Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens features more than 9,000 plant varieties.
Many of the nation’s earliest churches
are also located in Maryland along this
byway, adding some highlights for
history buffs. A few churches of note
include Christ Church in Stevensville,
the earliest Anglican settlement in the
colony; Dudley’s Chapel in Sudlersville,
the first Methodist meeting house in
the county; and St. Francis Xavier in
Warwick, which was one of the earliest
permanent Catholic establishments in
the English Colonies.
American Royalty
From Chesapeake City, Md., the
northernmost point of the Chesapeake
Country Scenic Byway, an hourlong
drive takes travelers to Philadelphia.
Here, the historic 33-story Loews
Philadelphia Hotel, once a bank
building, has the distinction of being
the nation’s first skyscraper. All of the
city’s popular attractions, such as the
Liberty Bell and Independence Hall,
are just a short distance from the hotel.
Plenty of scenic drives surround
Philly, but one excursion you don’t
want to miss is the drive to Lancaster
County, with its rolling hills and
lush farmland. Travelers will slowly
meander back in time, sharing the
road with horse-and-buggies, as they
delve deeper into the land of the
Pennsylvania Dutch. America’s oldest Amish settlement still resides in
Lancaster County where they continue
to observe the “plain” lifestyle. Here,
families will enjoy a drive through
the charming countryside, which is
home to more than 25 covered bridges.
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
Couples might opt to take a horse-andbuggy tour of one of the local farms.
Another excellent side trip from
Philadelphia, especially for couples,
is the hourlong drive to Longwood
Gardens. Created by Pierre S. du Pont
of the famed du Pont family, the gardens are considered to be among the
best in the nation.
From there, it’s just a short drive
to connect with the 12-mile-long
Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway, which
takes cars through the rolling hills of the
Brandywine Valley until they end up in
Wilmington, Del.
Along the way, travelers will see the
legacy left behind by the du Pont family, who first came to America in 1800
and eventually built one of the leading
consumer product companies in the
world. Be sure to stop at the Hagley
Museum and Library, the first du Pont
family home in the U.S., and also the site
of their first commercial venture, a gunpowder mill. More lush gardens can be
found at Winterthur Museum, Garden
& Library, once a du Pont family estate,
and today the premier institution dedicated to American decorative arts.
Towers to Tombs
A bald eagle takes flight in Maryland’s Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge.
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From Philadelphia, connecting to New
York is an easy three-hour journey via
Interstate 95. Around Philadelphia and
its suburbs, the freeway runs adjacent to
the Delaware River before crossing New
Jersey and entering New York.
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