Longwood Gardens

If you're ever in Philly (and have access to have a car), you need to make sometime for a picturesque drive out of the city to the rolling fields and shady glens of Chester County. Down Route 1, know to locals as Baltimore Pike, past Brandywine Battlefield State Park and the Brandywine River Museum, home to a large collection of Wyeth family artwork, but before you reach Kennett Square, you'll find Longwood Gardens. Once the private estate and grounds of Pierre S. du Pont, the gardens are now open to the public and in addition to being otherworldly gorgeous, they have fountain shows, theatrical events, and a working horticulture school. When I visited last summer the new edition was a native plant field. While this may not be as stunning as the Italian water garden, I love it because it embodies all that make this area beautiful. This is the land that inspired Andrew Wyeth's paintings. This is what home looks like to me.