Northeast

Long Hill

Beverly

114 acres

Photo by Coco McCabe

The elegant and deeply diverse plantings of this public garden bloom with vibrancy that's more than a century in the making.

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Plan Your Visit
  • Overview
  • Ideas for Your Visit
  • Admission & Hours
  • Directions & Contact Info
  • What You'll Find
  • Facilities & Accessibility
  • Venue Rental
  • Property Map
  • Regulations & Advisories

Overview

Long Hill was owned and cared for by the Sedgwick family from 1916 to 1979, their beloved summer home that, in the 1950s, became their year-round haven. Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished gardener and author of The Garden Month by Month, and her husband, Ellery Sedgwick, noted author and editor of The Atlantic Monthly, summered here until Mabel passed in 1937. After Mabel’s death, Ellery married Marjorie Russell Sedgwick, a rare plants specialist. The combined creative vision of these two women led to the design of Long Hill’s enchanting gardens, surrounded by more than 100 acres of woodland.

Today, visitors delight in the beauty of Long Hill’s structured and naturalistic gardens as well as a network of woodland trails. A diverse collection of trees, shrubs, and distinctive perennial plants provide color during the growing season, peaking in May and June and providing structure and beauty throughout the year. With an ever-growing calendar of public events and festivities, you’ll find ample reason for frequent returns.

Long Hill is open for the season from April 1 – October 30. However, visitor services including the main house will be closed Monday through Friday while the grounds remain open.

Ideas for Your Visit

Since The Trustees assumed ownership of the property in 1979, we have maintained the excellent vision of the Sedgwick family and continue to offer an incredible visitor experience inside this public garden. Long Hill is open 10am – 6pm, Thursday to Tuesday every week.

Main House
Here you can relax in the music room, read a book from our library, watch a introductory video on the property, and shop or enjoy refreshments in our gift shop.

Historic Sedgwick Gardens
Today our visitors can take in the sweet aromas, vivid colors, and botanical diversity of the historic Sedgwick gardens, where there are five acres of cultivated grounds that are laid out in a series of separate garden ‘rooms’, rendered in an informal or ‘Wild Garden’ style, accented by ornaments, statuary, and mature plantings that blend seamlessly into the woodlands.

Summer Garden
Designed by Julie Moir Messervy in 2020, this stunning new garden features a beautiful design that drew inspiration from many other features of the property. Julie Moir Messervy is the principal designer of JMMDS, a landscape architecture and design firm in Saxtons River, Vermont, creators of public and private gardens around the country. Her best-known work, the three-acre Toronto Music Garden, was designed in collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and received the Leonardo da Vinci Award for innovation and creativity.

Grounds and Trails
Surrounding the formal gardens, guests can hike around the neighboring woodland on a network of trails, including the main 1.2 mile loop trail. Other areas of interest include the apple orchard, children’s gardens, and garden production spaces.

Tours and Programs

Check out our tour and program offerings in the Things To Do section. Registration for all tours can be done online.

Admission & Hours

The gardens and grounds at Long Hill are open for the season daily from April 1–October 30. However, visitor services including the main house will be closed Monday through Friday. The restrooms located in the pink Carriage House near the Main House are available when the grounds are open.

Main Season Admission

General Admission to Long Hill is free. Please note that programs including House and Garden Tours are ticketed.

Weekend Tour Tickets

Main Season Hours – Gardens Only

  • Monday–Thursday ~ 10AM–6PM
  • Friday ~ 10AM–4PM

Main Season Hours – House and Gardens

  • Saturday–Sunday ~ 10AM–4PM

We welcome school and youth groups for experiential educational programs. Please visit our Education Page for details and to initiate a visit request.

Directions & Contact Info

576 Essex Street
Beverly, MA 01915
Telephone: 978.281.8400

Get directions on Google Maps.

From Rt. 128 Exit 18, take Rt. 22 North 1 mi. Bear left at split in road and continue for 0.2 mi. on Essex Street to entrance on left (use the entrance drive at the purple welcome sign; the old entrance is now Exit Only). After the gatehouse, follow signs for House & Gardens parking (space for 50 cars), up the driveway on left, or the Horticultural Learning Campus lot to the right and behind the yellow farmhouse.

What You'll Find

Enjoy this Decorative Arts Trust article on Long Hill, by Senior Curator Christie Jackson.

Read More

Discover what makes Long Hill a horticulture destination for everyone.

Explore

 

Facilities & Accessibility

Accessible features

Accessible restrooms are available in the old carriage house at the top of the drive.

ADA accessible parking spaces and access into the house. In addition, while not specifically ADA accessible, we are improving paths around the gardens for our visitors with limited mobility to more easily negotiate.

Venue Rental

Long Hill offers an enchanting landscape for weddings and other private events, with naturalistic gardens and a tented patio designed to complement the central and elegant Federal-style home.

By hosting a wedding or other event at Long Hill, your contribution supports The Trustees efforts to protect and preserve many of the irreplaceable landscapes and landmarks that make Massachusetts special.

Long Hill is available for tented events for up to 140 people, spring, summer, and fall. Events are held Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings beginning at 4 PM.

Property Map

We recommend that you take a photo of the map on your phone so you can refer to it during your visit, or download a trail map before you head out.

Regulations & Advisories

We hope you enjoy your visit. For your safety, and to help protect this unique resource, we ask that you please comply with the following regulations:

  • Please respect the tranquility of this reservation and others’ enjoyment of their visit here.
  • Dogs are welcome, but on-leash only. Please dispose of dog waste properly off the property.
  • Authorized seasonal bow hunting is allowed on this reservation with written permission for a limited number of hunters through a deer management program administered by The Trustees. Per MassWildlife regulations, hunting is permitted from the first Monday in October through December each year, from ½ hour before sunrise all day until ½ hour after sunset, Monday through Saturday. Hunting is not allowed on Sundays. Signage is posted at the property listing safety precautions and requirements. Learn more about hunting on Trustees properties. Any questions may be directed to The Trustees at info@thetrustees.org.
  • PHOTOGRAPHY: Permits are required for portrait photography sessions at Long Hill. Photographers or their clients must be full Trustees Members to purchase portrait session permits at this property. Learn more about purchasing a portrait session permit. (Note: photography shoots are not permitted inside the house.)

The following are prohibited at Long Hill:

  • Cutting or removing vegetation
  • Mountain biking
  • Consuming or possessing alcoholic beverages
    -Motorized vehicles (except for authorized management purposes)
  • Horseback riding
  • Fires, camping, littering, or dumping
  • Hunting or trapping using firearms; possessing firearms
  • Disturbing, removing, defacing, cutting, or otherwise causing damage to a natural feature, sign, poster, barrier, building, or other property on the reservation.

Note: Please check locally at property for posted advisories and regulations.

Before Setting Out
More to Explore

Revitalized Gardens of The Trustees

Discover the revitalized public gardens and historic houses at two special places on the North Shore.

Gardens, revitalized
Upcoming Events

History

In 1916, this 114-acre hillside property attracted Atlantic Monthly editor and publisher Ellery Sedgwick and his wife for its lovely views of the rural North Shore. But Mabel Cabot Sedgwick, an accomplished gardener, had more ambitious – and aesthetic – ideas.

Learn More
The View From Here
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