By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
Spring is here with flowers in bloom everywhere. Winter is now in the rear-view mirror and, not surprisingly, the area’s schedule of special things is filled to the brim.
Three of the area’s more popular events are slated for this weekend – a film festival, a nature event and an art show.
If you’re looking for something different in films, you’ll be able to it at this weekend’s 18th Annual West Chester Film Festival (484-639-9237, www.westchesterfilmfestival.com).
The highly respected film festival will run from April 26-28 at Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts (226 North High Street, West Chester).
Tickets are $15 per two-hour block of films — $12 with Senior Citizen or valid Student I.D.
The mission of the West Chester Film Festival is “to entertain, enlighten and educate the public through the presentation of global independent and innovative short film and interactive workshops by hosting an annual International Short Film Festival.”
The organizers’ short-term goal is to present a self-sustaining annual film festival.
The festival will feature works in a variety of film genres, including comedy, documentary, experimental/art, animation and drama. Entries have been submitted from all over the world, including works by filmmakers from Europe, Australia, Canada and the United States.
The 2024 edition of the festival will present approximately 100 independent short films — all of which are 30 minutes or less in length. The three-day event will include film screenings, interactive workshops and social events.
One of the local filmmakers will be Brian McCole from The Candlelight Theatre. Last year, his play, “Dull Space,” was presented at the Candlelight. The festival will feature McCole’s new film, “Astronaut.”
Activity gets underway at 5:30 p.m. on April 26 with the “Opening Night Party.”
“Sheep and Wool Day” at Springton Manor Farm (860 Springton Road, Glenmoore, 610-942-2450, www.chesco.org/ccparks) is an event that has become a popular annual spring tradition in Chester County.
This year’s “Sheep and Wool Day” is a free family event that will be held on April 27 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Visitors will be able to observe demonstrations of sheep shearing along with weaving and spinning demonstrations.
The well-attended annual event will also feature a crafts area with family games, wagon rides, farm displays, artisan displays, kids’ crafts and period games and more than 20 food and craft vendors.
Visitors can also check out the young animals in Springton Manor Farm’s Great Barn and tour the Agricultural Museum to learn about seasonal tools used on Chester County farms from the 1700s to the 1900s.
Items for sale by craft vendors include jewelry, bird houses, soaps and lotions, felt and wool products, jellies, photography, tote bags and more.
Parking will be at Springton Manor Elementary School. Free busing will be provided. Handicap parking will be available at the Farm.
The Yellow Springs Art Show (Art School Road, Chester Springs, www.yellowsprings.org), which is one of the longest-running art shows in the state, is celebrating its 51st anniversary in 2024.
The Yellow Springs Art Show got its start back in 1973 as a free event featuring a variety of artists displaying their work on clotheslines.
It has changed immeasurably since then and has become one of the largest and most prestigious annual art shows in the Delaware Valley.
The show is still free and open to the public. The popular annual event now features close to 200 participating artists — including many artists who are new to the show this year.
The show is running April 27 through May 12 in Historic Yellow Springs Lincoln Building. Show hours are from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
The 2024 Yellow Springs Art Show will have on display more than 3,000 pieces of fine art in a wide range of media and styles – oils, watercolors, bronze sculptures, pastels, landscapes, still life, three-dimensional works, seascapes and abstract.
All proceeds benefit arts education, environmental protection and historic preservation of the 300-year-old village of Historic Yellow Springs.
This weekend, the Annual Philadelphia Show (formerly known as Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show) will be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art (2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, thephiladelphiashow.com).
The Philadelphia Antiques & Art Show, which bills itself as “one of the best American antiques and decorative arts show in the country,” is scheduled to run from now through April 28.
Founded in 1962, The Philadelphia Show is one of the longest running antiques shows in the country. It premiered under the direction of its founder, Ali Brown, as the “University Hospital Antiques Show at the 33rd Street Armory in West Philadelphia.”
