Wave Hill’s ‘Twilight in the Garden’ and Upcoming Fall Events

8/30/2019

My first visit this past week to Wave Hill, the absolutely gorgeous Bronx public gardens, was truly breathtaking.

Although the foremost reason for our visit was to spend the evening in the Aquatic Garden within this 28-acre venue for their weeklyTwilight in the Garden, my teenage daughter, Gianna and I were mesmerized by the beauty of our surroundings upon entering and enjoyed our brief time exploring.

We could not help but take our time strolling and stopping for photos along the way to the Aquatic Garden where the evening’s events were taking place.

The onsite parking facility has been closed due to construction, so all visitors were directed to temporary off-site parking down the road. Fortunately, there were complimentary shuttle buses provided for guests as to avoid the hilly six minute walk back and forth, with friendly drivers to get one’s visit off on a positive note.

As I mentioned, this was my first visit to this garden oasis located in the Riverdale section of The Bronx. Although the estate had been either owned or leased to a number of notable people since the original Wave Hill House, a gray fieldstone mansion, was built in 1843 by lawyer William Lewis Morris, it was eventually purchased, along with the adjacent property, in 1903, as a private estate by George Walbridge Perkins, a partner of J. P. Morgan.

The estate stayed in the Perkins-Freeman family until 1960, when it was deeded to the City of New York, with the development of its lush and flourishing gardens in the mid-1960’s.

As of 1983, the estate was added to the roster of the National Register of Historic Places and it’s no wonder why.

This place is absolutely gorgeous and quite a natural refuge and sanctuary in the middle of an otherwise urban setting

Although I had anticipated being blown away by the beauty and tranquility of this place from photos that I had seen and research I had done, it was everything and more than I had expected. Moreover, I was ever grateful and pleasantly surprised at Gianna’s reaction to its beauty!

She was so eager to take photos and pose with the backdrop of flowers and the view of the Hudson River in the background, that we both realized immediately, we had planned our visit to arrive a bit too late in the day.

Between the hand map and signage throughout, in conjunction with a very navigable layout, we made our way around with ease and found ourselves stopping to admire the magnificently laid out exquisite plantings as we traversed the grounds.

Our destination was the Aquatic Garden for the evening’s Twilight in the Garden event featuring Gamelan Dharma Swara.

Dharma Swara is a 25-person ensemble founded in 1989 and is one of the leading Balinese gamelan and dance ensembles in the United States.

After a rather leisurely stroll through the grounds and stopping to take numerous photos, we arrived about five minutes into the performance.

As we approached the lovely Aquatic Garden, we joined other visitors who were comfortably seated around the outdoor garden “stage”, forming a circle of onlookers both on the cool summer grass and comfortably seated on adjacent benches.

Gianna and I walked around, garnering numerous views, as we felt like we had been transformed to Bali with the soft, mesmerizing music that filled the air. The soft, ethereal music filled the evening air.

With the sounds of the enchanting music, we watched most of the show, but left the area a few minutes prior to its completion to continue investigating the Wave Hill grounds before the sun set. There is really just too much to take in to fully enjoy this spectacular place that one must visit often and spent several hours roaming about each time.

Me and my girl did manage to visit the Cafe and snag a few iced teas, which we sipped relaxingly on the outdoor patio before departing for the evening.

In a few words, this visit was both enchanting and invigorating. We will be returning for sure in the Fall, at which time I am looking forward to seeing the seasonal transformation throughout the gardens.

And while I was worried about whether my 15-year old would find the outing enjoyable, I was pleasantly surprised at her excited reaction from beginning to end about how beautiful it was!! The musical performance was not necessarily her thing, but she did take it in and was open to the experience and eager to return.

I highly recommend making time for Wave Hill’s Twilight in the Garden series next summer. I will leave you with a few suggestions for upcoming events this coming Labor Day weekend and beyond. Mark your calendar!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 at 2:00PM
Garden Highlights Walk

This public tour of the seasonal garden highlights will be led by one of Wave Hill’s knowledgeable Garden Guides.
Free with admission to the grounds.
Meet at Perkins Visitor Center

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 at 2:00PM
Labor Day Garden Highlights Walk
Open on Labor Day for visitors to join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights.
Free with admission to the grounds.
Meet at Perkins Visitor Center

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 at 2pm
Gallery Tour
Tour Glyndor Gallery with Wave Hill’s Curatorial Assistant or Gallery Greeter for a view of the current exhibition Figuring the Floral features artists who apply this symbolism to their work—touching on race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, aging and other facets of identity.
Free with admission to the grounds.
Glyndor Gallery

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 8 at 9:30AM
Fall Birding
Naturalist Gabriel Willow contributes his extensive knowledge of diverse bird species and their behavior on these walks through the gardens and woodlands. Observe the plants, insects and habitats at Wave Hill that make it so appealing for such a wide variety of birds. Birders of all levels welcome! Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult.
Free with admission to the grounds. NYC Audubon Members enjoy two-for-one admission. (Meet at Perkins Visitor Center)

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