54th St. & Lindbergh Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA
19143
(215) 729-5281 • School Programs 729-6281 x104 • Fax 729-1047
http://www.bartramsgarden.org/
This historic botanical garden is the nation's first, planted by pioneer botanist, John Bartram. Here visitors will enjoy a tour of this beautiful garden brimming with the plants that Bartram loved and collected from Europe and around North America.
The property includes the Bartram House, a stone mansion designed and crafted by John Bartram between 1730 and 1770. The classically inspired facade features hand-carved inscriptions and floral designs. Fourteen rooms are furnished with 18th and early 19th Philadelphia decorative arts and items owned and used by Bartram.
The Garden includes rare, unusual and antique plant specimens. Visitors will enjoy the Kitchen Garden, Period Flower Beds, and the 15-acre Wildflower Meadow. The Garden also includes several outbuildings that can be toured, and a stroll to the banks of the Delaware will reveal John Bartram's cider press, carved from bedrock.
From spring through winter Bartram's Garden offers a variety of special events, including workshops, seasonal tours, lectures, and other activities that can be enjoyed by the entire family. Call for a calendar.
Groups can participate in one or more of many unique tours. A Guided Tour can include the Bartram House alone or the House and Garden (30 and 90 minutes respectively). A 2-hour Tea Tour includes an old fashioned afternoon tea, with biscuits, scones and home-made preserves. The Guns and Gardens Tour combines nearby Fort Mifflin (see elsewhere in this guide). A variety of other tour packages assures that virtually any adult group will find something to enjoy here. Required group sizes begin at 10 for the simpler tours to 20 for Guns and Gardens to as high as 50 for a boat tour of the Schuylkill River Heritage Corridor. Adult Groups can also participate in various Workshops, covering topics such as Apiculture, Ornithology, and others.
A variety of programs is available for School Groups. Of Pressing Concern (elementary levels) introduces a dozen plants in the Garden from which beverages can be made. Students make cider using a 19th century press. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (elementary) features 18th century chores and responsibilities. Students make their own candles. In How Sweet It Is (elementary), students study bees in three habitats -- an observation hive, commercial beebox, and natural hive. For Middle and High School Students, Can You Dig It? is a hands-on program teaching archaeological techniques, and Guns and Roses is a full day trip including Fort Mifflin. Many other programs are available. Programs are seasonal.
Most programs last about 2 hours and can accommodate up to 30 students.
Hours: Grounds open year-round, 10am - 5pm daily. Closed on city-observed holidays. 45-minute Guided House Tours start at 12:10, 1:10, 2:10 and 3:10pm. Group Tours: 90-minute House and Garden Tours by reservation.
Admission: Admission to Grounds is FREE. Individual House Tours: Adults $5.00, Seniors (62+) and Students$4.00, Children 12 and under FREE. Group Tours, $8.00 and $7.00 respectively. Most School Programs $4.00 per student.
Group Reservations: Group Tours 2 weeks, School Programs 4 - 8 weeks.
Lunch: Picnic area available for groups only by reservation.
Handicapped: Partial.
Directions: from I-95 south go beyond Center City to exit 12 and go to Island Ave. Cross bridge and stay to right (service lane). Turn right onto Lindbergh Blvd. From I-95 north take exit 11 to 291 West. Turn right onto Island Ave. and proceed as above.
Nearby: American Swedish Museum , The Woodlands , Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology , Rosenbach Museum , Institute of Contemporary Art , Moore College Art Gallery , Please Touch Museum , Franklin Institute Science Museum .