Good visit with a friend who is a regular. The paths are coated with a recycled rubber mix and are…read moresoft to walk on. Wide variety of well-labeled plants. Apparently, Stoneleigh welcomes local humanities professors holding classes on the grounds

What a lovely garden that is free to the public! I was too busy admiring it with my family to take…read morepictures. The ambassadors at the front were so helpful knowing it was our first time visiting, and we also met some staff to thank them for maintaining it so well. I'd love to come back for a formal tour in the future and see the mansion. We'll be back!

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.

Beautiful grounds surround Moland House ~ an absolutely amazing place with its incredibly rich…read morehistory. Annual reenactments representing events which took place in 1700's happen here and the house is open on certain days for tours. Washington, Hamilton, Lafayette to name just a few were part of the encampment at Moland House. The guides are wonderful with interesting stories of the family and they are quick to answer any questions. The guides explain how ice cream was made and show the many kitchen utensils used way back then ~ the house furnishings are time period correct. Moland House is a jewel of a place with many passionate, caring people who take such loving pride in showcasing this site with such abundant history.

Tucked away on a grassy lot just off South Gulph Road near US 202/ DeKalb Pike sits the historic…read moreKing of Prussia Inn. Built before the USA was established, it was an important inn for people traveling to Philadelphia, which was about a day's ride away by horseback. Originally Berry's Tavern, its believed to have been renamed the King of Prussia Inn during the revolutionary war as a way to attract business from the Hessian soldiers fighting with the British Army against the Revolutionary American soldiers who were encamped in nearby Valley Forge. Eventually the area around the inn also became known as King of Prussia. The Inn was situated on a major travel route that became US-202. As the area grew, the Inn was in danger of demolition as 202 was widened. It spent approximately 45 years marooned on a patch of land surrounded by freeway. By 1975 the vacant, fenced and boarded up Inn was added to the National Register of Historic Places. By 1998 it was again in jeopardy of demolition as more road improvements were planned for 202. A plan was hatched to move the Inn to land nearby donated by PECO Electric, and by August 2000 it was moved to its' current location. It now serves as headquarters for the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, the Women's Golf Association of Philadelphia and a couple small businesses. The Chamber of Commerce meeting room is available for local clubs and nonprofits to hold meetings by reservation. FDC and I visited on a sunny afternoon, not expecting to see the interior. As it happens there was a group renting the room later, the organizer was there setting up and she allowed us to come inside and see part of the building. I'm so happy that this place was saved and moved to a place where it can continue to be a meeting place and a piece of history for future generations to enjoy.

Great tour guide. Highly recommend Zephyr. Very knowledgeable and friendly!!! The grounds are…read morelovely and the castle is impressive.

Henry Mercer was an unusual guy. Very smart and very rich. So, he builds himself a 44 room castle…read morein 1912 in concrete (so it would not burn down). And he is not a trained architect or contractor. And then he sets up a tile manufacturing company about 1/4 mile away (you can visit that too), and he makes thousands of unique tiles to adorn the ceilings, walls, and floors of his castle; his new tiles next to historical tiles from all over the world. To visit Fonthill, you must go on a one hour guided tour. Our tour guide, Lisa, was intelligent and entertaining. Our group was 10 (that is maximum for a group). It can get claustrophobic in some of the rooms and there are lots of steps (so be advised). It is really worth visiting Fonthill Castle. It is far from a luxurious mansion, but rather a peculiar yet intriguing concrete castle. Mercer also built another castle about a mile away in Doylestown to store his "stuff" - this is the Mercer Museum (also worth a visit).

In the heart of Abington, and about a hundred yards away from the Roslyn train station, you can…read morefind Briar Bush, a hidden nature preserve tucked away on Edge Hill road. With scenic walking trails, an outdoor classroom, day camps and a small indoor animal habitat, Briar Bush is a great spot for small children, couples on a date, or anyone looking for a brief respite from the urgency of the modern world. With free admission for locals and a small fee for out-of-towners, the preserve is accessible to all patrons provided that they are able to walk down some wooded trails that circle through the admittedly short walking routes. The centerpiece of the trails is a picturesque, secluded pond with benches for sitting and an interactive sign with information on the local fauna and flora. The indoor animal habitat has a small gift shop, pamphlets on upcoming events and information on other parks in the area, and several interesting animals such as a blind possum named Odin, a bearded lizard named Karl, and several other unique turtles and reptiles. All of Briar Bush can be walked through in an hour or so, but the low admission, interactive nature events and scenic walking trails will have you wanting to return again soon.

