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.

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.

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.

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!"

What a cool hidden gem in Valley Forge National Park! I took a tour of this museum in November…read more2025. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and intriguing as he guided us around the property and inside the home/studio. Esherick was extremely talented and it was incredible to see his stunning creations. Tips: The tour is inside and outside so dress accordingly. There are steps inside the building. Booking ahead is required and tour group counts are limited.

Visiting the Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern had been on my to do list for a while, but the…read moretours sell out, and I've missed out on visiting a couple of times! Last week, I planned a last minute day trip to the Philadelphia area and noticed that they had exactly four tickets still open on tours for the rest of the month and they were for the upcoming Saturday at 11am. It was a sign, and I jumped on buying those tickets. How to explain the Wharton Esherick Museum?! Wharton Esherick was an American artist and designer (he's best known for his modernist wood furniture), and - while not a trained architect - he designed this house and studio compound (of four separate buildings) in Malvern to live and work in. By the time he was adding a workshop to the compound in 1955, building codes had made their way into law and Esherick got help from none other than Louis Kahn to help design that building. So what will you see if you visit? Just an incredible home and studio. Esherick was not into straight lines or right angles or wasting perfectly good wood, so the house and studio is an amazing sight: that staircase! the wood floor in the dining room! the concrete extension painted in colors that blend into the natural surroundings! the art and furniture pieces of Esherick's shown throughout the house! It's a hard place to describe, but our tour guide did a marvelous job of teaching us about Esherick and the buildings during our tour, while sharing some woodworking facts and passion, too! Reservations for the tours are required, and they do sell out. Regularly. There's an exhibit on Esherick at the Brandywine right now, and that might be generating more interest than usual in seeing his home and studio - or maybe tours of this amazing place are always this popular?! We did the Experiencing Esherick Tour, which takes you into the home and studio building and lasts about an hour. They offer some specialized tours of more limited days as well - I will definitely be visiting again for the architecture tour which takes you into at least one additional building you don't see on the general tour! The house? Fascinating. Our tour guide? Lovely. The grounds? Beautiful even in December. And a lovely little gift shop in Esherick's old garage where you can do some holiday shopping? Bonus. What's not to love about the Wharton Esherick Museum? I know I'll be returning to bring friends and family to this wonderful place in the future.