The “Enchanted Woods” at Winterthur is just one of the memorable attractions we’ll visit this fall on our Philadelphia Garden Tour (GoodSeed Farm photo)

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Steve Boehme

Gardeners and history buffs are invited to join us for our third annual Philadelphia Garden Tour this September, and a Philadelphia Food & History Tour in October. Marjorie and I enjoy showing off our native city, so we’ll take you to some of our favorite gardens, share fine dining, and guide you around Old Philadelphia and the historic Brandywine Valley. Our tours are low-key, with time on your own to explore and enjoy, and quiet time to read (or nap) en route.

September’s tour starts at the Brandywine Museum in Chadd’s Ford, PA, full of Wyeth family paintings, and lunch at the Brandywine Museum Café. Side tours to the Andrew Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth studios will be available.

Next we visit Winterthur Museum in Wilmington, Delaware, where we’ll tour the 175-room DuPont mansion full of priceless period furniture, see the Campbell Soup Tureen collection, take a jitney tour through the gardens to the Enchanted Woods. We’ll dine at the historic Dilworthtown Inn in West Chester, PA.

Our day at Longwood Gardens starts at nearby Brandywine Battlefield, site of the largest battle in the Revolutionary War. We’ll spend the rest of the day touring the Longwood Gardens and conservatory. View spectacular water shows at the Fountains and the Open Air Theatre, player concerts of the 10,010-pipe Longwood organ, special exhibits, the DuPont-Pierce mansion, and special “Insider tours”. Lunch in the Terrace Restaurant Café and buffet dinner in the Founders Dining Room are both included. A live concert and spectacular water/light show cap off our evening.

In October we’ll be back for a tour of historic Philadelphia itself. We’ll tour the “Cradle of Liberty” starting with Valley Forge National Park, and enter Philadelphia through historic Fairmount Park, past Boathouse Row and the Philadelphia Art Museum. We’ll stop at Reading Terminal Market for touring and lunch on your own at one of over one hundred food stalls and eateries. A local guide will board our bus for a rolling tour including Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Old City, Jeweler’s Row, and a stop at the Curtis Building on Washington Square to view the Tiffany mosaic.

Tour the legendary and controversial Barnes Foundation collection of post-impressionist art at its new location on the Parkway, starting with a guided tour of the museum. The collection includes 181 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse, 46 by Pablo Picasso, 21 by Chaim Soutine, 18 by Henri Rousseau, 16 by Amedeo Modigliani, 11 by Edgar Degas, 7 by Vincent Van Gogh, and 6 by Georges Seurat. Dinner is included at historic City Tavern (est. 1773) on Headhouse Square in Old City.

We’ll spend a day on Independence Mall, see the multimedia show “America Rising”, tour the Constitution Center and Visitor’s Center, visit the Liberty Bell, take a Guided Tour of Independence Hall. You can Explore Old City Philadelphia on your own; see Carpenter’s Hall, Christ Church, Betsy Ross House, Elfreth’s Alley and other historical sites. Then, be our guest for a four-course Italian dinner at Dante & Luigi’s Corona Di Ferro, rated the #1 Italian restaurant in Philadelphia by Philadelphia Magazine.

Cost for each tour is $749 double occupancy, including many excellent meals over four days. For tour details, see the “Bus Tours” page at www.goodseedfarm.com , e-mail or call 937-587-7021. We’d love to include you!

Steve Boehme is the owner of GoodSeed Nursery & Landscape, located near Winchester, Ohio at 9736 Tri-County Highway, ¼ mile from the intersection of the Appalachian Highway and State Route 62. More information is available atwww.goodseedfarm.comor call (937) 587-7021.