On May 1, Chestnut Hill will host its 20th annual Home and Garden Festival. While home and garden vendors will be heavily represented, the festival is designed for everyone.
Held right in the heart of the Chestnut Hill neighborhood, the Chestnut Hill Home and Garden Festival transforms Germantown Avenue from Willow Grove to Rex Avenues into a dynamic outdoor Philadelphia market.
If you are, in fact, a gardening enthusiast or looking to beautify your home, there will be over 150 vendor stands to visit. There will be a beautiful assortment of plants available, like orchids, succulents, terrariums, and vegetables. Home décor opportunities will range from handmade furniture to art, quilts, crafts, and other collectibles.
But there will be lots of other activities too, for friends, couples, and families. Many of Chestnut Hill’s most popular restaurants, including Mica, Iron Hill Brewery, Tavern on the Hill, McNally’s Tavern, and Paris Bistro will offer al fresco bites throughout the day. Festival visitors can also extend their fun into the evening by having dinner at one of those great neighborhood restaurants.
For everyone, lots of festival food favorites will be available like cotton candy, ice cream, funnel cake, soft pretzels and popcorn. Families can also enjoy kid-friendly yoga, amusement rides, face painting, and other activities.
If you have never been to Chestnut Hill, the Home and Garden Festival is a great reason to visit. This beautiful area runs from Cresheim Valley Road up to the Montgomery County Line, and is bordered on the south side by the Wissahickon Park. It is easily accessible to Center City by bike and two train lines (Chestnut Hill East and Chestnut Hill West), as well as by car. Germantown Avenue, paved with Belgian blocks, used to feature the longest Trolley route in the United States, the 23, which covered 14 miles from Chestnut Hill to South Philadelphia. You can still see the trolley tracks on the avenue.
While around since Philadelphia was founded, Chestnut Hill did not begin growing until the arrival of the railroad. Henry H. Houston, a director of the Pennsylvania Railroad, was also a developer. He bought large tracts on the west side of Chestnut Hill, as well as in West Mount Airy, where he built substantial houses for wealthy families who were making their way from Center City to the northern and western parts of the city.
Today, Chestnut Hill features lots of great restaurants, coffee houses, bakeries, shops, and markets. At the Festival, it will be easy to visit the Market at the Fareway, located in the middle of the festival area, and offering a wide range of specialty and food items, as well as Philadelphia regional produce.