Chanticleer Garden

Imagine wrapping up a seminar or meeting, attendees minds filled with new information and they can step into a garden wonderland overflowing with native wildflowers, perfect perennials, woodlands and even a ruin that invites exploration. Chanticleer Garden, one of the many public gardens that surround Philadelphia, was originally the estate of Christine and Adolph Rosengarten. The 35-acre grounds have been open to the public since 1993. The grounds, which include vegetable gardens, flowers, faux ruins, a mansion to tour and much more, change dramatically throughout the open season, from April to early November before the first snow fall. In a place filled with visual treats, one standout is the collection of pieces the artistically minded staff has created for the grounds, from stone seats to mahogany footbridges. Chanticleer also welcomes picnickers; consider calling ahead to set up a private tour of the house and gardens, followed by a picnic lunch on the grass. Chanticleer is just “minutes away” from both the Radnor Hotel and the Roman Catholic Villanova University (villanova.edu) campus, which, says Barbara Lehman, director of communications for the Brandywine Conference and Visitors Bureau, “offers great low-priced room rates to groups during the summer. They also have a stunning conference center of their own.”