Tips for Visiting Longwood Gardens This Holiday Season
Longwood Gardens is a must visit place in Pennsylvania no matter the season, but there is an extra sparkle during the holidays. Tickets go fast, and it gets crowded, but here are some tips to make the best out of your visit.
1. Get Your Timed Ticket for Before Sunset
A Longwood Christmas really comes alive after sunset, and thankfully sunset right now is during the 4 pm hour. If you get a ticket for the 2–3 pm timeframe, you’ll get to experience it in the dark and still have time for dinner afterward. Also, with evening tickets selling out fast, you may still get a chance at the busier dates if you book earlier time slots.
2. Go Indoors to the Conservatories First
If you head into the conservatories first, many of the displays can be enjoyed in daylight. Then, when more of the crowd arrives after sunset, you can head outdoors where there’s more space. Some lines form right when new timed-ticket groups enter, so instead of waiting, try moving to less busy areas and looping back later.
Justin and I did that, and by not following the crowds, we were able to cover more ground and feel less rushed! I love jewel tones, and the theme this year was absolutely stunning, so many golds, blues, greens, purples, and reds. Everything was gorgeous!
3. Grab a Hot Beverage
There are several locations outdoors where you can stop and get a warm drink. Make sure to grab one before you wander around. They offer different flavors of hot chocolate, and mine was absolutely delicious!
4. Wander Outside
Make sure to leave enough time to explore outdoors. There is a map you can pick up to follow, and there are also so many decorated nooks and alcoves for the holidays. It truly looks spectacular everywhere you look! Even the bonsai tree area has a touch of holiday magic.
We also really enjoyed listening to the carolers, such a lovely touch to stop and enjoy. We haven’t been in a few years, and I loved that they had lights to the main fountains set to music now. Even though the fountains are turned off for the season, the light display made them just as impressive as the phenomenal fountain shows you can see in the summer.
5. If You See It, Buy It!
The gift shop is open to visitors without tickets to Longwood Gardens, but since I don’t live in the Philadelphia area, I wanted to shop while I was there. There was a long line to check out, but wait in that line!
There was an ornament I absolutely loved and thought I’d just order online later. It wasn’t available. So don’t be like me, if you see something you love, get it while you’re there!
6. Marvel at the Details
We spent a lot of time looking at tiny details everywhere. You can tell the staff put so much heart into making everything look sparkly and beautiful. The details on each tree made them works of art.
One thing I noticed in the gift shop was handmade picture frames decorated with gem designs. There was wreaths, trees, stars, and more, they had a sign saying they were all handcrafted!
A Longwood Christmas runs through January 11th. I highly recommend trying to get tickets to check it out! If you’ve been, what was your favorite tree? Mine was the outdoor holiday tree! I also thought their diamond tree creation was neat too! I can’t wait to hear about your visit!
Wx Shield 
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