Architecture
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Mt. Cuba Center- Hockessin, DE
The Brandywine Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the United States. It is home to countless gardens, some very well known, some hidden gems. Mount Cuba falls somewhere in the middle. It certainly isn't as busy as Longwood Gardens, which feels like an amusement park; nor is it a pocket park, with limited plantings. Rather, Mt. Cuba sits in the sweet spot- several acres of immaculate gardens and limited crowds.
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Ladew Topiary Gardens- Monkton, MD
Ladew Topiary Gardens are absolutely enchanting- a real life Alice in Wonderland experience. Consisting of a series of seemingly endless gardens, it feels almost dreamlike to wander the grounds here.
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Ministry of Brewing- Baltimore, MD
Ministry of Brewing combines reuse, preservation, and beer- so I'm all in. Although it's been on my radar for a few years, I just recently made it back to Baltimore for the first time in ages. Always a favorite city of mine, it just feels comfortable and lived in to me, like well worn shoes- despite what some might think of the city. Ministry of Brewing feels the same way.
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Stratford Hall- Stratford, VA
Admittedly, Georgian mansions can be a bit too austere for me- a bit too much all brick business. However, that is not that case at Stratford Hall, which is both symmetrical and stylish, although a bit problematic with scale.
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Chatham Manor- Fredericksburg, VA
Perched above the Rappahannock River sits the stately 1771 Chatham Manor. Built for farmer and statesman William Fitzhugh, the Georgian mansion was the center of a massive 1280 acre estate, sustained at first by slavery, then later by wealthy benefactors who used it as a country escape.
