When you’re choosing an independent living retirement community, it’s all about location. Kendal at Longwood and Crosslands share a 500 acre campus in Southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Brandywine Valley. We’re located in one of the most picturesque places in the Country, inspiring artists like the Wyeth Family for generations. The area is full of scenic drives and attractions, and was featured in National Geographic’s road trip series.

We also have easy access to Philadelphia, Wilmington, Delaware, New York, Baltimore and Washington, D.C., and all they have to offer. The Philadelphia International Airport is just 30 minutes from campus, opening up the world to you with non-stop flights to many national and international destinations.

With the Wilmington Amtrak Station is just a 15-minute drive away, you can spend the day in New York or Washington DC and still be home for dinner! That makes Kendal-Crosslands Communities perfect whether you enjoy quiet country living, gardens and outdoor activities, or want to go to concerts, the theater or museums- all are close by and waiting for you!

Kennett Square

Kendal-Crosslands Communities sits just 3 miles from historic downtown Kennett Square, known as the Mushroom Capital of the World.

Local Agriculture is Part of the Culture

Chester County, and specifically the area surrounding Kennett Square, produces the majority of the mushroom crop in the US, bringing with it a $2.5 billion dollar impact to the local economy. This is celebrated locally with the annual Mushroom Festival, held each year in early September. New Year’s Eve is also celebrated with a “Mushroom Drop”- a lighted mushroom drops in the center of town to ring in the New Year. Kennett Square also hosts a number of craft beer festivals,  The Holiday Village Market at The Creamery, Friday Farmer’s Markets, and Third Thursday arts and dining that make Historic Kennett Square a wonderful nearby destination our residents love. Click here to see upcoming events hosted by Kennett Collaborative, the economic development group in Kennett Square.

The local mushroom industry relies on many of the natural resources of the local agricultural area, so you will find rolling farmland and also a thriving thoroughbred horse breeding industry nearby. As you can imagine, this symbiotic relationship between the agricultural industry and the local economy makes preservation of natural resources and open space important.

There are two main local land conservancy organizations, The Brandywine Red Clay Alliance and the Brandywine Conservancy which help lead conservation efforts and maintain local preserves, trails and parks. They even have a smartphone app to connect you with the over 100 publicly-accessible parks and preserves within the greenway.

The Brandywine Conservancy also runs the Brandywine River Museum, featuring Wyeth and American art, and offers tours of Andrew Wyeth’s studio, NC Wyeth House and Studio, and Kuerner Farm, a major source of inspiration for Andrew Wyeth and local artists.

The Brandywine Red Clay Alliance has a number of preserves throughout Chester County with great walking and hiking trails open to the public free of charge. They also host many educational programs for all ages, from bird watching events to sky tours.

Nearby, Barkingfield Park in Kennett Township offers a very popular dog park and walking trails. Anson B. Nixon Park located in both Kennett Square Borough and Kennett Township features walking and running trails, a fishable pond (home of the annual Trout Rodeo each Spring), tennis courts, basketball courts, playgrounds, soccer fields and an ultimate Frisbee course, open year round, dawn to dusk, Don’t miss their many festivals and summer concert series!

Henry Francis duPont founded nearby Winterthur, the premier museum of American decorative arts with a 60 acre garden, and a research library serving scholars from around the world. They also have many educational programs, including two programs with the University of Delaware to train museum curators.

Hagley is the original home of the E.I. duPont gunpowder works, founded in 1802 and marks the beginning of the great impact the duPont family has had on Delaware and the entire Brandywine Valley. Hagley features restored mills, a worker’s community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the duPont family. One of the true gems of Hagley is its Library and Center for the History of Business, Technology and Society, and it became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in 2014.

The grandest French gardens in the United States, Nemours Estate is one of Wilmington’s most exquisite attractions. The spectacular mansion and grounds at Nemours were built in the early 20th century by Alfred I. Dupont, a notable American industrialist and financier. Now, it is a popular destination due to its historic elegance and grandeur. Nemours Estate comprises an exquisite, 77-room Mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns. It shares its campus with the nearby Nemours Children’s Hospital, one of the premier pediatric hospitals in the Country.

Within an hour’s drive, you can get to a whole slew of beaches in Delaware or the Jersey Shore. Well known for their boardwalks, Rehoboth, Dewey Beach in Delaware and Ocean City, Maryland are perfect for enjoying sun and surf accompanied by salt water taffy, fudge and great shops, offering fun for the whole family. You can even take a ferry from Cape Henlopen, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey if you like!

The Poconos are also within an hour and a half drive, giving you access to skiing, winter sports and water parks in the summer.

Philter Coffee is a great local coffee shop, featuring handcrafted coffees of all sorts and light menu items. Philter is so popular, it’s become the place to meet in Kennett Square and you’ll often find everyone from neighbors to local officials to the Mayor grabbing coffee and catching up at Philter.

