Amazing property, it is a hidden gem. Went with my family for the tour and everyone enjoyed it!read more

Purchasing tickets online and the sign in at the welcome center was easy. our guide was Kieran and…read morehe did an excellent job of telling the story of the Henry Mercer and the castle. The one hour tour was fascinating and entertaining. The castle was so unique with the amazing ceilings of tiles and artifacts from all over the world and a myriad of rooms and doors that one could easily get lost in. I'm so glad we made the time to come here. We want to return to walk the trails on the property as we ran out of time.

An old library book, Gardens of Philadelphia, made me aware of Highlands Mansion, and…read morecoincidentally friends wanted to have a play date at Kids Castle, so on our way home we checked out Highlands. The mansion is apparently under restoration so I did not tour it, but I did see the gardens. While these gardens are nothing compared to the scale of the Brandywine DuPont estates, they are impressive for a former private residence. The most remarkable thing about them, to me, is their use of dramatic tall freestanding walls. Designers seem to agree that the best tool for success in landscaping is creating outdoor "rooms" or dedicated areas with hedged/fenced/walled/etc. boundaries to delineate and discern one outdoor space from another. I've toured many gardens domestic and abroad and I've never seen such a liberal use of wall structures that were apparently built solely for ornamental landscaping purposes (as opposed to ruins or retaining walls). Yes, you see decorative walls employed at Longwood and Chanticleer, but none so gigantic as these. Highlands was working with flat plain meadow and the goal seemed to be to create multiple garden-framed large lawn spaces, free of tree debris or too much shade to affect the grass. The walls are designed to tower as high as ornamental trees, but without the maintenance, root issues, leaf drop, etc. and they green-ify these walls with ivy trained all over them. Voila, vertical garden, architectural interest, height, and allowance for terrain diversification. I grew up adjacent to the trove of magnificent DuPont estates in the Brandywine Valley. I'm now fortunate to live 2 1/2 mi from Chanticleer and 7 1/2mi from Tyler Arboretum (Jenkins is closer but it doesn't appeal to me). I would recommend the destinations closer to me for full day visits, while Highlands gardens would only take a half hour for the formal area, and more if you choose to hike a trail or tour the manse. Still, it may be a half-day visit at most. While not a day trip destination on its own, it is a worthy stop if in the area, and I do recommend it to anyone interested in garden design who's already toured the others I mentioned. This is also an event venue, and the formal space is certainly made for such use, so it's lovely people can enjoy the space as it was intended when conceived.

While the mansion is still undergoing renovations so we were not able to include that and so my…read morereview may change in the future. Don't expect to take even a full afternoon visiting but it is a lovely preserved estate around the city. There's some goats, and the grounds are enjoyable to take an hour or so to walk with nice historical signs for context. There is some parking but it likely gets packed in high traffic times. I can't put it in my top gardens available for Philadelphia, it's good to have treasures like these to keep the sense of history and love of horticulture the area has long held.

Great views of the area from atop the mountain. Didn't go inside the pagoda because it was closed…read morewhen we arrived on our unplanned visit. The only thing I disliked (hated) about the visit was the amount of litter and trash in the woods and area surrounding the pagoda. Come on, folks! :( If in Reading or nearby, check it out!

On this cloudy day, the winding drive up to the pagoda was still enjoyable and worth the trip…read more It was disappointing that pagoda itself is closed to the public. You cannot walk on it or around it. Additionally the surrounding trails are closed and locked. While the area could use some restoration but it's still so worth visiting! Seems like a missed tourist opportunity for Reading. Regardless the view from it, even on a crummy weather day, is still spectacular. Take the drive up, you'll be glad you did!

Paper Mill House (ca.1770) is a township museum located in the same building as the Newtown Square…read moreHistorical Society's offices, but note that they are separate entities. The Paper Mill House allows visitation to its display rooms during open hours, while the Historical Society is by appointment, and is another part of the building. The Paper Mill House Museum is only open Sundays 1-4 PM in July and August. Admission to the museum is free, although donations are appreciated. There is a rep from the Historical Society there to answer questions, but you tour the display yourself. Paper Mill House was originally a residence for local mill workers. The building was restored in the '80s and is now set up as Colonial-era rooms, such as a colonial kitchen, parlor, bedroom, and 19th century general store. On the 2nd floor there are local history exhibits. The rest of the museum is offices and conference room for the Historical Society. There are 4.5 acres of grounds, including a neat wood plank bridge over a stream. The museum building itself is close on the corner of Paper Mill Rd. and St. Davids Rd., but, though the address is Paper Mill Rd., note that the gravel parking lot is off of St. Davids Rd.

