• Mt. Cuba Center is offering people a chance to Take Home a Hummingbird Garden. The event is on Friday, July 10, from 10 a.m. until noon. The cost is $79. Forget the food dye and messy sugar water; invite a bit of magic into your garden, naturally. This class celebrates the wonder of hummingbirds, those bright, winged sparks that stitch color and motion through our summer landscapes. Discover the native plants that nourish them, the quiet perches where they rest, and the subtle habitat features that make your yard the perfect respite for these extraordinary birds. Participants will explore the fantastic selection of native perennials, their shapes, bloom times, and plant communities that help sustain hummingbirds in the backyard. They’ll also learn how to design a small sanctuary that supports their nesting requirements and food sources while deepening your own connection to the natural rhythms of nature’s most captivating species. Register here.
• At the Brandywine Museum of Art, the exhibit By Design: The Worlds of Betsy James Wyeth opens this weekend. Wyeth was a designer of complex environments whose lasting legacy in visual art and landscape will be explored for the first time in this exhibition. Her practice extended to the restoration and adaptive reuse of dozens of historical buildings; the architectural design of new structures; an eclectic collecting practice that shaped highly original interior spaces; and the creation of large-format immersive environmental designs in the service of a consistent vision across two states and decades of practice.
• The Chester County History Center has multiple walking tours, Revolutionary West Chester that will take place through August. The tours take participants back to the 18th century, when West Chester was still the colonial crossroads village of Turks Head. Visit the site of the tavern where the issue of independence was debated and where news of the war reached the ears of rural Chester Countians. See the location where wounded patriot soldiers were treated after the Battle of Brandywine and discover the limits of 18th-century medicine. This tour explores life in Chester County on the edge of battle, in an age of revolution, and the lives of heroes and everyday people as they negotiated the treacherous path to independence. Tours are $16. Dates and ticket information are available here.
• Actor and performer Matthew Morrison will be performing at Longwood Gardens on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Longwood’s Open Air Theatre. Morrison has earned nominations for Tony, Emmy, and Golden Globe Awards. In his new show, SHOW UP, Morrison journeys into the heart of what makes us human, sharing his charisma and versatility that have captivated audiences for years. Tickets start at $54 and are available here.
• Winterthur is offering a Story Time in Enchanted Woods on Thursday, July 2, from 11 to 11:30 a.m. Share the joy of reading and cultivate a love of nature. Kids ages 3–6 sit among the Story Stones to hear nature-based stories. Activities celebrating the 25th anniversary of Enchanted Woods will take place on the first Thursday of each month. Included with admission. Free for children under 2.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
