Longwood vying for best U.S. botanical garden

Posted by ChaddsFordLive on March 9, 2016

Visitors to Longwood Gardens are encouraged to enjoy the Orchid Extravaganza – and cast a vote for the horticultural showplace as the best U.S. botanical garden.

More than a million visitors stroll the exquisite grounds of Longwood Gardens each year, and it's easy to see why, according to USA Today.

The accolade for Chester County’s horticultural showpiece is part of the newspaper’s contest to determine the best of 20 top botanical gardens in the country. At the moment, Longwood, currently boasting the Orchid Extravaganza, an upcoming clivia exhibition and a rare blue poppy display, appears in the middle of the pack.

For Longwood lovers who believe that fate doesn’t befit the winner of numerous awards and competitions, including a 2014 claim to best restroom by Cintas Corporation, it’s time to bowl over the rivals again. If you don’t want to see P.S. du Pont’s elegant legacy shortchanged by the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, Va., or the New York Botanical Garden, click here.

Members of the public can vote for the 2016 USA Today Readers’ Choice Travel Awards once a day between now and noon on Monday, March 28. The website contains information on each of the 10 choices, suggesting that the best gardens boast extensive collections and stunning presentations, making them must-visits in their respective cities.

Longwood Gardens, the former estate of industrialist Pierre S. du Pont on Route 1 near Kennett Square, is open daily, including holidays. Admission is $20 for adults; $17 for seniors (age 62 and over); $10 for students (ages 5 to18 or with valid student ID) and free for children 4 and under. Group rates are available.