Portabello’s in Kennett Square is a new American cuisine BYOB restaurant that takes advantage of being in the heart of the Mushroom Capital of the World. It features many dishes featuring locally grown mushrooms with seasonal menus, but don’t miss the Portabello’s fries made from portabella mushrooms, or the exotic mushroom crepe- they are fantastic!

Hank’s Place is a diner-style restaurant that has moved to the center of Kennett Square, just off of Broad Street on Birch Street. The original Hank’s has been located across the street from the Brandywine River Museum and is currently being renovated after serious flooding affecting the building. Hank’s was a favorite with Andrew Wyeth, and many Wyeth prints and paintings sit on the walls. It’s well known for its breakfast menu and frittatas, but also serves lunch and dinner. It gets crowded on the weekends, so make sure you go early!

The Market at Liberty Place in Historic Kennett Square features a variety of small restaurants set up food court style, making it a great place to grab a bite with friends while exploring downtown.

Talula’s Table in Historic Kennett Square has a modern-day general store feel during the day, with prepared foods, coffee, pastry and more available, where you can have a seat at a bar, enjoying a lunch overlooking State Street, or at the communal farm table, or they will pack a meal for wherever you might be headed! Talula’s is famous for its evening eight course tasting menu farm table dinner for groups of eight to twelve, with reservations needing to be made a year in advance.- It’s been called the toughest reservation to get in the US.

Also check out:

Nomadic Pies –pies, quiches and savory pies, available all year long.

Two Stones Pub – incredibly large craft beer selection and pub food.

Hearth Kitchen– wood-fired pizza, fresh handmade pastas, creative and seasonal entrees and an eclectic selection of small plates by Chef Bryan Sikora, James Beard nominated chef who also runs La Fia and Crow Bar in Wilmington DE.

Shopping in the area ranges from wonderful boutiques in Kennett Square, nearby West Chester, Centreville and Greenville, Delaware to major retailers along Rt. 1 and Rt. 202, including a Wegman’s grocery store. Many people take advantage of the variety of tax-free shopping in nearby Delaware at the Concord and Christiana Malls. The largest shopping mall in the US, The King of Prussia Mall, is about a 30 minute drive from campus, featuring many high-end designer retailers and impressive dining options.

If you are a serious shopper looking for bargains, there are a plethora of outlets in nearby Lancaster PA, a 45 minute drive that will also take you through the heart of Amish Country, making it a perfect day out for everyone. The Philadelphia Premium Outlets are located north of King of Prussia and feature a wide selection of designer stores as well.

If you can’t seem to find an option that suits, remember it’s only a quick drive or train ride to Center City Philadelphia or take the Amtrak to New York City for the day, and explore everything they have to offer, and you can be home by bedtime!

HG Haskell and SIW Farm is a community supported agriculture farm, taking seasonal memberships as well as selling fresh produce to nonmembers from May through the end of October each year. HG’s corn, heirloom tomatoes and fresh lima beans are simply the best!

The Booth’s Corner Farmer’s Market is a more traditional Amish farmers market featuring a number of stalls with produce, baked goods, Amish furniture and more, located in nearby Garnet valley.

Kennett Collaborative (formerly Historic Kennett Square) also has a seasonal farmers market at The Creamery at 401 Birch Street every Friday from 3 to 5 p.m., early Spring into Late Fall. It’s a great place to pick up fresh produce, local honey, cut flowers, baked goods and more from local farmers and vendors.

Centreville DE also has a pop-up farmers market every Saturday in season from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There are also local orchards and diaries that have their own farm stores available- making farm to table a reality.

On top of the fantastic Brandywine Museum featuring Wyeth and other American painters located just down the street from campus, Art and Entertainment venues abound in the area.

The Kennett Flash operates an all-ages, stage-centered, café-style listening room showcasing professional national, regional, and local music, comedy, children’s programs and more in Kennett Square. Click here to see upcoming events and purchase tickets.

The Grand Opera House in Wilmington DE actually is comprised of several theaters, the Grand, The Baby Grand and Copeland Hall. The offerings range from concerts, to comedians, to plays to speaker series, all within a 15 minute drive from Campus.

If you have a taste for the more modern and eclectic, The Queen in Wilmington has a variety of concerts available, a film series, and local artist nights.

In nearby Philadelphia, residents regularly attend performances at the Philadelphia Orchestra, Broadway shows and concerts at the Kimmel Center or outdoor concerts at the Mann Center.

Museums also abound, including the famous Philadelphia Art Museum, the Rodin Museum, The Philadelphia Academy of Fine Arts, and the impressionist masterworks at The Barnes Foundation. There’s the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and for those with a more scientific bent, The Franklin Institute, The Academy of Natural Sciences and the Mutter Museum are also located nearby.

While we regularly have evening programs on campus from a variety of fascinating speakers, our location makes sure that you have access to an array of cultural opportunities at every corner, and residents regularly plan group outings to many of these local events.

From parks and recreation, to cultural opportunities, to being truly in the center of everything, our location in scenic Southern Chester County offers you the peace and beauty of a rural setting with access to all the excitement and opportunities available nearby.