A nice little place to stroll and feel the grass on your feet. I walked around for a while, feeling the energy of mother nature penetrate my being. Pretty cool arboretum. Best thing about it though: parking, right there and then, no need to pay or walk like crazy. Another cool thing: a cool house to visit, with restrooms and stuff. When I visited, they had an exhibit that was really cool, a local artist or resident artist. There is sitting space inside the house, and picnic benches outside by the trees. Bring your organic non GMO bug repellent. read more

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I like this park a lot! I learned about it from a school trip I went on with a Roxborough High School class I've been substituting in a lot the past couple years. I (It would be nice if Philadelphia had more of them.) read more

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Recently went to a wedding here. The venue and grounds are beautiful and in an old mansion with an attached outside tented area. The wedding ceremony complete with folding chairs very close together was in an open area just beyond the tented area. Luckily the ceremony was early enough before dusk to keep the bugs at bay. The reception in the tented area was spacious with a great layout. After dinner we were ushered to the dance floor inside the estate. It was an awkwardly small room which connected to another small room with one side exiting onto a patio through large windows which were hard to navigate in heels. Two bathrooms were in an out building off the tented area with unlit paths and uneven steps. Just some observations. Staff was friendly and accommodating. Catering service was good. read more

A nice gem tucked away in an area of Philly that I seldomly pass through but have a reason now to check out more often. I came here for a flawlessly executed charity event in the late spring. The location was beautiful, staff was really helpful, and had an amazing time at the event. Looking forward to future events here but with some bug repellent because the mosquitos are vicious especially at dusk! read more

Awbury Arboretum - Parks Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

What a lovely place! I came here to bird but saw many people doing yoga in the meadows, walking their dogs, or just hanging out. There's open areas and woody areas and tons of stuff to explore. They even have a little pond. Be mindful that they do host events here so you never really know what the parking situation in the lot by the house will be. Even if it's tough, that's ok, there's plenty of parking on the residential street nearby. I will return in the future to explore this oasis in the middle of a very populated area. read more

Please visit if you have the chance. It's a wonderful place! There is so much to see, and it's a gift to be in nature not far from center city! read more

Went here for a wedding last night. It was beyond gorgeous. Such a hidden gem as a venue. The staff were super nice and accommodating too. Will definitely be returning to check it out with the kids! read more

A gorgeous hidden gem in Northwest Philly. I was home visiting my family for July 4 and I rode my bike to this place to check it out. It is simply lovely. The trees are utterly remarkable. These trees are old heads, firmly rooted in the ground stretching into the sky claiming the land. The winding walking trails feature a diverse arrangement of flowers and fauna which naturally attract nearly 100 species of birds. Along the walking trails are fields, ponds, swamps, gardens, and picnic areas. I look forward to returning. Visiting home as an adult, I'm often amazed at all of the places nearby that I never experienced as a kid. This is one of those places. read more

Awbury Arboretum is a beautiful wedding venue. They were easy to work with, catering was amazing & the property is beautifully maintained & just all around a lovely place for a wedding & reception. We are so happy our daughter& her husband chose Awbury Arboretum! read more

Awbury Arboretum - Parks Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Very nice place to walk around outside without too many crowds. The kids and I really enjoyed following the paths and found many nice little nooks to spend the morning. We have to get outside and this a neighborhood treasure. read more

I got married at Awbury Arboretum this past Saturday. It was an amazing time and everyone kept coming up to me to tell me how beautiful the space was. An uber driver who dropped off some of my guests came inside to ask me how to rent the space out too! I gave him the info. I had originally booked the space for 70 people or less. Since it rained we kept it completely indoors. There were only about 55 attendees so we all fit in the main parlor space, and catering served in the small side room. We fit another rectangular table in the hallway for appetizer hour. We also used the hallway to set up the cake, gift table, and guest book table. Renting out the Cope House was the most affordable option in Philadelphia for a smaller wedding and I was able to bring in my own caterer and purchase my own alcohol (after getting wedding insurance). The wraparound porch is gorgeous, and if it wasn't so cold we would have used it more. However, we did use the front porch a lot because we set up the drink table out there. We brought in a lot of our own stuff - catering, drinks, linens, and other supplies. I rented about 30 chairs but they had around 40 on site for us to use. They also had a bunch of rectangular tables that they let us borrow, and a ladder to hang lights. Because the space was so beautiful, I did not feel the need to add too much decor, which really saved me a lot of money. They have a small kitchen for catering to use as well. I opted for disposable plates and silverware, but the more fancy plastic kind because there was not a lot of space to clean lots of dishes. There was also a conference room upstairs for the bridesmaids and bride to change in. This was great because we were able to come in and set everything up and then go upstairs to change and store our stuff. Branda was awesome to deal with on the days leading up to the event. She emailed back quickly with answers to my questions and always tried to make it as easy as possible with set up. She was friendly and working with her was always pleasant. The event host was very nice but she mainly just opened the door and helped sweep up afterward, but wasn't really around for the event. She mainly stayed upstairs, but I was lucky to have a lot of help from friends. She told us if we needed her to come and get her but I just asked my friends when I needed help. Someone also told me she sort of reprimanded them for opening and closing the large windows on the side to move tables in and out because the windows are very old (they moved in tables for eating and then out again for space to dance). There was also a little mix up where she told us chairs did not belong to them, but we had only rented 30 chairs so we knew they belonged to Awbury. This caused us to have to go through all the chairs we had already packed up to see if we had mispacked them. That was annoying because we were trying to finish up and go home at that point. Overall these are only minor things that did not affect the night. We still had a very lovely evening and I will always remember my wedding day fondly! If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing! Photos to come when I get them from my photographer. :) read more