Very interesting place to find out about local historical figures, and the facts of life back then…read more Though we've seen lot's of historic houses, but still discovered for ourselves something we didn't know before. Too bad not much of information about this place on the internet, but we were very glad to discover it and recommend it to everyone loving the history of this country.

This place never disappoints! You need to go back each season to appreciate the changing landscape…read moreand step back in time!

What a fantastic piece of history, go, stop and read the plaques and take pictures. What an amazing…read morepiece of history

Well maintained space without signs of overt modernization make this place a worthwhile…read moreexploration. Industrial relics exhibit excellent decay and are easily accessible. Short walking trail takes you through the greenspace pebbled with old structures, into small wooded areas, over a bisecting stream, and along forgotten rail tracks. Quiet, and surrounded by development though you wouldn't know it.

I have been a member of both the Philadelphia and Chester County Bar Associations and I have to say…read morethat even though Chester County's Bar Association is smaller, it is just as relevant and maybe even a little more helpful (just my opinion). I love the CLE offerings and have been impressed with how friendly and professional most of the attorneys are. I have attended several section meetings in different areas of the law and I have always been made to feel welcome and have always learned something new. I also like the Bar Association's Lawyer Referral Service. If you need a lawyer in Chester County, their Bar Association should be the first place you call. In my experience, the attorneys who are affiliated with the Chester County Bar Association are usually very experienced and very good at what they do (again, just my opinion).

From the owner: The Chester County Bar Association provides many services to its members and the community of…read moreChester County by offering a variety of programs directed toward a better understanding of the legal system. Through the Association, members can expand their knowledge, enhance their practice and better fulfill their responsibility of providing efficient, skillful access to the legal system. Our member and public service programs provide opportunities for enhancement of professional and personal goals. The Association provides many opportunities for its members to become involved in public service through the Pro Bono and Law Related Education programs, which have received national recognition from the American Bar Association.

I visited Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve this past Saturday when I was exploring New Hope for…read morethe day. It's a nature preserve and botanical garden with a lot of grounds to explore. It was busy on a warm Saturday afternoon, but there was plenty of parking on the road leading up to the Visitor Center. Then, after you've purchased your admission, you can wander their 12 or so trails that wind through five miles of the grounds. The highlights of my visit were the trails that ran along the creek, the stone bridge, and the new pond. In summer, it was a bit too hot for the wildflowers (I bet spring is incredible here), but it was green and wooded and beautiful. I spent a couple of hours exploring the grounds, and it was a great way/place to stretch my legs and take a break from town! If you like a trail, Bowman's Hill is a great place for that just minutes from the center of New Hope.

I saw my first hummingbird moth at Bowman's, so it'll always have a special place in my heart!!…read more For real, though, it's very nice here. The staff are friendly, they have periodic walks led by naturalists, and there are lots of pretty things to see: butterflies, frogs, birds, and lots of flora. The gift shop leaves a lot to be desired, but I guess that's not really the point of coming here, huh?

It's a historic landmark. The estate serves as kind of a museum. I remember coming here on a…read morefield trip when in middle school when I was studying the colonial period. There's plenty of parking. The park is open dusk until dawn. Entry to the house is free to children and students. They do beekeeping, blacksmithing and other activities.

Built in the late 1700's, Harriton House is a history geek's dream come true. The estate is well…read morepreserved, and the house impeccable. I've only been in the house once, while most of my trips are just stops on my power walks through the neighborhood. There is a detached root cellar with old fashioned firing ports facing out...just the thing to keep curious Indians away.

Came here as something to do with our kids. They had a blast. This is a pretty basic putt-putt…read moregolf. The courses aren't themed or anything. They offer a deal I believe it's for 3 games. It's a much better deal than just doing one game so we did that and will be back at some point. They have a few different courses with varying difficulty levels, we picked one of the easier ones since we had a 5 and 3 year old doing it. My kids enjoyed playing in the arcade after which had a good variety of games. They also have some type of snack bar you can get food at but we didn't get anything. Overall, it's a good place to bring your kids to entertain them for a few hours.

This is a great place to take the kids for a little outing - also had my granddaughter's 6th BD…read moreparty here and the kids had a great time! It's also great place for a daytime couples date of mini- golf - Stop by and give this visit and see for yourself!