ANNOUNCING OUR SUMMER BUS TRIP TO THE BERKSHIRE BOTANICAL GARDEN!
When: Thursday, August 15, 2024
Where: Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Massachusetts;
Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant, Albany, NY; Schoharie Valley Farms/The Carrot Barn, Schoharie, NY
Cost: $150 per person, all inclusive. Make checks payable to Seed and Weed Garden Club, and mail to
Jean Driskell, 3325 Oneida Street, Chadwicks, NY 13319. Please include phone number. (We regret that we are unable to provide refunds for cancellations after July 31.)
Meet Bus At: DOT Commuter Park & Ride, 10 Harbor Lock Road West, Utica, NY. Arrive 8 a.m. for check-in.
Bus departs at 8:30 a.m.
OR
Meet Bus At: Herkimer Walmart, 103 N. Caroline Street, Herkimer, NY; park on end of lot, opposite Applebee's.
Bus departs at 9 a.m.
Includes:
Our Past Adventures Include:
June 2023
Tour of Sonnenberg Gardens
Nestled in the picturesque Finger Lakes region, Sonnenberg Gardens is a New York State Historic Park, offering one of the few remaining estates with a Queen Anne style mansion and formal gardens in America. Visitors from all over the globe come to enjoy the relaxing nature and beauty of its 11 unique gardens including the formal Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the cottage style Blue and White Garden. The gardens are best experienced on foot with a guide, but tram tours are available if needed. The mansion is also open to explore at your leisure, and there will be time to fully enjoy both the house and the gardens.
Lunch at Warfield’s Restaurant in nearby Clifton Springs.
Visit Hafner’s Farmer’s Market and Garden Center in Syracuse.
Shop in their extensive nursery and bring plants home for your own gardens, or pick up something decorative from their large gift shop.
June 2022
Tour the FDR Presidential Library
Visit the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield
Enjoy Lunch at The Shadows on the Hudson Restaurant, with spectacular views of the Hudson River valley
June 2019
Tour the Willard Memorial Chapel
The Willard Chapel in Auburn, NY is an extremely rare example of the work of the Tiffany Glass and Decoration Company and is the only complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist. The interior of the chapel was designed and handcrafted entirely by Tiffany in 1892 and includes numerous windows, Mooresque styled chandeliers, furnishings of inlaid metal and glass mosaic, a ceiling with gold leaf stencils, and mosaic flooring.
Enjoy Lunch and Wine Tasting at the Knapp Winery & Vineyard in the Finger Lakes Region
Visit the Cornell Botanic Gardens
The gardens around the award-winning, “green” certified Nevin Welcome Center are at the heart of the Cornell Botanic Gardens and feature 12 specialty gardens that include ornamental and practical herbs, heritage vegetables, rhododendrons, perennials, ornamental grasses, a bioswale garden, groundcovers, conifers, containers, and plants with winter interest.
June 2018
Tour the Historic Darwin Martin House and Landscape
The multi-structure estate that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in 1903 for Darwin D. Martin is a masterpiece of 20th century architecture. The Martin House is widely considered one of Wright’s finest Prairie Houses – a signature work from the early years of his celebrated career. Experience the harmony of Wright’s nature-inspired architecture, the connections made between interior and exterior spaces, and the pioneering methods of construction used in this
residential complex.
Enjoy Lunch at the Private Buffalo Yacht Club
Your Choice of Afternoon Excursion
Visit the Buffalo Botanical Gardens or tour Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica.
June 2017
Tour of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home
Robert Todd Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to adulthood, became Chairman of the Pullman Company, the largest manufacturing corporation at the turn of the 20th century. He built his Georgian Revival mansion in 1905 in the scenic village of Manchester, Vermont. Our visit included a house tour, a walk through the gardens, a tour of the fully restored 1903 Pullman Car, and a visit to the goat dairy and cheese-making facility.