We had our 50 person ceremony/reception/lunch at Awbury and it was so lovely. I can't imagine having a better venue for the kind of laid back and intimate event we had. The best thing about this venue is that you are free to work with any vendors of your choosing, which for us was a lifesaver in terms of keeping costs down. The other great thing about Awbury is that since it's already so pretty, we hardly had to spend any money on flowers/decorations. We were able to have our ceremony outside and our lunch on the front porch- it was perfect. Some words of wisdom if you are considering this venue- this really is a more DIY place, don't expect the level of service that a more expensive place would give you. If you are on a budget and ready to roll up your sleeves- this is the ideal location. If you expect to be pampered- this is not the place for you. The facilities are older, everything works but it's not new and shiny. The event coordinator Branda is wonderful and helpful but she only works 3 days a week. The place is not ideal for walkers or wheelchairs- everyone who came was able bodied but I watched my grandparents struggle a bit getting in and out of the house several times with the high step. That all being said- we loved it and don't regret having it there for a minute, just more of a heads up! read more

Ideal location for a small wedding & reception, the price is also very right compared to the more popular, pricey wedding venues in the area. Valet parking can be arranged and there have been other weddings here as the event planner can offer a great list of caterers whom are familiar with the setup of the mansion (Francis Cope House) and kitchen area. I also love the history behind Awbury Arboretum and how there are displays for visitors to learn more. Awbury is a true diamond in the rough that needs more local support, be it from volunteers, taking a tour, or hosting a small event here. The scenery in the autumn and spring months cannot be matched as there is more personality here than at other arboretums. read more

I love this little diamond in the rough. I am planning on getting hitched here in late June. The grounds are beautiful, the house has so much character and ambiance. You must visit because the photos do not do this place justice! read more

We got married at Awbury on 10/7/17. We walked in and immediately knew it was the perfect venue. It has some indoor space, enough for about 60 guests, and ample area outside to cover with a tent in case of rain. It also has fantastic wraparound porches and great getting ready spaces, as well as a small kitchen for caterers. Awbury is definitely a DIY venue. Though they provide some tables and chairs, you will need to rent more if you are having a larger wedding. Also, you are responsible for all setup and cleanup. This was not a problem for us at all. We had friends, family, and hired helpers who took care of setup/cleanup, but if you want a venue that does all that for you, this might not be a good fit. Awbury seems to be doing more weddings and has changed some things since we first booked them. They have done a lot of improvements, such as building a beautiful blue stone patio out back which made a perfect area to set up a tent and dinner tables. We were able to bring in a buffet caterer, but they are now partnered exclusively with birchtree catering. They also now have a sound system (both an indoor one for music and outdoors for the ceremony) which we were able to use. Branda, the events coordinator, is SO nice, responsive, and helpful. She answered all of my questions thoroughly and made me feel like my event was important to her. On the day of, Awbury provided a parking attendant who successfully guided our buses in and out, and an event staffer (Courtney I think?) who I didn't talk to much (I was a bit busy, heh) but it seemed like she was being helpful. Overall, the space is GORGEOUS with a perfect flow for guests, and it was a breeze working with Branda to plan, despite having many moving parts. 5/5 would get married there again :D read more

Germantown, PA A very pretty Germantown park I ran across one day driving in this area. Should definitely visit because it would make great for pictures. read more

I went here while working for city year many many moons ago it feels likes. So Beautiful and relaxing. I wanted to live in there. Would highly recommend if your looking to get out in nature if you live in the city and don't want travel to far. read more

These people are AWFUL. I really have nothing else to say but this app is forcing me to add more words. They only care about money and I would not recommend booking any event here. read more

