To break up the monotony of what seemed like a never-ending winter in Central New York, the first weekend in March, we enjoyed a Spring adventure to Longwood Gardens and the Philadelphia Flower Show. Our quick 2-day getaway would not have been possible without the efforts of Lisa and Tim of Ballantyne Gardens, who have been taking friends on this bus trip for the past 13 years.
Beginning at 7am on Saturday morning, Lucia and I, along with my Mom and David (who have been on this bus trip several times in the past), grabbed a seat on the charter bus with about 30 others.
Our first stop was to Bingham’s Restaurant right off the Lenox exit in Pennsylvania. A stretch, a drop in the potty (no pun intended) and a really yummy breakfast… homemade bread included.. and it’s back on the bus, but not before placing our order for take-out, which we picked up on Sunday night when we returned here for dinner on the way home. Not being familiar or even knowing what I would be missing, I only ordered one loaf of the cinnamon raisin bread. Sadly, I will soon learn that I should have ordered 2 or even 3!
Breakfast for 2: $15.00
Breakfast for 2: $15.00
When we made it to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA, it already felt like Spring. Just a few hours south and the weather was above freezing, I smelled the aroma of fresh flowers, and I saw color – lots of color!
Inside the greenhouse areas, the temperatures were warm and I floated from room to room following the cascade of vibrant colors in this plant paradise. From tropicals to orchids, roses, and even strange looking face figured flowers that I had never seen before, this place picked up my attitude for sure – even though I was so disappointed at the start of this tour, thinking our camera crapped the bed. Needless to say, our Longwood Garden adventure was all shot with an iPhone 6, and I am not a bit sad about it!
Click any photo for a larger slideshow view... and please don't steal my photos. Thanks.
Inside the greenhouse areas, the temperatures were warm and I floated from room to room following the cascade of vibrant colors in this plant paradise. From tropicals to orchids, roses, and even strange looking face figured flowers that I had never seen before, this place picked up my attitude for sure – even though I was so disappointed at the start of this tour, thinking our camera crapped the bed. Needless to say, our Longwood Garden adventure was all shot with an iPhone 6, and I am not a bit sad about it!
Click any photo for a larger slideshow view... and please don't steal my photos. Thanks.
Our lunch at The Café, located on the grounds, was amazing! In one word – “fresh”. The mushroom soup comes highly recommended, since this region of Pennsylvania is known for their shroom production. (The legal kind). My salad and sandwich was out of this world! And I wouldn’t balk at the prices, they were typical. I think I paid even more for not-so-fresh chicken tenders at our local zoo café the last time I visited.
Lunch for 2: $34.00
Lunch for 2: $34.00
Right around the corner from Longwood is The Inn at Mendenhall Hotel. Lucia and I were both pleased to be staying in “non-chain” accommodations. When we experience new things, we prefer different, unique, or anything out of the ordinary. Though I do love a Hampton bed, I’ve stayed in hundreds of them, not to mention that there are several right in our own hometown.
The rooms were clean and spacious, staff was friendly, dinner was fabulous, the drinks we had in the cozy bar were the bomb, and breakfast certainly exceeded our expectations. Certainly couldn’t call that a “continental.”
The rooms were clean and spacious, staff was friendly, dinner was fabulous, the drinks we had in the cozy bar were the bomb, and breakfast certainly exceeded our expectations. Certainly couldn’t call that a “continental.”
We lost an hour on Sunday due to the Spring ahead clock situation, which stinks and left us a bit on the tired side today, though it didn’t ruin our fun!
The Philadelphia Flower Show was simply spectacular! The theme this year was Hollywood movies and the exhibitors out-did themselves! From classic Disney flicks such as Tarzan and Cinderella to the latest favorites like Maleficent and Frozen – the scenery was creatively genius!
The Philadelphia Flower Show was simply spectacular! The theme this year was Hollywood movies and the exhibitors out-did themselves! From classic Disney flicks such as Tarzan and Cinderella to the latest favorites like Maleficent and Frozen – the scenery was creatively genius!
After bumping and grinding with hundreds of others at the show, we stepped outside for lunch the Reading Terminal Market and a walk in the heat wave. 40 degrees felt like Hawaii …our February went down in history for the coldest month on record and I believe we also hit record numbers for the most amount of days below zero. We live in Upstate New York, not Alaska!
