Main Fountain Garden
About This Garden
Nowhere else in the world is there a setting that marries fountains, theater, and garden, establishing our Main Fountain Garden as the finest performance fountain in the world. As the culmination of the legacy and vision of Pierre S. du Pont, the garden combines classic landscape design with art, innovation, technology, and extraordinary fountains.
Explore the Grotto, a new addition to the revitalized garden that offers guests a cool, quiet place to relax amid cascading water and natural stone. The Historic Pump Room & Gallery details the creation of this Garden in 1931 and the engineering behind the original fountains. Pumphouse Plaza, located outside the exhibit, is an open air meeting place with bistro-style seating and concessions (weather-permitting) in a picturesque setting.
From May through October, daily fountain performances showcase the thrill of 1,719 jets set to music. As the sun sets, infinite colors and stirring music combine in a feat so grand, you'll want to experience it for yourself.
Enjoy Daily Fountain Performances through October 28, 2018.
Enjoy Illuminated Fountain Performances Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings through October 27, 2018.
“The epic effects of the new performing fountains ... may make the observer forget the beauty and significance of the garden itself, which is one of the largest and most alluring classical revival landscapes in the country.”
—Adrian Higgins, The Washington Post
Grottos are natural or artificial caves used since antiquity as spaces of devotion or retreat in the landscape. From the caves of Homer’s Odyssey and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, to the rock-cut grottos of Hellenistic Rhodes and spring-fed crypts of Apollo’s oracle at Delphi, the tradition of grottos is founded at the intersection of history and myth.
Pierre S. du Pont used early 20th century technology to mimic the 17th & 18th century gardens he visited in Europe. See how we maintained his vision.
Explore the other-worldly Grotto at Longwood Gardens, a surprising new addition to the revitalized, 5-acre Main Fountain Garden.
Learn how our Main Fountain Garden performances were crafted in the past, and meet the technologies used to make the fountains dance today.
Hear from those at L'Observatoire International who designed our nighttime lighting of the revitalized Main Fountain Garden.
