On June 21, Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum, 1237 State Road, will reopen the Biddle family’s early 19th-century Greek Revival home to guided tours for the 2021 season.
The “Big House” has been closed since spring of last year due to COVID-19 restrictions. Visitors will be able to purchase tickets for small, guided tours of the house that begin at designated times. They will also have self-guided access to the 65-acre estate’s native woodlands and formal gardens before and after their tour of the National Historic Landmark.
Through Oct. 27, public tours of the gardens are offered Monday through Wednesday, 10 a.m. to noon, and 1 to 3 p.m. Andalusia will host three Open Saturdays on Sept. 18, Oct. 23 and Nov. 6, offering the public opportunities to enjoy the gardens and grounds during the weekends. Open Saturday self-guided tours are available at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Tickets to tour the gardens are $15 a person with free admission for children under 12. Guided house tours can be added to public tour or Open Saturday tickets for an additional $5. Visitors must purchase tickets for public tours and Open Saturdays in advance at andalusiapa.org.
Guests can embark on a self-guided garden tour, aided by a map of the grounds, to explore the seasonal highlights. Head to the Walled Garden near the Graperies to see blooming roses, marked by the tall, weathered brick and stone wall. Follow the Long Border and see a variety of flowering perennials designed to be at their peak this time of year. The Green Walk, Father’s Garden, Conifer Border and Gold Garden offer seasonal blooms and shady spots when you’re ready to step away from the summer heat.
After completing a tour of the “Big House,” enjoy a stroll along the Delaware River to catch the cool breezes and dazzling views. Andalusia invites guests to pack for a picnic and settle among the gardens, or along the riverbank, for a casual afternoon respite.
The gardens date back to the 18th century, first created by John Craig, a Philadelphia merchant who purchased the 65-acre property as a summer home in 1795. In 1814, the property passed to his son-in-law Nicholas Biddle, a prominent financier and cultural leader of the early American Republic. Biddle came from a long line of high-ranking government and military dignitaries and was a Renaissance man who possessed a wide range of interests, namely classical architecture and agriculture. Under his care, there was an expansion of Andalusia’s gardens. He commissioned famous Philadelphia architect Thomas Ustick Walter to design a Greek temple façade to wrap around what’s now referred to as the “Big House.”
The Andalusia Foundation was established in 1980 to preserve and maintain the grounds that are home to more than 800 trees, including nearly 250 unique specimens and cultivars from around the world. The estate’s natural beauty has been carefully curated over the generations to include an expansive collection of flora and plant life. From 2017 to 2018, renowned British landscape designer Lady Arabella Lennox-Boyd led a revitalization of the grounds. This enormous undertaking led to the addition of some 10,000 plants consisting of assorted trees, shrubs, roses and perennials.
In 2020, Andalusia Historic House and Gardens was officially designated an Arboretum after being awarded Level II accreditation by ArbNet thanks to its diverse collection of tree species, cultivation practices, specialized staff and educational programming. The Morton Register of Arboreta also added Andalusia to its global tree-focused database of public gardens.