Catered Lunch in Hildene's Beckwith Room
Celebration of Peonies Presentation
More than 1,000 fragrant peony blossoms in the Hoyt Formal Garden draw visitors every year from far and wide. The garden was designed by President Lincoln’s granddaughter, Jessie, in 1908. The pattern is that of a stained glass window, the privet hedge representing the leading and the flowers the colored panes of glass. Every June, over 100 years later, the heirloom peony blossoms continue to fill the garden with color.
Visit to the Village Peddler and Chocolatorium
Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of chocolate. Explore the history and culture of chocolate, where chocolate comes from, and how it is made. Demonstration and tasting included!
June 2016
Tour of the George Eastman Museum
The historic mansion and gardens at the George Eastman Museum provide a glimpse into the life of one of the greatest American innovators, the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. Over the decades, the museum has restored and preserved the Colonial Revival mansion and gardens. Original furnishings and artifacts, careful reproductions, and the beautifully restored landscape transport visitors to the dawn of the 20th Century, George Eastman’s time.
Lunch at Biaggi’s Italian Restaurant
Visit the Wayside Garden Center
Here we met Tim Boebel, nursery manager, author, and expert on growing hydrangeas in the north. Hydrangeas are their specialty and they carry over 200 cultivars, one of the world’s largest selections.
When: Thursday, August 15, 2024
Where: Berkshire Botanical Garden, Stockbridge, Massachusetts;
Buca di Beppo Italian Restaurant, Albany, NY; Schoharie Valley Farms/The Carrot Barn, Schoharie, NY
Cost: $150 per person, all inclusive. Make checks payable to Seed and Weed Garden Club, and mail to
Jean Driskell, 3325 Oneida Street, Chadwicks, NY 13319. Please include phone number. (We regret that we are unable to provide refunds for cancellations after July 31.)
Meet Bus At: DOT Commuter Park & Ride, 10 Harbor Lock Road West, Utica, NY. Arrive 8 a.m. for check-in.
Bus departs at 8:30 a.m.
OR
Meet Bus At: Herkimer Walmart, 103 N. Caroline Street, Herkimer, NY; park on end of lot, opposite Applebee's.
Bus departs at 9 a.m.
Includes:
- 56 Passenger Hale Touring Coach
- Guided tour of the 24-acre Berkshire Botanical Garden, established in 1934 and one of the older public display gardens in the Northeast. There will also be free time to explore on your own. Find mixed border gardens, a pond garden, historic herb garden, raised bed vegetable gardens, a topiary collection, and much more. There is also a gift shop, cafe, and outdoor seating area.
- Late luncheon at Buca di Beppo's in Albany. Celebrate the day with a family-style meal that includes salad and pasta options, house-baked bread, chicken limone, dessert, soft drinks, tea, & coffee.
- An afternoon stop in the Schoharie Valley, known as "the breadbasket of the American Revolution" because wheat was grown here in the 1700s that helped feed George Washington's troops. Today, Schoharie Valley Farms grows top-quality produce and continues their rich, agricultural heritage. Find over fifty varieties of mums, specialty items such as local dairy, honey, meat, eggs, jams, and baked goods as well as seasonal gifts.
- Departing for home at about 6 p.m. Returning to Herkimer at about 7:15 p.m. and returning to Utica at about 7:45 p.m.
Our Past Adventures Include:
June 2023
Tour of Sonnenberg Gardens
Nestled in the picturesque Finger Lakes region, Sonnenberg Gardens is a New York State Historic Park, offering one of the few remaining estates with a Queen Anne style mansion and formal gardens in America. Visitors from all over the globe come to enjoy the relaxing nature and beauty of its 11 unique gardens including the formal Italian Garden, the Japanese Garden, and the cottage style Blue and White Garden. The gardens are best experienced on foot with a guide, but tram tours are available if needed. The mansion is also open to explore at your leisure, and there will be time to fully enjoy both the house and the gardens.