Staff are very informative when it comes to presentations but the facility is not very well…read moremaintained in some places because multiple trees have poison ivy on them. I know what poison ivy looks like, and when it's in hairy vine form, it can choke a tree and kill it. There was a wildlife sanctuary in the neighborhood that I grew up in as a child, and many of the trees almost died because they were being choked by poison ivy. Hairy vine, no friend of mine. But, on a more positive note, they have some animals that you can pet (when they are being presented by a lecturer), including rabbits, rats, and snakes, plus a turtle. In fact, now, as I am typing this, I remember coming here as a kid with school and Cub Scouts and my family as well, and I remember Boo the Rat (R.I.P!) and I remember a turtle who came to Briar Bush after being fed dog food by its owner. Eww. Bottom line, presentation is everything. One thing that I personally don't mind but that wildlife and some other visitors are probably irritated by is the fact that SEPTA's Warminster Line runs behind Briar Bush with a train going by every so often.

I'm going to need to file this under my "D'Oh! I should have gone here long ago" folder. You see, I…read moregrew up nearby this place. Have seen the signs thousands of times along Earlington Road. NMT has friends who live a block away. Yet I have never, ever been there. This changed when dear friend PhillyGal, up from Virginia for a visit, suggested we go to see the house decorated and the trains. Sure, I know right where it is but have never been there. Yes, really. The Grange estate is interesting in that it's nestled along a slope ending in Darby Creek, tucked at the back of a 1950s single home development and bordered on one side by US1- City Ave. Back in the 1970s there was talk about the estate being purchased by a developer, whose plans were to knock it down and build houses. The neighborhood rallied, got Haverford Township involved, saving it literally at the last moment. The Grange is a historic estate, with it's origins dating back before the Revolutionary War, and it's owner during the war was John Gross, who financed uniforms for the Revolutionaries. George Washington dined there several times, and The Marquis de Lafayette was a close friend who stayed there. The estate was named after The Marquis' "La Grange" estate in France. We learn all of this, and more, from a quite knowledgable and animated tour guide, who also shared that she was the last of the 1970s group who lobbied to save the Grange and convinced Haverford Township to buy the property & preserve it. She told us how they were ready to chain themselves to the gates if needed. Now she volunteers, showing us interesting things and sharing how life was lived in this house. Next to the 'main house' is a barn, substantial in size, and within it for the holidays model train enthusiasts set up quite elaborate railways for all to enjoy. I was impressed. The main house, barn and trails are wall well maintained, the landscaping lush even in December. There is a caretaker who lives in part of the house full time and their work definitely contributes. As this is owned by Haverford Township, there is no admission fee and no fee to do a self-guided tour. They ask $5 donation to the Friends of The Grange for a guide led. It's a bargain. The house when we visited was decorated beautifully for the holidays, with different themes in each room, including a pretty mind-boggling "Santa" room. Note: when you go, there is a small-fish parking lot and there is some street parking in the neighborhood. It's an easy walk from SEPTA buses and The Norristown High Speed Line, so that's a good way to go. The Grange is definitely one of those 'hidden gems' that not only tells us stories about its inhabitants, but also about the role some of the 'lesser known' supporters of the Revolution played in the securing of our freedoms. It's well worth the time to go spend some time there.

Such a hidden gem! I must admit that we came during the Christmas season, toured the house, and…read moresaw the trains. My near 2-year-old loved the trains that were set up in the old stables and my 62-year-old father-in-law did as well! The Christmas set-up is quite beautiful, trees in every room and Santas abound! The historic house is run by a tremendous group of dedicated individuals. They have donation bids set out and I'm sure that every single $1 donated to this place is put to good use. We will be making a point to return in every season as I'm sure the house and grounds will have many different things to offer as the season's change. It was busy the night we stopped by and the parking lot was full but street parking is nearby and plentiful. As Regina M. said, "I should have gone here long ago!"

Beautiful scenery for a good price, parking needs to be reserved before 3 so make sure you do that…read morebeforehand as there is no parking nearby! Very walkable if you're looking for a short day

This place is a gem. It's beautiful, serene, somewhat whimsical. We went last week and the fall…read morecolors were stunning. It's a place I think I'll go back to with every season. And next time I wanna go early enough that I can do the house tour as well.