Since the beginning, the Show’s committees have worked tirelessly to organize, develop and produce one of the finest shows of Americana.
The 2024 edition of the show celebrates its 62nd year as one of America’s premier shows with more than 60 exhibitors offering a vast selection of furnishings, decorative arts, and fine art for both the period and modern American home.
Admission to the show is $20.
The Chester County SPCA is inviting the community to join them and celebrate the Annual Walk for Paws event on April 27 at West Goshen Community Park (bvspca.org).
This “pawsome” day of family fun kicks off with a 5K color run, a 1K walk led by Fox29’s Sue Serio, and yoga with puppies. The festivities continue with live music, vendors, food trucks, a pet costume contest, kid fun zone, a dog lure course, and so much more.
The proceeds from this event, which runs from 10 a.m.-1 p.m., go directly toward helping to provide shelter, food, medical care, and the chance to find forever homes to the thousands of homeless animals that pass through the Chester County SPCA each year.
Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com) is presenting its annual “Food Truck Frenzy” on April 27.
The site is partnering with local food trucks to bring visitors a “food-tastic event” at Linvilla.
Along with delicious treats from the trucks there will be music by The Ultimates and Chameleon and fun for the whole family – including hayrides, pony rides and train rides.
Participating food trucks will be 22BBQ
Albie’s Burgers, Anthony’s Hot Dogs, Auntie Anne’s, Barkely BBQ, Byzentine, Cousins Maine Lobster, El Tlaloc, Have a Ball, House of Cupcakes, Korea Taqueria, Latin Bites, Little Sicilian, Munchy Machine, Napolatono Bros, Pasta Truck, Sweet Thang, Vera’s water ice, Victor’s Pizza and Waffles.
The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (Station Avenue, Oaks, www.phillyexpocenter.com) is hosting two special events this weekend — “Oaks Canna World Fair 2024 Grower’s Festival” and “East Coast Haunters Convention.”
“Canna World Fair,” which will be held April 27 and 28, welcomes over 300-plus top-rated vendors from across the nation, presenting the latest industry trends. The events include Free Educational Seminars, Free Entertainment, Live Music, Free Parking, Great Food, and Awesome Swag. “Canna World Fair” also offers on-site medical certification and Patient Resources.
The roster of guest speakers includes a panel of medical professionals and influential industry advocates. Guests may relax and renew with a visit to licensed massage therapists or gain insightful guidance from renown spiritual readers. Introductory Yoga & Reiki sessions will be presented by licensed practitioners.
Ticket prices start at $14.
“East Coast Haunters Convention,” which will be held April 27 and 28, is dedicated to all things Halloween — welcoming home/pro haunters, actors, enthusiasts and anyone who loves to celebrate Halloween.
This regional show will be action-packed and stacked with exciting entertainment. This year will feature premier haunted house tours, networking events, evening parties and a top notch show floor. This fully interactive convention will give you a chance to celebrate Halloween in April.
Guests can enter this year’s costume contests, makeup wars, and even take part in the first ever Haunt Olympics. They can also spend some time in the PIT located on the show floor, meet some of your favorite haunted house owners and get up close and personal with their icon characters.
Tickets are $50 on Saturday, $40 on Sunday and $65 for Two-Day.
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts (201 Washington Street, Reading, https://goggleworks.org/), one of the country’s largest interactive art centers, will hold its Fifth Annual Iron Pour and Forge Fest on April 27.
Forge Fest will take place from noon-6:30 p.m. immediately followed by the Iron Pour from 6:30-9 p.m.
The day begins with a gathering of the local blacksmith’s association. These artisans will share their process for super heating and hammering steel into delicate ornate patterns. Experience the brute force and delicate touch necessary to make this amazing work.
As the Blacksmiths begin to cool down, dinner will heat up with fire roasted food available from Dundore & Heister. Additionally, music and entertainment provided from Pollen Consolidated will ensure the energy stays high as the Iron melting furnace reaches its top temperature and prepares to pour.
Finally, cap off an amazing evening right, with an exciting display as 2,000 pounds of iron is heated to 3,000 degrees and the molten metal is tapped for pouring.
This year’s event features even more activities beyond metalworking, including hands-on activities for kids and families, live music and a food truck fair.
The event features free admission and free parking.
Every Saturday and Sunday in April, the Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, http://www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Wine & Cheese.”
Guests will join the CFW Crew for an intimate and educational 60-minute experience in the Barrel Room. The trained staff will guide them through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse and award-winning wines from across our portfolio. The selections will be paired alongside seasonal local cheeses and other accoutrements to enhance your tasting experience.
The staff will also discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at our partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The 2024 Pairing Line Up is ’22 Sparkling White paired with Éclat Blood Orange Pâte de Fruits, ’22 Dry Rosé: Redux paired with Fresh Chèvre with Local Spring Honey, ’21 Harbinger paired with Sea Salt Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips with Wild Mushroom Confit, Good Vibes Only paired with Noble Brie and Small Batch Sour Cherry Spread, and Revolution (the winery’s very first port-style fortified wine).
Reserved seatings are $35 per person.
Tulip season has arrived, and you can see the colorful flowers in home gardens all around the area.
If you want to see an amazing amount of the bulbs which have come to life this spring, you can enjoy the spectacle of thousands of brightly colored tulips at “Spring Blooms” at Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org).
One of Longwood’s most popular annual special events, “Spring Blooms” is running now through May 12.
Right now, the “star” bloom is the tulip.
Longwood Gardens celebrates spring with thousands of tulips beautifully displayed along its Flower Garden Walk. Tulips are organized into 15 divisions based on flower shape and origin. “Big Love” is a Darwin hybrid tulip. This division has cup-shaped flowers on tall, strong stems and is one of the most popular tulip types.
Some of the other showcase blooms this week are Magnolia, Tower-of-Jewels, Double Daffodil, Fritillary, Japanese Flowering Cherry, Virginia Bluebells and Compact Korean Spice Viburnum.
A new attraction this year is Longwood Gardens’ “Science Saturdays” series.
As always, admission by “Timed Ticket” — tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed ticketing limits the number of people in the Gardens at any given time and allows guests to enjoy minimal lines and a better viewing experience.
You may enter the Gardens up to 30 minutes prior and 30 minutes after your designated time. Make every effort to arrive at your designated reservation time. Earlier or later arrivals may not be accommodated.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors (ages 62 and older) and college students, $18 for active military and veterans and $13 for youth (ages 5-18).
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 800-448-3883, www.winterthur.org) is forging ahead into its 2024 season.
On April 26, Winterthur will present “Tailgate Tour: A Spring Leak at Winterthur” from 5:30-7 p.m.
Garden staff can’t wait to “leak” special inside stories about Winterthur. After the guided walk, participants can stop off at a tailgate in a secret location for lively conversation and tasty treats, including hors d’œuvres and a selection of hard and soft beverages.
Registration required — $40; $35 for Members. Rain date is April 27.
The newest exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art (1 Hoffman Mill Road, Chadds Ford, brandywine.org), “Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled,” opened last month and will run through June 9.
“Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled” will trace a persistent vein of intriguing, often disconcerting imagery over the career of renowned artist Jamie Wyeth (b. 1946).
This major exhibition — organized by the Brandywine and five years in the making — features more than 50 works drawn from museum and private collections across the country that focus on the artist’s arresting, visceral imagery, revealing fascinating insight into Wyeth and the art of visual storytelling. Following its debut at the Brandywine, the exhibition will travel to four additional art museums around the United States.
As the title suggests, “Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled” focuses on a single through line in Wyeth’s work — one in which ominous stillness, postapocalyptic skies, frightening shifts in scale, and strange vantage points seem to highlight the vulnerability of the human condition. With his startling compositions and a masterful use of media, color and texture, Wyeth creates an immersive, synesthetic experience that both engages and upsets visual and emotional equilibrium.
While frequently countered and even hidden by the artist’s fuller body of work — particularly his well-known coastal views, farmscapes, and portraits — a consistent thread of darker, more troubling imagery has been a constant in the artist’s work over the past 60 years. His work has evolved from the ultra-realistic visions and virtuoso brushwork of his youth into a mature expressionism in which intense color and dramatic use of paint electrify his canvases.
As this exhibition demonstrates, Wyeth is at home with uneasy subjects and a master of the unsettled mood in each of these stages of his career.
The exhibition immerses viewers into natural and supernatural worlds, from works inspired by the artist’s time spent in Maine—which frequently acknowledge the power of the sea and its fearsome ability to render humans helpless—to forest-based works from Pennsylvania that delve into the supernatural side of nature.
“Jamie Wyeth: Unsettled” is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue co-published by Rizzoli Electa and Brandywine.
Following its presentation at the Brandywine, the exhibition will travel to the Farnsworth Art Museum (Rockland, ME), Greenville County Museum of Art (Greenville, SC), Dayton Art Institute (Dayton, OH), and the Frye Art Museum (Seattle, WA).
Museum admission is $20 adults, $18 seniors (65+), $8 children (ages 6-18) and students with ID and free for children (ages five and under).
A popular venue where you can enjoy flowers up close is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).
At the “Saturday Wildflower Walk,” which runs from 1-3 p.m. on April 27, wildflower expert Dick Cloud will lead an informative two-hour hike that will take visitors through meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside. These walks are for those who have a love of plants, their role in ecology, or for those who want to learn more.
Admission to Tyler Arboretum is $18 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-17) and Military with valid ID.
On April 26, Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org) will present “Hot Spots and Storied Plots” at 10 a.m.
The expansion of Fairmount Park in the 1860s prevented further growth of Laurel Hill, and in 1869 West Laurel Hill was established just across the river in Bala Cynwyd. This walking tour provides a wonderful overview of West Laurel Hill’s long and colorful history, including its architectural artistry, stunning trees and horticulture, and the stories of residents that encompass diverse and fascinating Philadelphia history.
“Hot Spots and Storied Plots” is the perfect introductory tour for anyone who wants to learn all that West Laurel Hill Cemetery has to offer. Experienced tour guides offer visitors a unique perspective and every Sacred Spaces tour is different.
The tour guide for this event is Bill Linhart.
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are: $15/General Admission, $13/Seniors (65 & up) and Students with ID, $7.50/Youth (6-12), and $0/Child (5 & under). Youth and children must be accompanied by an adult.
Hagley Museum and Library (Buck Road East entrance via Route 100, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org), a 230-acre historical village on the site of the original du Pont Company gunpowder mills in northern Delaware, has a popular ongoing attraction – “Nation of Inventors.”
Additionally, there will be a “Walking Tour” on April 22 at 11 a.m.
“Science Saturday” is a drop-in family program encouraging innovation and creativity. The theme on Saturday will be “Earthquakes.”
With the “Walking Tour,” participants can walk through history during an in-depth, 90-minute guided tour each Monday morning from March through December. This week’s topic is “Rocks and Roll Mills.”
“Nation of Inventors” celebrates the American spirit of ingenuity by taking visitors on a journey from the early years of the patent system, in the 1790s, through the “golden age” of American invention, in the late 1800s. The exhibit features more than 120 patent models from Hagley’s unique collection highlighting the diverse stories of inventors from all walks of life.
Patent models are scaled representations of inventions and were part of the patent application process for nearly 100 years. “Nation of Inventors” showcases patent models representing innovations in a variety of industries from transportation and manufacturing to food preservation and medical devices.
In the exhibition, visitors will enjoy engaging experiences around every corner, testing their knowledge of innovation and hearing personal accounts from inventors.
