🚂 Half-Day Car-Free Trip | The Railway Garden at Morris Arboretum

📍 Morris Arboretum & Gardens is about a 30-minute drive from downtown Philadelphia. It’s also reachable by public transit—though that takes a bit longer. 🌳 This beautiful garden was once the private estate of John and Lydia Morris, a wealthy Victorian-era brother-sister duo. In 1932, Lydia donated the property to the University of Pennsylvania. Today, it’s managed by Penn’s School of Arts & Sciences, so anyone with a PennCard gets in for FREE! 🚞 You can easily spend 3-4 hours here. The rose garden and greenhouse are totally Instagram-worthy 📸, but the real showstopper is the Railway Garden! We were literally saying “WOW!” as mini trains chugged through a incredibly detailed miniature world 🌍🚆. You’d have to be as delightfully obsessed as Sheldon Cooper to build something this intricate—and this artistic! 🛤️ The track is around 400 meters long. We followed Thomas the Tank Engine round and round, spotting new surprises every time 😍. Besides trains, you’ll see freight cars, trolleys, and open-air coaches running through a tiny Philadelphia—complete with the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, City Hall, and the Art Museum, all handmade from natural materials like bark, vines, pinecones, and seeds 🌿🔔. Even the chipmunks seemed to know how to cross the tracks safely! 🐿️ 🎄 We’re already planning a Christmas visit! During the holidays, the garden sparkles with lights, festive decorations, and even mini snow houses ❄️✨. It’s also a perfect alternative to the famous Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden! 🎫 Tickets: Book online to save $2 compared to buying at the gate! Adults: $20 | Children: $10 🆓 FREE with PennCard #PhillyDayTrip #TrainLover #BotanicalGarden #PhillyLife #VisitPhilly #UPenn #PhillyWithKids