Brandywine Valley Events Calendar

We list Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware events because we are only a 30 minute drive from each.

Spring Blooms - March 29 - May 19, 2013 How better to get rid of the winter doldrums than walking through acres of tulips, dogwoods and more. Blooms depend on weather so be sure to check Longwood's web site to learn what you'll see at different time of the year.

Wine and Jazz Festival - June 1 Noon to 5 - Enjoy outdoor wine and jazz. Order a cheese basket and make a day of it.

Branford Marsalis Quartet
Three-time Grammy Award winner
Anat Cohen Quartet, jazz clarinetist-saxophonist
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, Cuban jazz piano
Joanna Pascale, jazz vocalist

Saturday, June 1
12:00-5:30 pm
Meadow

Open Air Fountain Shows - 5 minute shows set to music. See Longwood's web site for days and times.

Victoria Wyeth, daughter of Nicholas Wyeth, guides public tours of art by her grandfather, Andrew Wyeth, and by her uncle, Jamie Wyeth. The tours include a discussion of the artists' media, techniques, subject matter and models. Tours at 2 p.m. will focus on Jamie Wyeth. Tours at 1 and 3 p.m. will focus on Andrew Wyeth. Free with regular museum admission.

Tour capacity is limited to 35 people. Tickets are required and must be picked up in person on the day of the tour at the Brandywine River Museum Shop. Tickets are issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual reservations for tours are not taken in advance. Please call 610-388-8326 on the morning of your visit as Ms. Wyeth's schedule is subject to change. Private tours are available for an additional fee; for information, please send an e-mail to specialevents@brandywine.org.

Andrew Wyeth Studio Tour and N.C. Wyeth House and Studio Tours begin April 1. Tickets are required in advance. See their web site for dates, times and price.

Winterthur - named by USA Today as one of America's 10 great places of historical proportions.

For families, visit the Enchanted Woods, their children's garden and visit the Tulip Tree House, Troll Bridge, Faerie Cottage, and Upside-Down Tree.

50th Annual Delaware Antiques Show - on the Riverfront in Wilmington, Delaware November 8-10, 2013

The Look of Love: Eye Miniatures from the Skier Collection - Opening 9-21-13

Definitely something different. This collection features the world's largest collection of hand-painted lover's eye miniatures from late 18th and early 19th century England.

Tyler Arboretum - Bird walks every Wednesday morning at 8:15 or wild flower walks at 11 AM.

The museum is closed on Mondays
Call (215) 235-SHOW (7469) for more information.

From Colonial Spanish and Portuguese art, to Outsider Art, to Alfred Steiglitz photography, to sculptures, the Philadelphia Museaum of Art has it all. Check out their current exhibitions by clicking here.

Rodin Museum

Philadelphia’s Rodin Museum has reopened. Its collection has been reinstalled and reinterpreted and its buildings and gardens restored to the condition when it first opened in 1929. Vvisitors will once again see several of Rodin’s greatest works, including The Burghers of Calais, in the garden, in niches on the Museum’s façade, and in the arches of the Meudon Gate for the first time in many decades.

View works of 27 self taught and untrained artists. Learn about artists and art separate from the mainstream art world.

Coming to the Philadelphia area for the U.S. Open? You'll want to visit this exhibition and to view "The Golfers" by Charles Lee among others. Painting is 51 inches by 84 inches.

Throughout the year the wineries offer various activiities. Many offer lovely settings for picnicking, live music, grape stomping competitions, hayrides through the vineyards, and BBQs. Check each winery's web site to see what they offering. Purchase a Passport from Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast. Passports allow for tastings at all 8 member wineries.

Notice: Members pour controlled amounts of their wines for tasting. However, tasting at several wineries, in close succession, can cause one to unwittingly consume alcohol above the legal limit. If you intend to visit more than one winery in a day, we recommend you employ a designated driver or limit your wine consumption accordingly.

For up to date information on the wineries of the Brandywine Valley Wine Trail click here

Media, Pennsylvania Events
So many people coming to the Brandywine Valley ask about Kennett Square and West Chester. I say it is time for people to learn about the charming burrough of Media which is the County Seat of Delaware County. There are lots of wonderful shops and restaurants in Media which is a short 10 minute drive from Hamanassett.
For More Information call 610-566-5039 or Click here to www.visitmediapa.com

Ridley Creek State Park is a short 10 minute drive from Hamanassett and has many activities from which to choose.
With more than 2600 acres of woodlands and meadows, you will want to visit many times. Next door to the park is Tyler Arboretum. You will find cross country skiing, picnicing, bicycling, dog walking, horseback riding, trout fishing (catch and release), sledding and tobogganing. The park is recognized by the Audubon Society as a significant birding site. Below are some of the activities you will find at the park:

Twelve miles of walking trails pass through a variety of habitats throughout the central portion of the park. Bikes are not permitted on unpaved hiking trails, but the five-mile, paved Multi-use Trail along Sycamore Mills and Forge roads is designated for bicycles, joggers, walkers and cross-country skiers. (Park in lots #7, #11, #15 and # 17.) A 4.7-mile trail begins in Picnic Area #8.

