Afternoon Delight at Blithewold’s Daffodil Days

As a mom with young kids two things I give big thumbs up to are local libraries and the natural beauty of our Ocean State. I grew up in New Jersey so to see the ocean was an all day affair – a good 2 hour drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic each way. Living in Rhode Island I love the fact I can be at Roger Wheeler beach in 45 minutes, Newport in 25 minutes, or our little Potowomut beach at the end of Ives Road in 10 minutes. The East Greenwich Free Public Library is a mom's best friend. It’s been a godsend when my kids were very young and we just needed to get out of the house. I love to get lost in a good book so instilling the love of reading in my girls has been important for me; this is my 6^th year taking advantage of the weekly story hours. They offer great programs for all ages and also have museum passes which can save you a lot of money. One place I always wanted to visit is Blithewold Mansion in Bristol. Guess what? The library has a pass for that! So, over April vacation we did what any Rhode Islander would do – plugged in the GPS, packed a lunch and were on our way!

After a bleak March and cold April, we were in a dire search of Spring. And we found plenty of it at Blithewold’s annual Daffodil Days. During April, the main attraction is literally tens of thousands of brilliant daffodils that really put a ‘spring in your step’ as you wander through the natural beauty of Blithewold’s 33 acres.

Blithewold means ‘happy woodland’ in Old English and my 4 young guests of ages 4 to 8 had a blast exploring the grounds. Even without all the flowers, plants and shrubs in full bloom there’s so much to see and imagine. For example, on the edge of the grand lawn extending to Narragansett Bay is a romantic trail called “Lover’s Lane”. Imagine the flushed cheeks on my girls’ faces when I told them they were actually strolling on Lover’s Lane! Who would they most like to stroll with?  Next, we found the Giant Sequoia Tree planted in 1911. I used this as an opportunity to test their math skills by asking them how old the tree is. I also asked them to guess how tall it is. When I told them it’s 100 feet tall they decided it’s a perfect exhibit for the 100^th Day of School event next year.  To really get a sense of its height, they laid on their backs under the tree and looked up. It is one tall tree!

At Blithewold every tree, shrub and flower is labeled so you know exactly what you are looking at. Near the entrance to the mansion we found a huge weeping willow. To link into our love of books I asked the girls what tree did Nancy Clancy portray in the book, Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet by Jane O'Connor? Any first grader would know the answer is a weeping willow, of course. I said “Imagine you are Fancy Nancy and dance like a weeping willow”. Arms flailing, sad faces, droopy torso movements told me these girls are primed for the drama club.

Blithewold hosts several gardens including the Display Garden, used for cutting flowers near the property’s greenhouse. It was here my kids found a checkerboard bench and a fish pond. My 4 year old said her favorite thing of the whole day was the fish; even though she has a fish tank at home, go figure. They also enjoyed the Rock and Water garden with its winding rock paths and small bridges, which is the lowest point on the property.

Blithewold is more than just beautiful grounds and horticulture. Inside the 45 room mansion, you can enjoy afternoon tea by making a reservation. The Queen Anne style mansion built in 1896 as a summer retreat for the Van Wickle (and later McKee family) allows you to experience time as it was in the early 1900’s.The girls imagined what it would be like to live in a grand house like this just for the summer and having a butler at your beck and call (‘cool’ and ‘like heaven’ they replied). They especially loved the old style telephone, intercom system and Bessie Van Wickle’s 1882 wedding dress. It was beautiful, looked like it would be hot to wear and has the tiniest waist!. Thank goodness for more modern fashions.

There’s so much opportunity to learn history inside and out at Blithewold. I can’t wait to come back to see all the gardens in bloom. You can check what is blooming and when by linking to their webpage at http://www.blithewold.org/.

To find out more in detail about what events are coming up next, check out Blithewold’s blog, http://blog.blithewold.org/.