The patent models in “Nation of Inventors” were created between 1833 and 1886. “Nation of Inventors” not only features patent models submitted by inventors from the United States, but also models from inventors in England, France, Ireland, Russia, and Spain, demonstrating an international interest in America’s intellectual property system.
“Nation of Inventors” includes patent models from well-known inventors and companies like Ball (Mason Jars), Jim Beam, Bissell, Corliss, Steinway, and Westinghouse. The exhibit presents important topics and timely themes including women inventors, Black inventors, immigrant inventors, improvements in urban living, and the ways Americans learn about and understand progress and change.
“Nation of Inventors” is located on the first two floors of Hagley’s Visitor Center. Visitors can plan to spend about 30 minutes on their self-guided tour of the exhibition.
Admission to Hagley is $20 for adults, $16 for students and seniors (62+) and $10 for children (6-14).
On April 26, 27 and 28, Rockwood Park & Museum (4671 Washington Street Ext, Wilmington, Delaware, 4671 Washington Street Ext, Wilmington, www.newcastlede.gov/431/Rockwood-Park-Museum) is presenting “Self-Guided Museum Tours.”
Visitors will be able to explore the grandeur, history and beauty of Rockwood Mansion, home of the Shipley, Bringhurst and Hargraves families for 120 years. This tour emphasizes the magnificent mansion interiors and stories of the families that lived there.
On April 28, there will be “Mother’s Day Photo Shoots at Rockwood” from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
“Under the Canopy: Animals of the Rainforest,” which will run now through September 2 at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, ansp.org), is an immersive exhibition introducing visitors to the fascinating world of rainforests and the animals that inhabit them.
You can learn about unique plants and rainforest ecology as you encounter a live sloth, boa constrictor and other animals that call these habitats home. You will see the importance of rainforests to the planet as you explore interactive discovery stations, dynamic displays and engaging programming.
Presented in English and Spanish, “Under the Canopy” will engage students of all ages, with accompanying curriculums on rainforests, water cycles, the science of diversity, deforestation and soil, how kids can save the planet and so much more. Hands-on interactives are complemented by life-size, climbable animal sculptures, including a gorilla, tortoise, crocodile, red-eye tree frog and Banyan tree.
All exhibits are included with the purchase of a general admission ticket.
Admission prices are — Adults (Age 13 and above), $22; Children (Age 2-12), $18.
Gilbert & Sullivan and the Ardensingers go together like bacon and eggs — and they have the history to prove it.
The Ardensingers have been presenting the works of Gilbert & Sullivan continuously since 1948 at their historic Gild Hall (2126 The Highway, Arden, Delaware, 484-319-2350, www.ardensingers.com).
From April 26, 27 and 28, Ardensingers are performing Gilbert & Sullivan’s “Ruddigore.”
A Victorian melodrama! Rose Maybud and young farmer Robin Oakapple overcome their shyness and become engaged, but can their love endure, given the dark secret of Robin’s past and the treachery of his foster brother Richard, a “gallant seaman”? Meet the cursed Baronet of Ruddigore (Sir Despard, destined to commit a crime a day), Margaret (driven to madness by her love for the bad Baronet), Castle Ruddigore ghosts, a company of professional bridesmaids, and many more.
Ticket prices are $21 Adult, $18 Senior and $8 Child.
On April 27, the Kalmar Nyckel Shipyard (1124 East Seventh Street, Wilmington, Delaware, www.kalmarrnyckel.org) is hosting “April Ship Tours” of the Kalmar Nyckel.
Kalmar Nyckel deck tours are open during the winter “maintenance season” on these Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
The $10 admission includes a self-guided tour of the Copeland Maritime Center.
Ship tours will cancel for inclement weather and safety issues due to heavy maintenance work.
The ship is a beautiful recreation of the original Kalmar Nyckel, which was built in Holland in the 1620s. Her mainmast is taller than a 10-story building, and she carries 7,600 square feet of sail area and six miles of rigging.
