I love a good night at the theater and any excuse to be outdoors in the summer, so the Brandywiners…read moreoutdoor performance of Beauty and the Beast was the perfect summer night! $30 ticket gets you admission to Longwood Gardens, a theater show, and don't miss the fountain light show afterwards! It's pretty incredible that most of these people have full time jobs and dedicate a summer to this. They do an awesome job with sets, costumes, and singing! It's cute how excited kids get and they often have a meet and greet with the actors after the show. Pro tip: wait till the week of and check the weather before you buy tickets because if the show is rained out you can't get a refund and they might not decide until a half hour after the show, after delaying it several times (this happened last year) and you might not be able to make the rain date. Also, bring bug spray and a sweater, it can get chilly.

Saw the Brandywiners perform the musical "Shrek" at Longwood Gardens last weekend. What a fun…read moreshow! I went with a friend, and was impressed with the show itself (more fun and hip that I'd assumed) and the performance of the very large cast. The whole show was good; some of the individual peformaces were outstanding. Some tips: You can get dinner ahead of time in the Longwood Gardens cafeteria-style restaurant, about a two-minute walk. The restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating, and outdoor jazz on Thursday evenings. Your theater ticket also gets you admission to the entire Longwood Gardens, if you want to arrive a few hours early and stroll around. The show is outdoors, so bring bug spray. Stick around for the fountain and lights show, starting about 10 minutes after the show ends.