The Color and Wonder of PHS’s Most Popular Event
Everyone seems to brighten at the sight and smell of flowers. With the dark winter months and the chilly cold air, there is nothing like a nice batch of springtime to make winter go by much faster. Take a bus trip to the Philadelphia Flower Show, where you can wander through gorgeous gardens during the time of year when you need it the most. Whether you are a gardening fanatic, or don’t have a green thumb in your body, anyone can appreciate the wonder of the Philadelphia Flower Show! Even for those who can’t tell a sunflower from a succulent, the show is the perfect way for people to escape the dreary cold weather outside and immerse themselves in a wonderland of flowers and gardening.
The Philadelphia Flower Show was started in 1829 by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. In fact, it is the world’s longest running and largest indoor flower show! Every year, the show wows audiences with the newest plant varieties, gorgeous garden and design concepts, as well as organic and sustainable practices. This year The Flower Show will celebrate the beauty and life-sustaining interplay of horticulture and water with the theme “Wonders of Water.” “America’s leading floral and garden designers will create tropical jungles, temperate forests, native woodlands and arid landscapes, showcasing the astounding plants that thrive in each environment, from exquisite orchids and flowering vines to luminescent desert blooms.” Each year, horticulturalists from around the world compete in world-renowned competitions in horticulture and artistic floral arranging, gardening presentations, and demonstrations centered around the chosen theme. The competition is fierce, and the Flower Show judges have a nearly impossible job: selecting which exhibits are most deserving of a blue ribbon! The judges pay attention to quality of design, horticulture, plantsmanship, visitor experience, and many other uniquely demonstrated qualities. Who knows? Maybe on your trip you’ll spot a winner!
The Philadelphia Flower Show is held annually at the Philadelphia Convention Center and is a beloved tradition that attracts 250,000 visitors from around the world each year! With all of this fame comes a great amount of responsibility; before the end of the flower show, horticulturalists are already tending to flowers that will be next year’s potential stars. Then, designers and artists spend the year collaborating and designing the eye-catching displays that will fill the Convention Center with color at next year’s show. Years of dedication and hard work have earned The Philadelphia Flower Show the honor of being named the best event in the world by the International Festivals & Events Association.
The Philadelphia Flower Show is a wonderful and “must see” horticultural experience and Starr makes it easy for you to get there! Take a trip on one of our luxury coaches and walk through rows of roses and promenades of peonies as you escape the cold to a wonderland of flowers. It’s the perfect fix for those with spring fever, and is great to hold you over until you sprout up seedlings of your own. After you’ve basked in the colorful glory, you’ll stop for a delicious dinner at Aldo Lamberti’s Positano Coast before sitting back to relax on your way home. The only thing you’ll have to think about are the amazing displays you’ve just seen! Take in the Philadelphia Flower Show with Starr, and book your tickets now!
Have you experienced the Philadelphia Flower Show? What are your favorite memories?
Photos Courtesy of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society
The Phantom of the Opera
One size rarely fits all and with Starr, you don’t have to settle for the generic! In addition to our 
It’s only August, but now is the time when we start planning our assortment of Broadway Show Bus trips for 2018. I bet you want to know how we decide which shows to book on which dates! A crystal ball of course! Doesn’t everyone have one of these?
Upon entering the festival, one of the first displays we encountered was that of the farming community. There were many farming tractors that spanned from the early days to the present. It was fascinating to see how time and innovation has changed the farming industry for the better. Many of the early farmers worked a tremendous amount of man hours to get their fields ready to plant their crops. While farming is still classified as hard work, it is not nearly as hard today because of the progression of the agricultural equipment that is available for use.
There are many hands-on activities that are available to participate in and many were quite different from what I have seen at other festivals. I loved observing the gentleman who had a booth set up for anyone who wanted to make their own silk scarf. You could choose your own colors and he would guide you through the process and then you would take your lovely new scarf home to wash and wear with pride. I also loved watching the man who makes straw brooms right before your eyes without any machine – just the use of his hands. My daughter had the opportunity to make her own tie-dye t-shirt that she is wearing a lot these days with the comeback of the ’70s “anything tie-dye” clothing. Furniture making, quilting, soap making, pottery, stained glass, pewter, tinning, blacksmith, and wood carving are a few more trades you will encounter throughout the day.
Besides the craft activities, some of the buildings you can visit are a 1-room schoolhouse from the 1800s, a 1-room church, antique building with hundreds of items from the past and a barn that is used to display over 2,500 hand-made quilts. An auction is held on the Saturday before the festival ends where 24 of the best quilts are put up for auction and one is raffled off. Also, each attendee can experience quilting and making their own square that is then assembled into the annual visitors quilt.