The original Kalmar Nyckel was a Swedish-owned, three-masted armed pinnace that sailed from Goteborg, Sweden in November of 1637 and brought the first permanent European settlers to the Delaware Valley.
In 1986 a group of citizens established the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation to design, build and launch a replica of the Kalmar Nyckel at a shipyard adjacent to the original landing site.
The new Kalmar Nyckel was constructed there and was launched on September 28, 1997. She was commissioned on May 9, 1998, and now serves as Delaware’s sea-going Ambassador of Good Will. She is a fully functional sail training vessel and has represented Delaware all over the country.
The 2004 season is underway at Nemours Estate (1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, nemoursestate.org). The entrance is located on the campus of Nemours Children’s Health, follow signs for Nemours Estate.
Originally constructed in 1910, Nemours Estate is one of Delaware’s grandest buildings and includes the largest formal French garden in North America.
Nemours Estate comprises an exquisite, 77-room mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
Nemours was the estate of Alfred I. duPont.
Alfred named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General. While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, Alfred also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology and many of his own inventions.
The Gardens are one of the estate’s prime attractions.
The two elk at the top of the Vista are the work of French sculptor Prosper Lecourtier (1855–1924), a specialist in animal figures. Lined with Japanese cryptomeria, pink flowering horse chestnuts and pin oaks, the Long Walk extends from the Mansion to the Reflecting Pool.
The 157 jets at the center of the one-acre pool shoot water 12 feet into the air; when they are turned off, the entire “Long Walk” is reflected in the pool. The pool, five and a half feet deep in its deepest section, holds 800,000 gallons of water and takes three days to fill. The Art Nouveau-style, classical mythology-based “Four Seasons” around the pool are by French-born American sculptor Henri Crenier (1873–1948).
Admission to Nemours is $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and $10 for children.
Historic Odessa (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, www.historicodessa.org) is both a scenic and an historic site in Delaware.
At the beginning of March, Historic Odessa reopened for spring tours and celebrated the beginning of its 2024 season.
Known in the 18th-century as Cantwell’s Bridge, Odessa played a vital role in commercial life along the Delaware River as a busy grain shipping port.
Today, visitors can stroll along tree-lined streets and admire examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture in one of the best-preserved towns in Delaware. They can also tour a remarkable collection of antiques and Americana preserved in period room settings and quaint exhibits.
This Saturday, April 27, Glen Foerd presents the thought-provoking lecture “When Rich People Spend Good Money on Bad Art” with Thomas Keels, from 11 a.m.-noon.
Historic Odessa is open to the public from March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The site is also open Monday by reservation.
The 2024 season is in full swing at Chanticleer (786 Church Street, Wayne, www.chanticleergarden.org).
The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia. Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine chose the Wayne-St. Davids area to build their country retreat. The family’s pharmaceutical firm would become part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.
The Rosengartens hired architect and former classmate Charles L. Borie to design the house, which was completed in 1913. Landscape architect Thomas Sears designed the terraces as extensions of the house. A 1924 addition converted the summer home into a year-round residence and the family moved here permanently.
Rosengarten’s humor is evident in naming his home after the estate “Chanticlere” in Thackeray’s 1855 novel “The Newcomes.”
As the home of the Rosengartens, Chanticleer was beautiful and green with impressive trees and lawns. Most of the floral and garden development you see today has occurred since 1990 — designed by Chanticleer staff and consultants.
There are seven horticulturists, each responsible for the design, planting, and maintenance of an area. The areas are continually evolving, each with its own feel, yet joined together as one complete unit. The Teacup Garden and Chanticleer Terraces feature seasonal plants and bold-textured tropical and subtropical plants. These areas change greatly from year to year. Non-hardy plants overwinter in greenhouses and basements.
