Flower Show, Barnes Foundation & Gardens: Three Nights in Philly

Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the hotel lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 4:30p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to- date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, and answer questions. Our experienced and knowledgeable Group Leader will also serve as our Study Leader, presenting lectures and conducting field trips. + local experts. Program-related travel and transfers will be by private bus unless otherwise specified. We will have meals in the hotel dining room and local restaurants. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/current conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

At a restaurant close to the hotel. If arriving late, please email Lauren Kain, lkain@philalandmarks.org

We will be joined by a local expert for a lecture on the history of the Flower Show. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead.

At the hotel.

We will board a motorcoach and set out on a field trip to explore the Philadelphia Flower Show, the oldest and largest indoor flower show in the world, whose theme is always a celebration of the blending of culture, and art relating to the designs of gardens. During this self-directed exploration, we will have time to view the floral displays of our choice and to participate in available demonstrations and lectures. Those who wish to stay on at the Flower Show to explore independently during the afternoon (and forego the Philadelphia Museum of Art field trip) are welcome do to so.

This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. We recommend Reading Terminal Market, adjacent to the Convention Center where the Flower Show takes place. This historic urban farmers’ market had its origins in the 19th century. It is now a foodie paradise, replete with locally grown produce, Amish merchants, and exotic specialties from around the world.

We will ride to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where a local expert will introduce some of the highlights of its incomparable galleries. Among the greatest in the U.S., the Museum has a collection of more than 227,000 works of art spanning the creative achievements of the Western world since the first century CE and those of Asia since the third millennium BCE. Its European holdings date from the Medieval era to the present, and the American collections are among the finest in the country. Following our expert-led exploration, we will have some time to see what interests each of us most. The motorcoach will return to the hotel at 4:00 p.m. Alternatively, those who wish to return independently are welcome to do so. The #38 public bus leaves from the West Entrance steps of the museum and stops at Broad and Locust Street, the location of the Doubletree Hotel. Seniors with Medicare cards can travel for $2.50 on SEPTA public buses.

At a local restaurant.

We will walk two blocks from the hotel to the Kimmel Center for a performance from current offerings at the time of the program. Our program was planned far in advance when details were not available. When confirmed, the information will be posted on the Road Scholar website under this program number and will also be included in preparatory materials sent following enrollment.

At the hotel.

We will set out by motorcoach for a full day of field trips. Our first study site will be to one of America’s treasures, the Winterthur estate in the Brandywine Valley. The first members of the du Pont family arrived in America from France on January 1, 1800, settling in the Brandywine Valley. Winterthur (pronounced winter-tour) began in 1837 as a 12-room house on 450 acres. It remained in the family, growing and developing over several generations. The magnificent estate we see today is largely the work of Henry Francis du Pont, who was born at Winterthur in 1880. Throughout his life, he added to the facilities, the exquisitely landscaped gardens, and his beloved family home. H. F. was an avid collector of American antiques and decorative arts, expanding the house and filling it exceptional rooms and museum quality pieces. He opened it to the public in 1951. Winterthur is now the premier museum of American decorative arts. Its 175 rooms are filled with nearly 90,000 objects displayed much as they were when the du Pont family lived here. We will divide into small groups for private explorations with Winterthur educators. Depending on the weather, we may also have an opportunity to meander through a re-created woodland path offering vistas of the lovely Winterthur Garden.

At Winterthur.

Next, we will then to Longwood, one of the world’s great gardens, for an expert-led exploration. The Lenni-Lenape people — ancestors of the Delaware Tribe of Indians — lived and cultivated these lands for thousands of years. In 1700, a Quaker family acquired several hundred acres they began clearing and farming, eventually establishing an arboretum. Pierre S. du Pont, a passionate gardener, bought it in 1906. Inspired by his travels to see great gardens of Europe, he set about transforming the farm into what would become Longwood Gardens. He built a grand, 4-acre conservatory housing a perpetual flower show, added fountains to the expanding outdoor themed gardens and landscapes, and in the process became one of America’s most influential gardeners. Longwood is his living legacy, now spanning 1,077 acres. We’ll return to the hotel from Longwood with expected arrival before approximately 6:00 p.m.

At a local restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, we’ll gather for a lecture on John Bartram, a Philadelphia botanist known as “greatest natural botanist in the world.”

At the hotel.

We will board the motorcoach and ride to The Barnes Foundation on the Parkway where we will explore the collection and galleries with a Barnes educator. This extraordinary collection, one of the greatest private art collections anywhere, got its start in 1912 when Dr. Barnes sent an artist friend to Paris to acquire modern paintings. Dr. Barnes himself began collecting what became a sophisticated trove of artistic treasures including old masterworks, Impressionist, post-Impressionist, and early modern paintings with numerous works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso — the greatest collection of Post-Impressionist art outside Paris. Dr. Barnes also collected Native American fine crafts; early American furniture and decorative art; and African sculpture. Uniquely, he displayed his collection in self-designed “ensembles” where he arranged masterpieces amid other objects. The exceptional, state-of-the-art Barnes on the Parkway facility opened in 2012. There are 15 viewing galleries with benches in each room; wheelchairs available at no charge. We will return to the hotel at 12:30 p.m. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!