When the snow flies, cross-country skiers may use the hiking and multi-use trails when snow cover permits (and a large grassy slope by the park office is popular for sledding). For more information call 610-566-1725.

Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation - Ridley Creek State Park - Media

112 acre living history site located in the heart of Ridley Creek State Park, 10 minutes from Hamanassett. It authentically represents life on a farm in southeastern Pa. between 1760 and 1790. The Plantation has been a working farm for over 300 years. It is restored to a late 18th century appearance complete with animals typical of the period and authentically clothed historical interpreters.

101 THINGS TO DO IN THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY IN THE WINTER.

I’ve just started compiling this list so it is no where near complete. We’ll see if I can get to the 101st item by the end of winter. Point is, the Brandywine Valley has lots to do in the winter months and you won’t have to contend with all the crowds.

Think there is nothing to do in January, February, and March in southeast Pennsylvania? Well, think again. Here are just a few of the fun things going on and I’ll add more during the coming weeks.

Of course, the first activity to consider is the cooking school at Hamanassett Bed & Breakfast. click here for our schedule.

Bundle up and enjoy a horseback ride through the counryside that Andrew Wyeth made famous in his paintings.

Viking Horse Stables in West Chester, Pa. offers hacks through the country side of Chester County, Pa. For more information 610-517-7980 or click here.

If horseback riding isn’t for you, there are plenty of trails nearby for hiking and cross country skiing. Enjoy going over the hills and through the woods not to grandmother’s house but past historic buildings in Ridley Creek State Park. John Heinz National Wildlife refuge on the Delaware River and Tyler Arboretum are only a 10-20 minute drive from our Brandywine Valley bed and breakfast. . For more information on Tyler Arboretum click here or call 610-566-9134. And for more information on Ridley Creek State park click here. Don't have your own shoes or skiis? Call the Brandywine Country Visitor's Center at 800-343-3983 for recommendations.

Love fishing? You can ice fish at Ridley Creek State Park or Newlin Gris Mill Park. Both are within 10 minutes of Hamanassett Bed and Breakfast.

Colonial Plantation at Ridley Creek Park

For a slower pace grab your binoculars and head over to John Heinz Wildlife Refuge at the Tinicum Wildlife Refuge. This activity requires little expeience and will give you hours of enjoyment. There are 10 miles of hiking trails, woodland, and marshland where hundreds of species of birds either live or stop over on their way north or south The refuge is about a 15-20 minutes from us. For more info click here.

You can still enjoy visiting Longwood Gardens. Even though the outside gardens are resting for the winter there are spectacular indoor gardens in the conservatory. Did you know it is 4 1/2 acres under glass and includes 20 indoor gardens and 5500 varieties of plants? It takes about an hour and a half to stroll through the entire conservatory. . For more information

Let the Good Times Roll! And that isn't just in New Orleans. Get out to Sproul Lanes and enjoy a few games. Let your inner child or your cave man out and do something different at Sproul Lanes in Broomall.
www.sproullanes.com

The always popular and satisfying wine tastings of the Brandywine River Wineries. Each winery has special events throughout the year so check their individual web sites for details.

Enjoy sipping a cup of tea and enjoying scones, crumpets and other delights.

And, of course, you can always destress (is that even a word?) by bringing a book (or choose one of ours) and enjoy relaxing in front of the fireplace in the living room.

Branford Marsalis Quartet Three-time Grammy Award winner Anat Cohen Quartet, jazz clarinetist-saxophonist Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, Cuban jazz piano Joanna Pascale, jazz vocalist

Saturday, June 1 12:00-5:30 pm Meadow

Rodin Museum

Branford Marsalis Quartet
Three-time Grammy Award winner
Anat Cohen Quartet, jazz clarinetist-saxophonist
Alfredo Rodriguez Trio, Cuban jazz piano
Joanna Pascale, jazz vocalist

Saturday, June 1
12:00-5:30 pm
Meadow