Lunch at Warfield’s Restaurant in nearby Clifton Springs.
Visit Hafner’s Farmer’s Market and Garden Center in Syracuse.
Shop in their extensive nursery and bring plants home for your own gardens, or pick up something decorative from their large gift shop.
June 2022
Tour the FDR Presidential Library
Visit the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield
Enjoy Lunch at The Shadows on the Hudson Restaurant, with spectacular views of the Hudson River valley
June 2019
Tour the Willard Memorial Chapel
The Willard Chapel in Auburn, NY is an extremely rare example of the work of the Tiffany Glass and Decoration Company and is the only complete and unaltered Tiffany chapel known to exist. The interior of the chapel was designed and handcrafted entirely by Tiffany in 1892 and includes numerous windows, Mooresque styled chandeliers, furnishings of inlaid metal and glass mosaic, a ceiling with gold leaf stencils, and mosaic flooring.
Enjoy Lunch and Wine Tasting at the Knapp Winery & Vineyard in the Finger Lakes Region
Visit the Cornell Botanic Gardens
The gardens around the award-winning, “green” certified Nevin Welcome Center are at the heart of the Cornell Botanic Gardens and feature 12 specialty gardens that include ornamental and practical herbs, heritage vegetables, rhododendrons, perennials, ornamental grasses, a bioswale garden, groundcovers, conifers, containers, and plants with winter interest.
June 2018
Tour the Historic Darwin Martin House and Landscape
The multi-structure estate that Frank Lloyd Wright designed in 1903 for Darwin D. Martin is a masterpiece of 20th century architecture. The Martin House is widely considered one of Wright’s finest Prairie Houses – a signature work from the early years of his celebrated career. Experience the harmony of Wright’s nature-inspired architecture, the connections made between interior and exterior spaces, and the pioneering methods of construction used in this
residential complex.
Enjoy Lunch at the Private Buffalo Yacht Club
Your Choice of Afternoon Excursion
Visit the Buffalo Botanical Gardens or tour Our Lady of Victory National Shrine and Basilica.
June 2017
Tour of Hildene, The Lincoln Family Home
Robert Todd Lincoln, the only child of Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln to survive to adulthood, became Chairman of the Pullman Company, the largest manufacturing corporation at the turn of the 20th century. He built his Georgian Revival mansion in 1905 in the scenic village of Manchester, Vermont. Our visit included a house tour, a walk through the gardens, a tour of the fully restored 1903 Pullman Car, and a visit to the goat dairy and cheese-making facility.
Catered Lunch in Hildene's Beckwith Room
Celebration of Peonies Presentation
More than 1,000 fragrant peony blossoms in the Hoyt Formal Garden draw visitors every year from far and wide. The garden was designed by President Lincoln’s granddaughter, Jessie, in 1908. The pattern is that of a stained glass window, the privet hedge representing the leading and the flowers the colored panes of glass. Every June, over 100 years later, the heirloom peony blossoms continue to fill the garden with color.
Visit to the Village Peddler and Chocolatorium
Immerse yourself in the wonderful world of chocolate. Explore the history and culture of chocolate, where chocolate comes from, and how it is made. Demonstration and tasting included!
June 2016
Tour of the George Eastman Museum
The historic mansion and gardens at the George Eastman Museum provide a glimpse into the life of one of the greatest American innovators, the pioneer of popular photography and motion picture film. Over the decades, the museum has restored and preserved the Colonial Revival mansion and gardens. Original furnishings and artifacts, careful reproductions, and the beautifully restored landscape transport visitors to the dawn of the 20th Century, George Eastman’s time.
Lunch at Biaggi’s Italian Restaurant
Visit the Wayside Garden Center
Here we met Tim Boebel, nursery manager, author, and expert on growing hydrangeas in the north. Hydrangeas are their specialty and they carry over 200 cultivars, one of the world’s largest selections.