase pools, gardens and fountains. A new Bonsai Courtyard will also be built next to the new building.
Additionally, the beloved Cascade Garden will be reconstructed and relocated, the Waterlily Court will be refreshed and new restaurant and event spaces also make up just a portion of the work undergone in this $250 million endeavor.
Delaware Online/The News Journal got a sneak peek of the project’s progress in October; it is now less than four months away from making its global debut.
The Wine & Jazz Festival
Longwood Gardens will bring back its Wine & Jazz Festival on Saturday, Sept. 14, with a lineup of award-winning musicians, catering from local wineries and a jazz-inspired fountain performance that will take place between 2 and 9 p.m.
Limited tickets are available online for $65 for those ages 21 and older. Designated Driver and tickets for ages 5 to 20 are $43.
Live jazz music from renowned musicians will take place all day, including performances from five-time Grammy Award winner Dianne Reeves, Lakecia Benjamin, Harold Lopez Nussa and Endea Owens & The Cookout. In addition to enjoying the music, guests can sample wines from wineries around the region and globe.
The day before the festival is the Wine & Jazz All Stars Performance on Friday, Sept. 13. This event will take place in Longwood’s Open Air Theatre and feature bandleaders from previous Wine & Jazz festivals. Tickets for the All Stars event are $49 for all guests over the age of 21 and are available online.
For the jazz fanatics who want to enjoy both events, tickets for both days can be bundled and purchased for $97 for all guests aged 21 and over.
Dining options also are available throughout the day. The Café and Beer Garden will be open from 1 to 8 p.m. Longwood Gardens’ fine dining establishment, 1906, will offer a prix fixe Wine & Jazz dinner for $105 with wine pairings and $85 without.
Guests can bring their own chairs for this event, and it will be happening rain or shine.
Meadow Garden anniversary celebration
On Friday, Sept. 20, Longwood Gardens will hold a 10-year anniversary celebration for its renovation of its 86-acre Meadow Gardens.
A number of walking tours and talks will be held throughout the day that showcase the land stewardship techniques that make the Meadow Gardens valuable to the Brandywine Valley and watershed. There will also be a family pollinator activity that will be held where guests can learn about the importance of pollinators and take home their own seed balls.
The events will be held between 4 and 7 p.m. on Sept. 20, and will be free with timed admission tickets to the Gardens.
Festival of Fountains
Longwood Gardens will continue its Festival of Fountains events until Oct. 27, packing each day with fountain performances in the Main Garden during the day and illuminated fountain performances at night with themed music to sweeten the ambiance of each day.
Fountain shows are also taking place daily at the Open Air Theatre.
There are only two more Festive Fridays at Longwood Gardens happening this season, taking place Sept. 20 and Oct. 18. These events are free with a regular garden admission and feature 30-minute tours of the Conservatory, climbs up the Chimes Tower, Organ Demos, live music, themed concessions and illuminated fountain performances. The final two themes of the Festive Friday season will pay homage to Prince and Adele, respectively.
There are also only three “Fountains and Fireworks” shows left in season, and two of them already are sold out. The remaining date with tickets available is Oct. 13 at 8:15 p.m. Seating for this event is reserved, and ticket prices range between around $50 and $75. The Oct. 13 event will be set to a score from established indie artists like Coldplay, Florence + The Machine, The Cranberries and more.
Longwood Gardens’ Cafe and Beer Garden are open during most of their events this fall. Its newest fine-dining experience “1906” is also available for reservations.
1906 is open Sundays from 11:30 a.m. until 4 p.m.; Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:30 a.m. until 3 p.m.; Thursdays through Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. and is closed on Tuesdays. These hours will remain in place through Sept. 29 and reopen Oct. 25.
Live music events
Longwood’s Beer Garden features live music most evenings between Thursdays and Saturdays until October from 5 to 7:45 p.m. These performances are free with timed admission tickets to the gardens. The lineup of guests who will be performing in the Beer Garden can be viewed on Longwood Gardens' website.
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Five-time Latin Grammy and Grammy Award winner Julieta Venegas will perform at Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre on Sept. 8, at 7:30 p.m. Reserved seating tickets are between $46 and $66, which include an all-day admission into the gardens.
Classes and courses offered at Longwood
Longwood Gardens also offers classes and hands-on tutorials that range in topics related to botany and garden care. As a part of the "Longwood Reimagined" renovation, classes will take place in its new studios which are located in The Grove building.
Wine and floral design class
The first of its fall-themed classes, the Wine and Floral Design class will put all of your senses to the test. The class will start with tastings of floral-inspired wines and an introduction to the specific floral notes incorporated into each wine. Attendees can then create and bring home their own floral arrangements at the instruction of a professional floral designer inspired by the wine tastings.
The Wine and Floral Design class will take place Tuesday, Oct. 8, from 6-8 p.m. and will cost $149 per participant.
Orchid propagation class
Learn how to take care of one of the trickiest plant species from the experts themselves. The orchid propagation class will be led by a Longwood Gardens orchid expert, who will walk guests through the basics of propagation and orchid care, take attendees on a tour of Longwood Gardens’ Orchid House and learn more about how the group breeds and cares for their orchids. The class will also include a hands-on lesson where guests can take home orchid seedlings and put their newfound knowledge to use.
The orchid propagation class will take place Monday, Oct. 21, from 5:30-8:30 p.m., and the fee is $99 per participant.
Botanical Art: Fall Study
For artists who are looking to incorporate the colors and designs of autumn into their next piece, the Botanical Art: Fall Study class series is for you. The course will begin with an online orientation where an artist and instructor will walk guests through the basics of botanical art. Participants will then have a few days to brainstorm what their art project will look like, and the course will resume in person at the gardens, where guests can bring tools and a medium of their choice to study and choose the fall foliage for their artwork. The class will end with a hands-on artmaking experience that guests can take home.
The online orientation for the Botanical Art: Fall Study course will be held Oct. 30 from 6-6:30 p.m. and the in-person artmaking portion of the course will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Design your garden for wildlife
Looking to make your home garden more friendly to native plant and animal species? Longwood Gardens will hold a class designated to design a wildlife-friendly garden and yard. An instructor will walk guests through how to transform their home garden into one that benefits local ecology without becoming an eyesore by becoming a food and water source for local wildlife, incorporating native plants and more. Guests will leave the class with specific native plant recommendations, pest management tips and will get to tour the Gardens and draw inspiration from the native planting methods used at Longwood.
The Design your garden for wildlife class will take place Saturday, Nov. 2, from 9 a.m. until noon. A rain date is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 3. The fee for this class is $69.
Handmade Holiday Jewelry
Planning holiday gifts may seem like a long way out, but the giving season will be here before we know it. Longwood Gardens will be holding two classes to craft handmade holiday jewelry this November. Artist Hattie Weseluk will walk classes through creating botanical-inspired metal jewelry using festive plants that can be imprinted into each piece. Each guest will make a pair of earrings and a pendant made of 99.9% pure silver.
Handmade Holiday Jewelry classes will be held Wednesday, Nov. 13, and Wednesday, Nov. 20, from 9 a.m. until noon. The standard fee for this class is $129 per participant, and discounted rates are available for premium members at Longwood Gardens.
Molly McVety covers community and environmental issues around Delaware. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @mollymcvety.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Your guide to fall events at Longwood Gardens
