Discover Swarthmore: Gardens, Parks, and Art

These include regularly scheduled, staff-led tours at Scott Arboretum & Gardens, twelve small gardens in the town center, Little Crum Creek Park with wetlands, play areas in two parks, and art exhibitions at Borough Hall. The themes differ in how they are planned: a guided garden visit, a park or playground visit, and an exhibition that changes regularly each offer a different focus.

Gardens between guided tours and the town center

Scott Arboretum & Gardens offers regularly scheduled, staff-led tours. If you enjoy combining a garden visit with a guided tour, this is a clear highlight. In addition, the Swarthmore Horticultural Society has established twelve small gardens in the town center. The two garden experiences differ in format: the arboretum offers the recurring opportunity of a guided tour, while the gardens in the center are defined by their small size and town-center location. When planning, you can decide whether the guided tour or the small gardens in the town center are more important to your stay.

Little Crum Creek Park

Little Crum Creek Park can be accessed from Yale Avenue or Cresson Avenue. The park includes wetlands that were restored in 2003 by the Borough’s Environmental Advisory Council. The access roads and restoration highlight different aspects: Yale Avenue and Cresson Avenue help with orientation, while the year 2003 places the work on the wetlands in its historical context.

Playgrounds at Thatcher Park and Paulson Park

If a playground is part of your itinerary, Thatcher Park and Paulson Park offer specific starting points. Thatcher Park has a fully equipped play area with swings and various climbing structures. The playground at Paulson Park includes a slide, a climbing structure, a climbing turtle, swings, and a picnic table. You can plan your visit around a feature that interests you most, such as the slide or picnic table at Paulson Park, or the various climbing structures at Thatcher Park.

Art and local history

Swarthmore Friends of the Arts updates the art exhibitions at Borough Hall every two months. If you want art to have a regular place in your stay, this schedule is relevant to your planning.

Swarthmore originated as a college town and commuter suburb. This historical context complements the specific garden, park, and art themes with a perspective on the town’s development. It may be relevant if you want to understand Swarthmore not only through individual activities, but also through its origins.

Plan around recurring schedules

The garden tours and art exhibitions can also be compared by their schedules: tours at Scott Arboretum & Gardens take place regularly, while the exhibitions at Borough Hall are updated every two months. If you are making one of these offerings the reason for your trip, check the tour date or current exhibition in advance for your stay. This lets you plan around the specific offering that interests you.

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For the broader travel overview: Delaware.