Long Island is 120 miles from west to east and includes a diverse landscape. For an unforgettable glimpse of the best and most beautiful Long Island gardens, Long Island Holidays offers the following three-day tour.

The first day begins at mid-morning when the group will meet their guide at Old Westbury Gardens. Considered one of the most beautiful English-style gardens in North America, Old Westbury Gardens showcases 160 acres of breathtaking beauty that changes with the seasons. A box lunch will be served while the group enjoys the formal gardens, landscaped grounds, fields, woodlands, lakes and ponds. After a tour of Westbury House, the 1906 John S. Phipps family mansion, the group will travel to Oyster Bay to visit Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in the early afternoon. This Gold Coast estate was the former home of William and Mai Coe, a Standard Oil heiress. The Arboretum includes over 400 acres of greenhouses, lawns, woodland paths and outstanding plant collections. Later that afternoon, the group will check into the conveniently located, full-service Long Island Marriott Hotel, where they will be pre-registered and pre-keyed. A delicious dinner will be served at the Tin Alley Grill, a favorite local restaurant that offers a varied menu and is only a ten minute ride from the hotel.

Day Two

The second day will begin with a deluxe continental breakfast at the hotel before leaving for the world famous Hamptons. During a historic estate tour of Southampton the group will view historical homes, museums, chic Main Street, churches and some of the most elaborate homes in America, owned by some of the world's wealthiest people. As many of these homes line the magnificent shores of the majestic Atlantic Ocean, the group will finish this part of the tour with a stroll along a popular white sand beach, rated by the Travel Channel as one of the Top Ten Beaches in the USA. Then, take a few minutes to do a little shopping in Southampton's upscale shops before lunching at 75 Main Restaurant, a local favorite with a spectacular menu and delicious food. The next stop is Marder's Garden Shop and Nursery. A must-see here is the 150-year-old Amish barn that now serves as the Garden Shop. It was moved from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, piece by piece, and reassembled in the midst of spectacular display gardens, with every possible tree, shrub, perennial, annual, houseplant, fountain, garden statue or planting container offered for sale. Marder's is a 100% organic nursery, as will be explained by a nursery horticulturist during a fascinating tour of the nursery. Take a few minutes to visit the Shop, which contains an enticing array of tools, garden books, seeds and other supplies and a staff that is knowledgeable and ready to assist in selections. Purchases may be shipped home. The afternoon concludes with a visit to the Bridge Garden Trust, a five-acre garden begun in 1988 by Jim Kilpatric and Harry Neyens. The Outer Garden contains a collection of more than 800 antique and modern roses, animal topiaries, a lavender parterre, perennial beds and borders and more. The Inner Garden features a large, meticulously-trimmed knot garden surrounded by beds of culinary, medicinal, ornamental, textile and dyeing herbs. In the late afternoon, the group will check into the luxurious Southampton Inn, which will provide deluxe accommodations for the night. Once again, the group will be pre-registered and pre-keyed. There is time to relax and enjoy the many amenities offered at the Inn before dinner in the Inn's Café, where the renowned chef will offer an outstanding menu that includes fresh and delicious locally grown and produced ingredients.

Day Three

The third day will begin with a continental breakfast at the Inn before the group departs for Madoo Conservancy, situated on two acres on the south shore of Eastern Long Island. This garden is a personal expression of artistic creation. It was opened in 1993 by world famous artist John Dash, who will act as the group's guide. Lunch will be served at noon in the historic village of East Hampton, founded in 1650. A lunch reservation at Mary Jane's is a summer "hot ticket." The day concludes with a visit to the Long House Reserve, a 16-acre garden founded by Jack Lenor Larsen, an internationally known textile designer and author. Larsen's objective is to encourage creativity in gardening and collecting through every day living with art. The entrance drive is lined with majestic cryptomeria, while established lawns, ornamental borders and defined major spaces act as the perfect settings for exquisite plant collections and sculpture.
Board the coach to return home with wonderful memories of Long Island and thoughts of a return trip to visit Long Island's scenic lighthouses, outstanding wineries, Cradle of Aviation Museum, art and historical museums and other interesting and entertaining attractions the region offers.