A date with America's Garden Capital

For those who have always associated history with museums, forts and monuments, Philadelphia throws up a surprise. In the rolling gardens dotting its countryside lies both incredible beauty and an important slice of American history.

- Pallavi Pasricha

When I first set foot in Philadelphia, I knew vaguely about its role in the founding of the United States of America, but had absolutely no idea that the countryside here was home to about 30 sprawling gardens that have earned it the sobriquet “America’s Garden Capital.” I soon found that these gardens, lying within 50 km of Philly, as the locals call the city, are not just counted among the world’s best horticultural spaces, but are also rooted in American history and reveal a facet of the US that not many may have experienced.

After spending three days in the beautiful and historic city of Philadelphia, I, along with a group of four others, headed out to explore the gardens spread over thousands of acres. Our first encounter was with the Valley Forge National Historical Park, where we reached after a hearty lunch at the Founding Farmers Restaurant. About 30 km from Philadelphia’s city centre, the drive to Valley Forge was really breathtaking.

Valley Forge National Historical Park

This is no ordinary park, with monuments, meadows and woodlands, that meander over an incredible 3,500 acres. The best way to go around and understand its history is to take the trolley tour. But before doing that, we decided to spend about 30 minutes walking around the place. From the visitor centre, we went up to a point called Muhlenberg Brigade where we spotted some wooden log huts but did not understand their significance until later. Sitting on a bench in the manicured garden, I just spent time gazing at the rolling greens around me and letting go of all my worries. Little did I know that very soon I would get to learn about how historical this place is.