When my sister told me that she planned to have her baby shower at Awbury Arboretum I was very excited and looked forward to helping her with her event today. I have attended events at the Awbury arboretum in the past and I also took my wedding pictures here so I expected a very positive experience. That was until we met our hostess SOPHIE. I am writing her names in all caps because I want this name - SOHPIE - to stand out and warn you to run as fast as you can if she is assigned to your event at the arboretum. She was very, very rude. When we entered we greeted her, introduced ourselves and asked her where should we put out things....her response "Just relax, we still have a lot of time." And quite honestly everything went down hill from there. She spent the majority of the event missing. I did not know where to find her to ask basic questions. She did not help with setup or with helping the guest find their way to the building. As she said to my sister and I "Everything is pretty self explanatory." I try my best to avoid writing bad reviews about anyone but this poor excuse for a human being was the laziest, most incompetent individual that I had to deal with in any of my 31yrs. Thankfully our guests and the good time we had with them made up for the negative experience. As did the overall décor - the building itself is very beautiful. Please note that this review does not reflect on the grounds/garden. As mentioned above the building is beautiful and so are the surroundings. However, our experience with this host was not. ***Update of my review as of 5/13/2014- Branda, one of the managers at Awbury, followed-up very professionally with my sister and I regarding our complaints this weekend. We were very happy with the way she handled the situation. read more

We had a very untraditional wedding so having a wedding at the Awbury Arboretum in the middle of the winter wasn't as unusual as you would think! We know, most people want to have their big day outside on the beautiful grounds surrounding Frances Cope House ... Not us! The day before the wedding we had bad weather including snow and ice. When we showed up for the big day they already had the entire area plowed and salted! We set tables and decorations up in the parlors while our caterer, Blue Monkey Catering, was busy at work setting up in the entrance hall and side room which provided ample space for our Hors d'oeuvre and buffet spreads. As our guests arrived through the main doors they could feel the history and splendor of this grand old house. The folks at Awbury were gracious and accommodating to our needs. There were the perfect hosts. read more

Awbury Arboretum is one of Philadelphia's hidden gems. We take our dogs there for walks on the grounds and it's so reinvigorating to spend time in such a serene setting. read more

We couldn't have had a better experience with our small DIY wedding at Awbury. We booked fairly last minute (2 months in advance), and the staff was very responsive and accommodating of our various needs and requests. The price point is so reasonable and the location so picturesque that we left very happy and satisfied...during the fall the foliage is really just incredible. read more

Beautiful, serene place oasis in the city! Can't believe I didn't know about this before...

Me and my soon to be husband at the time found the Awbury Arboretum online while searching for venues. The arboretum was nothing short of amazing. Beautiful landscaping and the perfect place for our ceremony. They provide up to 45 chairs I believe it was, so we did an intimate ceremony with just immediate family. The staff at the arboretum was very helpful showing us where everything was. The pictures we had taken at the arboretum all turned out beautiful and you absolutely cannot beat the price. It was such a blessing to find this location for our special day. We will be recommending the arboretum to our friends in the future! read more

I just came back from one of the dinners they give at Awbury, everyone seated at a long table, four courses, looking out onto the porches and the grounds. It was delicious, the other guests were fascinating and the price could not be beat. I will go again. read more

Great location, lovely venue. I organized a charity event at Awbury and it went without a hitch. I was in contact with two event organizers for this and both were wonderful. Branda was very helpful and informative. She anticipated any concerns and made sure everything would go smoothly. On the day of the event, our host (I recall her name was Joyce) was also incredibly helpful and friendly. It was absolutely a great experience. I hope to organize more events at Awbury in the future. read more

My daughter had an absolutely fabulous Sweet Sixteen at the Arboretum last December. We had a vintage theme with foods, beverages and candy bar from the 1920-1930s. the kids played a murder mystery kind of game, loved the food and danced the night away. It was perfect for a small group of 35. Branda was wonderful to work with, and Herb Scott Caterers prepared a menu that the teens enjoyed. FYI, this is a DIY venue, we had our own crew for decorating, setup, cleanup and hired from the preferred list of caterers. The end result was perfect for us! read more

We booked Awbury for our (very) DIY Wedding. We were not looking for the typical banquet hall or country club for our wedding, and there were a lot of things we wanted to customize to make our wedding unique. Awbury was able to accomodate that with ease. The space was beautiful, relaxed and comfortable. We felt like we were at the home of a friend of the family. The staff was very kind and helpful, even allowing us to store items prior to our wedding. They were very flexible with times and scheduling. Branda was very responsive and had the answers to all of our questions. Awbury was even able to accomodate a meeting with all of our vendors prior to the wedding and Branda was ready with all of the answers for us and our other vendors. This venue was fully customizable (within reason). The site was beautiful and created the perfect day for our wedding. We have already recommended this venue to our friends. Check this place out! It is a hidden gem in the Philadelphia area. read more