Explore Lush Botanical Beauty All Over This Bustling City Called America's Garden Capital

Philadelphia is famous for cheesesteaks and the Liberty Bell, but it is also known for its stunning gardens. It's true that Philadelphia answers to the moniker "The City of Brotherly Love," but it is also called "America's Garden Capital" for the many lush gardens in and around the city.

There are more than 30 destination-worthy gardens within a 30-mile radius of Philadelphia. Some, like Winterthur and Longwood Gardens, top lists of the world's most impressive. Many are open year round and are carefully planted and maintained to be beautiful in all seasons. Woodlands burst with color in fall, and in winter, the mansion's gardens draw crowds for their glamorous holiday décor.

You might be asking why the Philadelphia area has such a green thumb, and the answer goes back to the city's founding. Many of the original European settlers were Quakers, a religion that values nature as a gift from God.  Their interest in plants extended beyond growing food for sustenance to include botany and horticulture. One Quaker farmer, John Bartram, cultivated hundreds of plants in a botanic garden in 1728. He sent seeds back to England, and King George III was so pleased that he named Bartram the Royal Botanist for North America. Bartram's Garden is now the oldest botanic garden in the U.S. It's free to visit and open daily, located in the Kingsessing neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia.

Some of the most remarkable Philadelphia-area gardens were created by the Du Ponts, one of the wealthiest families in the United States, and their estates are less than an hour drive from Philadelphia. The estate of Pierre du Pont, Longwood Gardens, is one of the world's most celebrated gardens with 1,100 acres to explore. The enormous glass conservatory alone can engage visitors with lush greenery and colorful blooms year round. Tick off 10,000 species of plants; seek out topiary, lakes, and waterfalls, and don't miss the joyful spectacle of the dancing fountains. At Christmas, foliage is lit with 20,000 lights, fountains splash to the sounds of holiday favorites, and model trains delight young and old.

Winterthur is an estate with 1,000 acres of woods, ponds, meadows, and a 60-acre garden designed by the original owner, Henry Francis du Pont. With only a lack of blooms in December, the garden is composed of areas featuring azaleas, peonies, and magnolias. All are carefully planted with surrounding flowers, shrubs, plants, and trees by color and season. Kids can feel like they've entered a fairytale world in the Enchanted Woods, a three-acre area with a thatched-roof cottage and giant bird's nest. Don't ignore the 175-room Winterthur mansion, which is world-renowned for its extensive collection of American decorative arts. 

The legacy of Alfred du Pont lives on at Nemours, a mansion with gardens inspired by those at Versailles. Its 200 acres include a formal parterre garden, sunken garden, maze, colonnade, fountain, waterfall, and a photo opportunity many visitors take — the Long Walk. An elegant tree- and giant-planter-lined grass path, the aptly named Long Walk, provides a perfect view of the mansion.  The Du Ponts aren't the only longtime horticultural contributors to Philadelphia. The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College is just 11 miles from the city. Its 425 acres include hiking trails, tree peonies, magnolias and roses.

Travel expert Samantha Brown thinks Philadelphia is one of America's most underrated cities for its world-famous cuisine, historical sites, and art collections. To take her advice, after you stop to smell the roses around town, you could taste test cheesesteaks, knock back a pint at the city's oldest tavern, McGillin's Old Ale House, follow in Rocky's footsteps and run up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, or visit the pizzeria named one of the best in the world. Philadelphia has been voted the most walkable city in America so return your rental car or park your vehicle and lace up your sneakers. 

The Philadelphia Zoo is the oldest in America, and in addition to 1,300 animals, the zoo has more than 500 species of plants to delight garden and horticulture lovers. The zoo is laid out around a 42-acre Victorian garden. There are many rare animals here, and don't be surprised to see a tiger overhead -– the zoo has an intriguing elevated walkway system.  

All of these gardens are included in the America's Garden Capital Passport. The passports have useful visiting information for all participating gardens, and you can collect stamps along your garden travels. To help narrow down your Philadelphia-area garden visits, you can search by location, type, activities offered, and more on the America's Garden Capital website.