WEST CHESTER, PA September 26-30, 2014

It was hard saying good bye to New York state and all its beauty but time to start our southern migration with more places to see in southern Pennsylvania. It was a lovely fall day for driving about 90 miles south to Stroudsburg, PA along US 209.  Our stay that night was at the Pocono Valley RV Park, and definitely warmer weather than we'd had in NY. The park is just south of the little town of Stroudsburg, "Birthplace of the Nation-wide J.J. Newberry Co. Stores" as the sign on this building states. There was a great brewery in town to sit outside for a beer and even a darling small shop where I found a new dress; very unexpected! 

The next morning we were up early for a further drive south.  By noon we were near Allentown, PA with enough time to stop and visit two museums. The first was America on Wheels Museum a unique collection of cars, trucks and motorcycles. Many of the vehicles are privately owned and on loan to the museum. A wonderful hour or two wandering through the exhibits even one that showed the complete restoration of an old 19402 car from a rusted find to a finished car.

Before leaving we had a milkshake and hotdog in the Hubcap Cafe, a darling diner found somewhere in the midwest and moved to this location.

From the car museum we drove over to the Allentown Art Museum which had a Frank Lloyd Wright Library on the lower level. We were a week too early for the opening of Robert Indiana from A to Z.  He is a word artists, renowned for his recognizable work including LOVE, HOPE, ART, EAT. Really wish we could have seen it.

Back on the road we had another couple of hours of driving to get to the West Chester Elks Lodge where we stayed for the next five nights.

We spent a wonderful day on Sunday at Longwood Gardens not far from us. The grounds were gorgeous and with such a fascinating history.  The property was originally purchased from William Penn in 1700 by a fellow Quaker,  George Pierce. In 1798 twin brothers Joshua and Samuel Pierce began developing an arboretum, and by 1850 they had one of the finest collections of trees in the nation. In 1906 Pierre du Pont purchased the property from the Pierce family to save the arboretum from being sold for lumber.  It then became his private estate and he continued to add to the property over the years creating the stunning garden it is today. 

Walking paths wander everywhere on the property across streams and around hidden fountains.

Even though it was already late September there were still so many flowers in bloom.

The property has over 20 different gardens, one of our favorite areas was the topiary garden.

The Conservatory is spectacular!  It is one of the world's greatest greenhouse structures, housing over 5000 types of plants.

We couldn't stop staring at these enormous water lily leaves known as Victoria Amazonica. Just gorgeous!

Every afternoon the organ plays in the Longwood ballroom and can be heard throughout the conservatory.

We spent the entire day exploring the gardens, the buildings and the fountains. Such a fantastic experience.

The following day we drove to the village of Chadd's Ford and the Brandywine River Museum of Art to tour the N. C. Wyeth House and Studio.  N.C. Wyeth is best known for his illustrations of Treasure Island which are on display in the museum.  He used the proceeds from those paintings to purchase 18 acres of land on Rocky Hill where he built his home and studio overlooking the valley in 1911. He  died in 1945 and his wife lived in the home until 1973. Their daughter, Carolyn Wyeth, lived in the house and painted in the studio until her death in 1994.

His studio with his work and tools displayed

This large canvas needed a ladder alongside to reach the upper areas.

The tall glass windows brought in just the right light he needed for his work.

Once we finished the tour of the house we visited the Kuerner Farm used by son, Andrew Wyeth, for inspiration of his water color paintings.

Later in the afternoon we toured the Andrew Wyeth home and studio. His pencil sketches of John F. Kennedy were set out with the finished painting alongside.

Wyeth painted thousands of pieces of art in this studio from 1940 until 2008.  It's been carefully restored to recreate its appearance when it was used by the artist.  Paper and paint supplies were lying everywhere as though he had just walked out of the studio. Such a wonderful day!

west chester