Draft Itinerary of GTWGHS
Bus Trip to Longwood Gardens
Sept. 10 -13, 2009

(Please note this itinerary is not yet finalized. There may be slight changes made with respect to the timing,
the choice of garden venues visited, and the location of lunch and dinner spots.)

Thursday, September 10th (travel day) 7:30a.m. departure (departure point TBA)
Lunch stop for 45 - 60 minutes
Arrive at hotel roughly 6:00 p.m., check-in, welcome reception
Casual Italian dinner at hotel

Friday, September 11th

Continental breakfast, depart for Longwood Gardens at 8:00 a.m.
Meet with Patrick Nutt for private behind the scenes tour of Longwood Gardens including the rare opportunity to visit with
Tim Jennings and Longwood's Research & Production Dept. (4 - 5 hours)

 Lunch (Location TBA)

Visit 1 or 2 of the following gardens: Winterthur, Mt. Cuba, Nemours Gardens, Morris Arboretum, Shofuso Japanese Gardens, Chanticleer and/or University of Delaware Botanic Gardens in the afternoon (TBA)
 Return to hotel - ( this depends on if we visit any Philidelphia area garden(s) and/or then do sightseeing tour -
dinner stop would be before we return to hotel in the evening) or,

Return to hotel for rest
Dinner excursion approx. 6:30.pm -group dining, possible Dinner theatre, buffet, or +sightseeing tour - TBA)
Return to hotel for evening

Saturday, September 12th

Continental breakfast, hotel check out, board bus at 8:30 a.m.

Visit another one of the other above mentioned gardens, tour a private garden,
or make a short stop at the nursery of IWGS member Tom Tilley on the way to Corning, New York (roughly a 4 hour drive)

Arrive at hotel, early - mid afternoon, check in
Possible options - visit to Corning Glass museum, Arnott Mall for shopping, or possible viewing of private water gardens (TBA)
Return to hotel for short rest

Meet at 7:00 p.m. for dinner (Location TBA)
Return to hotel for evening

Sunday, September 13th (travel day)

Continental Breakfast, hotel check out, board bus for 8:30 a.m. departure

Stop at Watkins Glen State Park - a walk down the hundreds of limestone steps along the beautiful scenic gorge
1.5 - 2 hours including lunch stop (Location TBA)

Drive to Canandaigua - approx 1+ hour

 Visit Sonnenberg Gardens & Estate - a 1.5 - 2.5 hour stop with a guided tour of the gardens and estate
showcasing the very special Smithsonian Exhibit: The White House Garden* on display at the Mansion,
ending with a .5 hour group wine tasting.
Possible stop at IWGS member's local nursery specializing in water gardens for short visit

Dinner stop at local eatery (TBA)

Head home - roughly 2.0 hours drive to drop off point.

Anticipated return time -6:00 - 7:00 p.m.

The price of this tour should be available once the itinerary has been finalized (hopefully by June 1st).
Numbers are limited and a 30% deposit will be required to secure your place on the tour.
 The balance of the fee will be payable by August 15th.
Please contact Diana Thomson for more information 416-691-7727, or thomsondiana@hotmail.com.

12 May 2009