The Tennis Court, Ruin, Gravel Garden, and Pond Garden focus on hardy perennials, both woody and herbaceous. The Tennis Court builds on the idea of foliar display introduced in the Teacup. The Ruin is a folly, built on the foundation of Adolph Rosengarten, Jr.’s home. It is meant to look as if the house fell into disrepair. The Gravel Garden is hot and dry, a touch of the Mediterranean in Pennsylvania. The Pond area is exuberantly floriferous.
Asian Woods and Bell’s Woodland are shady areas. The former features natives of China, Korea, and Japan; the latter, plants of eastern North America. The Serpentine celebrates the beauty of agricultural crops. The cut flower and vegetable gardens produce flowers for arrangements and food for the table.
Admission to Chanticleer is $12 for adults and free for pre-teen children (12 years and under).
Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum (1237 State Road, Andalusia, www.andalusiapa.org) had its “Season Opening” on April 1.
Located on a wooded promontory overlooking the Delaware River, Andalusia has been a stately presence on this stretch of water, just north of Philadelphia, for more than 200 years. The ancestral home of the Biddle family, Andalusia is also a natural paradise of native woodlands and spectacular gardens that have evolved over time.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966, the Big House — one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States — provides an unparalleled look into our nation’s past, while also offering a glimpse into the life of a family that helped to shape its future.
Its surrounding gardens delight the senses all through the year, from the tumbling, brightly colored leaves of fall to the floral extravaganza of spring and the abundance and scent of summer.
Self-Guided Garden Tours will be available Mondays through Wednesdays through November 4 (excluding holidays) at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Visitors can stroll the spectacular formal gardens and native woodlands during a self-guided garden tour at their leisure and enjoy sweeping views from the banks of the Delaware River. Picnics are allowed on the grounds (with a “carry-in, carry-out” policy).
Wonderspaces at the Fashion District (27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.wonderspaces.com) is an experiential, interactive arts venue.
Building on the success of annual pop-up shows in San Diego, and its first permanent location in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wonderspaces opened a 24,000 square foot gallery space in Philly two years ago.
Wonderspaces features 14 art installations that all play with the idea of perspective. New artworks are rotated in every few months, creating an ever-evolving, year-round show.
Tickets are for entry at a specific date and time. Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they please during operating hours. The average time spent experiencing the show is 90 minutes.
A few installations contain flashing lights, images, and patterns that may trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. All visitors must sign a waiver prior to being admitted into the space. Adult supervision is required for visitors under 16.
Some of the current featured exhibits are SPHERES: Songs of Spacetime, ERUPTURE, Rainbow Rooms and RADIANCE (INFINITY BOX NO. 6).
Grim Philly’s “Dark Philly History Tour” (www.grimphilly.com) will be held every evening throughout the spring.
Participants can walk with tour guides from the grounds of America’s first White House, Congress, and Liberty Bell to homes and sites of Hamilton, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and more than 10 other Founding-Fathers. The surprising dirt of espionage, murder, sexual license and blackmail highlight the secrets of 1776 with a ghost story or two along the way. This tour is highly researched. And your guide is a historian.
Tickets are $35.
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia (215-413-1997, www.ghosttour.com), Ghost Tour of Lancaster (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) and Ghost Tour of Strasburg (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) operate throughout the winter and offer an eerily entertaining evening of true ghost stories and real haunted houses.
The Ghost Tour of Philadelphia, which is based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA.,” is a candlelight walking tour along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence Park, Society Hill, and Old City, where ghostly spirits, haunted houses, and eerie graveyards abound.
Participants can discover the ghost lore of America’s most historic and most haunted city with stories from the founding of William Penn’s colony to present-day hauntings.
The activity is open year-round – weekends, December-February; every night, March-November. Tickets are $24.
The Ghost Tour of Lancaster and the Ghost Tour of Strasburg are based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Lancaster, PA.”
