Audio Descriptions

Experience the new Longwood Reimagined spaces through a series of 6 audio descriptions. Audio files with introductory audio descriptions of each location are available below.

These clips provide important information for people who are blind/low vision and/or experiencing hearing loss, so they can fully participate in and enjoy the new Longwood Reimagined spaces. Clips range from 1 to 4 minutes in length. The entire route is accessible without stairs. 

Each audio description is based on the location of the sign. However, you are encouraged to explore the spaces and wander as you listen to the description and the stories. Nicole Sardella voices the audio descriptions. The audio descriptions use words to describe the landscape and plants of Longwood.

logo with black uppercase A and D followed by black sound waves

The Western Overlook

A viewshed of a large grassy area with a treeline in the very background featuring fall color.

Overlooking acres of natural lands, the West Conservatory Plaza offers a newly open to the public space that boasts grand sunset views. As you depart from the choreographed landscape of the West Conservatory, a stately grove of majestic London plane-trees greets you. 

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage:

 

Main Fountain Garden

The Main Fountain Garden at Longwood featuring rows of boxwood trees and fall color leaves on either side of a stone facade.

The Main Fountain Garden has been mesmerizing our guests for more than 90 years. Neoclassical terraces and fountains capture the spirit of Pierre’s vision for beauty, grandeur, and showmanship. Expertly clipped boxwood hedges frame the fountains and architecture, highlighting the symmetry and flow of the space, while lush lawns and Italianate limestone sculptures add depth to the view. 

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage:

 

Bonsai Courtyard

A stone paved courtyard featuring bonsai trees on display.

The emphasis of our 12,500-square-foot garden courtyard is our nationally recognized, meticulously curated, core collection of nearly 200 miniature trees. Within this quiet sanctuary, guests enjoy a rotating display of up to 50-60 specimens, including selections of great rarity and beauty donated by The Kennett Collection.

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage:

 

West Conservatory: Landscape

The exterior of the West Conservatory featuring all glass panels and roof, with yellow-leaved ginko trees planted outside.

This garden oasis beckons you to stroll along airy pathways next to floating canals and lushly planted beds. Water is a central element—reflecting the sky, providing cool and serene visual breaks, and adding sound to the immersive experience. The glasshouse itself appears to be floating on the surface of a tranquil sheet of water. Flora from the warm, arid regions of the southern hemisphere and the vibrant, coastal landscapes of California thrive, each specimen a living testament to nature’s artistry.

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage:

 

West Conservatory: Architecture

The exterior of the West Conservatory at sunset featuring all glass panels and roof, with yellow-leaved ginko trees planted outside.

The West Conservatory represents 32,000 square feet of meticulously designed glass and steel as reimagined by the architecture team of WEISS/MANFREDI. The peaked roof is modeled after our historic Lord & Burnham greenhouses, featuring asymmetrical peaks that recall the rolling hills of the surrounding Brandywine Valley. Arching steel columns and beams evoke the relaxed geometry of tree branches, creating a dialogue between cutting-edge, contemporary design and the natural lands surrounding Longwood.

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage:

 

The Cascade Garden

An indoor tropical garden in a glasshouse, with lush green plants on rock walls with waterfalls.
Lookout Loft Treehouse

The Cascade Garden is a rare work of landscape art that gathers all the iconic elements of a Burle Marx design, reflecting his love of the natural world and the beauty of Brazil’s native flora and landscapes. This expertly crafted environment is home to dozens of species of plants, primarily from the bromeliad (Bromeliaceae) and aroid (Araceae) families, as well as other plants typically found in association with bromeliads in a tropical rainforest.

Listen now:

 

Listen to a reading of the signage: