Enjoy the Lotuses and Lilies at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens

There’s an amazing oasis right in the heart of Washington DC, nestled near the banks of the Anacostia River. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, a series of cultivated ponds filled with waterlilies and lotuses. Adjacent to the ponds is Kenilworth Marsh, the largest remaining tidal marsh in the nation’s capital. Here you’ll find a variety of plans […]

Blooms and Butterflies at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Despite its location in the heart of northern Virginian suburbs, few know about this wonderful garden oasis. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is part botanical garden, part sculpture garden (there are a number of striking sculptures around the grounds, part arboretum. There are pretty little ponds with lotuses and waterlillies, and other water plants growing in and […]

Revisiting Brookside Gardens

We first visited Brookside Gardens Mothers Day weekend, a few years ago. Construction was just beginning on the series of reflection ponds, but there was much to see and enjoy. This year, we visited on Father’s Day morning. We went early, hoping to beat any crowds and wishing to go while it would still be […]

Longwood Gardens Bedazzles Itself in Holiday Lights

At Christmas, Longwood Gardens gleefully bedazzles itself with colored lights and whimsy. Adults can become kids again and kids may simply just be, living in the moment and delighting in the wonder of it all. Whether you’re in the Conservatory or walking outside in one of the many gardens, colorful arrangements of lights and trees […]

Maymont Mansion, Richmond’s Gilded Age Spendor

Victorian exuberant excess is on display at the lovely Maymont Mansion, overlooking the James River in Richmond. Originally a 100-acre Victorian estate, Maymont is now a public park, and the mansion a house museum. On the grounds there’s an arboretum, formal gardens, a carriage collection, native wildlife exhibits, a nature center, and a children’s farm. […]

Chanticleer Gardens Offers a Profusion of Delight

Chanticleer Garden is a 48-acre botanical garden built on the grounds of the Rosengarten estate, which was built in 1912 as a “summer cottage” for Christine Penrose and Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., owner of a Philadelphia pharmaceutical company specializing in producing quinine. The garden isn’t as old as the estate — it’s only 30 years old, […]

The Smithsonian Castle Serves as the Gateway to the Smithsonian Museums

The Smithsonian offers eleven museums and galleries on the National Mall and six other museums and the National Zoo in the Washington, DC area. The iconic — and original — Smithsonian building, known as the Castle, is a helpful information center — and therefore should be your first stop if you’re new to the Smithsonian […]