Participants in the Ghost Tour of Lancaster explore the long-forgotten mysteries of one of America’s oldest cities, with haunting tales of otherworldly vigils, fatal curses, and star-crossed lovers. The tour provides the opportunity to experience 300 years of haunted history from the Red Rose City’s thorny past. Tickets are $20.
The Ghost Tour of Strasburg is a candlelight walking tour of the quaint and historic town of Strasburg in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Visitors will experience an entertaining evening with a costumed tour guide spinning tales of haunted mansions, eerie graveyards, and spirits that roam the night … in a town lost in time. Tickets are $20.
Peddler’s Village (Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska, 215-794-4000, www.peddlersvillage.com) will present “The Best of the Nest: Birdhouse Competition & Display” throughout its site.
“The Best of the Nest: Birdhouse Competition & Display” runs from April 13 through May 19 and showcases unique birdhouses designed and built by members of the public. Guests are invited to vote for their favorite birdhouses in multiple categories: traditional, whimsical, Bucks County landmark, and natural habitat.
The New Hope Railroad (32 West Bridge Street, New Hope, 215-862-2332, www.newhoperailroad.com) is running its “Traditional Excursion” on April 29 and 30.
The rides, which are billed as a “Traditional American Railroad Experience,” will be powered by a diesel locomotive.
Excursions will depart at 11 a.m., noon, 1, 2 and 3 p.m. both days.
The NHRR is also running its “Grapevine Express” on Saturday and Sunday. Trains will depart at 5 p.m. each day.
Riders can choose premium parlor or lounge cars for an intimate one-hour (approximately) excursion through the wooded foothills of Bucks County. On the journey, they will be able to enjoy food and beverage service from the friendly and attentive parlor car attendants.
Each couple will receive an assortment of crudités, a lush charcuterie board, and a sweet treat to wrap up the experience. In addition, guests over 21 years of age will receive their choice of wine, beer, or whiskey flight from Bucks County.
The Strasburg Rail Road (Route 741, Strasburg, 717-687-7522, www.strasburgrailroad.com) is running a special train – “The Wine & Cheese Train.”
Passengers can enjoy the luxurious, climate-controlled first-class accommodations and a tasting of select wine, cheese, and crackers as they travel in style down the tracks from Strasburg to Paradise and back. The train departs at 6 p.m. and the total trip time is 45 minutes.
“Wine & Cheese Train” boards 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. Riders must be 21 or older and have their photo ID ready when they board.
Featured wines are carefully selected from Waltz Vineyards, and cheeses are paired accordingly. Beer and select non-alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase upon request. Riders can purchase a souvenir wine glass on board the train if desired. Glasses are $7 each.
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, alcohol is only served during the train ride. The rail line is not permitted to serve alcoholic beverages while the train is berthed in the station.
Departures are scheduled for April 26 and 27 at 4 and 6 p.m. and April 28 at 4 p.m.
Tickets are $70.
“Elmwood Park Zoo” (1661 Harding Boulevard, Norristown, www.elmwoodparkzoo.org) is presenting several of its ultra-popular “Dog Days” over the next week.
The Zoo’s “Dog Days” event will be held on April 21, 24 and 28 from noon-4 p.m. each day.
All guests visiting the zoo with a furry friend must complete an online waiver and submit required documents before visiting the zoo. You must upload a copy of your most recent veterinary visit, including proof of vaccine and heartworm test here. All items will be required for you to attend “Dog Days.”
Pricing is $12.95 per dog. Regular zoo admission is required for all humans.
Sesame Place (100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, www.sesameplace.com) will be presenting “Elmo’s Springtacular” every weekend now through June 16.
“Elmo’s Springtacular” at Sesame Place is filled with furry fun and exciting events – including an exciting line up of meet & greets, music, magic, pirate adventures, and fireworks.
This weekend will feature “PJ Masks Meet & Greet” on April 27 and 28.
Kids can enjoy an action-packed day with their favorites.
Activity will take place at Sesame Studio.
