We recently visited with a friend from Wilmington, DE, just a short drive from there.

We were stunned by the grounds, not quite grasping how wonderful this place is. We had tickets to the mid-afternoon fountain show and proceeded straight over to the viewing area. This is such a great production, wonderful music and fabulous fountain display ... top rate.

We marveled at the wide variety of trees, plants and flowers in the large conservatory. We took a number of photos but you capture the real beauty unless you see it in person.

We echo what all the other positive reviews have noted. It also has a nice place to sit down, have refreshments or some healthy food.

The day we went was very hot and the conservatory is very warm as well, so having a hand fan or battery powered fan is a good addition to the visit. Definitely hydrate, bring some water.

We hope to make it back for an evening show someday, which we understand is magnificent ... Christmas time frame as well, given the breadth of decorations they do.

It was well worth the visit and we'd highly recommend spending time on the grounds if you get a chance.

We are members and go frequently and usually are thrilled, but not this time. We went in the evening arriving around 5:30 to see gardens and enjoy fountain display. We wondered through the outdoor exhibits first and for the first time were disappointed. Everything was subdued as they used a lot of grasses. Now we like grasses and have some around our yard. But these had grown so tall and bushy that they would let you see the colors behind them and over shadowed the colors around them. We went into the conservatory and as it was growing late it was dark inside and there was minimum lighting so again the colors didn't stand out and though the displays were very nice it lost it's impact. I would recommend going in while there's plenty of light outside. The lily pads were very interesting and you could actually see a blossom opening while you watched. Than the rains came and along with it lightning which postponed the show until 30 minutes after the last lightning strike, Since it was 9 PM we packed up our chairs and went home. Not Longwood's fault but something to keep in mind. Not sure why the hold off until 9:15 to do the fountains as its dark a lot earlier and we would have gotten it in that night.

If we lived closer to Longwood Gardens, we'd definitely have an annual membership, not only to see how the gardens changed with the seasons, but also to get ideas for our own garden, make use of their many paths for walking, and just to take the time to try to see everything. Spent four hours and we know that we missed a lot (the meadow garden and everything in that direction, the trees, the restaurants, etc.). The fountain show is fun, if short. I envy the locals who have access to the gardens.