After our tour of Rock Ford and a great lunch at a local Chinese buffet, we headed for what turned out to be the absolute highlight of the day - The Gardens at Conestoga House. I find it even difficult to put into words the utter beauty of these gardens - they are by far the most beautiful I have ever seen. The Conestoga House has been owned by the prominent Steinman family of Lancaster since the '20s. The formal gardens on the estate were developed in the '30s and used for their extensive and generous entertaining. When Mr. Steinman died, it was part of his will to open the gardens to the public which took place in 1982. Since then, every Wednesday from June through September, the public is invited to view these private gardens at no cost. The topiaries, beds, wreaths, window boxes, terraces and the like are breath-taking with flowers. My mom and I literally walked around with our mouths open the entire time in amazement. You can sit in the restored lime kiln; have a picnic lunch by the pool (first-come, first-served, thirty-minute-limit basis for tables); marvel over orange, lime, and fig trees and vanilla and coffee bushes; and hunt for the whimsical topiaries scattered throughout.
My photos don't do the estate justice - I MUST take my personal photographer there some time. He'll be walking around with his mouth open, too.
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