Lunch for 2 at the market (Frank’s): $25.00
Lunch for 2 at the market (Frank’s): $25.00
At about 6pm, our group boarded the bus and headed home. We made our stop for dinner at Bingham’s, grabbed our pre-ordered fresh homemade items and were back to our own vehicles by around 9:45pm.
For two people who are avid travelers and have become set in our ways after 5 years on the road together, I can say without hesitation that I appreciated someone else taking the wheel. I was able to sit back and just have a good time without the worry of directions, parking, gas, or even deciding when to stop for food.
Thanks again Lisa and Tim for all your coordination, research, organization, and tour humor!
Thanks again Lisa and Tim for all your coordination, research, organization, and tour humor!
As always, I have a cost breakdown for those on a budget. Total spent $739.75 for two people.
$15.00 - Saturday breakfast at Bingham's
$34.00 - Saturday Lunch at Longwood Gardens
$39.75 - Saturday night drinks at the bar
$25.00 - Sunday lunch at Frank's (Reading Terminal Market)
$35.00 - Sunday night dinner at Bingham's
$6.00 - Bread to take home from Bingham's
$75.00 - Gifts
$3.00 - Room service tip
$7.00 - Bus driver tip
$500.00 - ($250 per person) Hotel stay, Longwood Gardens admission, Flower Show admission, bus ride, formal dinner on Saturday night, snacks and water on the bus.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: The photos above are just a preview of some that we took on this trip. I will quickly be adding them to my inventory of handmade note cards. I make them using the photos from our travels, please take a moment to preview my Etsy store. I would be grateful!
www.Etsy.com/shop/moodmetals
$15.00 - Saturday breakfast at Bingham's
$34.00 - Saturday Lunch at Longwood Gardens
$39.75 - Saturday night drinks at the bar
$25.00 - Sunday lunch at Frank's (Reading Terminal Market)
$35.00 - Sunday night dinner at Bingham's
$6.00 - Bread to take home from Bingham's
$75.00 - Gifts
$3.00 - Room service tip
$7.00 - Bus driver tip
$500.00 - ($250 per person) Hotel stay, Longwood Gardens admission, Flower Show admission, bus ride, formal dinner on Saturday night, snacks and water on the bus.
PLEASE TAKE NOTE: The photos above are just a preview of some that we took on this trip. I will quickly be adding them to my inventory of handmade note cards. I make them using the photos from our travels, please take a moment to preview my Etsy store. I would be grateful!
www.Etsy.com/shop/moodmetals
SIDE NOTE: For those of you who are skeptical about bus trips and think you can't afford it, think again. It saves a TON of money! I did a quick estimate of the comparison price that we paid for the bus trip, without any other expenses.
BUS TRIP:
$500, 2 people:
one room, one night hotel,
bus ride with different stops at many locations
Formal dinner for 2
Admission to Longwood Gardens
Admission to Flower Show
Snacks and water on bus
GOING IT ALONE:
$159.00 plus taxes - one room, one night hotel
$70.00 formal dinner for 2 with gratuity (estimated)
$40.00 admission for 2 to Longwood Gardens
$56.00 admission for 2 to Flower Show
$364.00 round trip bus ticket for 2 from Syracuse, NY to Philadelphia (91.00 per person each way on Grayhound) - and this doesn't even get you to Longwood... only Philly and back.
Doesn't include snacks and water on the bus, nor does it include the memories made on a trip with a bunch of strangers!
BUS TRIP:
$500, 2 people:
one room, one night hotel,
bus ride with different stops at many locations
Formal dinner for 2
Admission to Longwood Gardens
Admission to Flower Show
Snacks and water on bus
GOING IT ALONE:
$159.00 plus taxes - one room, one night hotel
$70.00 formal dinner for 2 with gratuity (estimated)
$40.00 admission for 2 to Longwood Gardens
$56.00 admission for 2 to Flower Show
$364.00 round trip bus ticket for 2 from Syracuse, NY to Philadelphia (91.00 per person each way on Grayhound) - and this doesn't even get you to Longwood... only Philly and back.
Doesn't include snacks and water on the bus, nor does it include the memories made on a trip with a bunch of strangers!
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