Photo by Coco McCabe
The elegant plantings and cultivated grounds of this public garden bloom with vibrancy that's more than a century in the making.
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.
General Admissions passes are available now! Reserve here.
Timed reservations are encouraged, a number of passes are available on site.
Public Garden Operating Hours
Thursday-Tuesday 10AM to 6PM with last admission at 5PM
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.
New 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
General admission is available.
Timed reservations are encouraged; a limited number of passes are available on site.
Winter Hours
10 AM – 4 PM Daily
Admission
Monday – Friday (Grounds only)
- Free for all
Saturday and Sunday (Grounds, main house, gift shop, toilets)
- Trustees Members – Free
- Nonmembers – $10 per car
Discounts are available as part of the EBT Card to Culture and ConnectorCare Program. For more information, please reach out to tickets@thetrustees.org.
Directions & Contact Info
572 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 (street number 572 is on the brick pillars). Parking area (50 cars) is up the driveway on left.
What You'll Find
Facilities & Accessibility
Accessible features
Wheelchair-friendly trails.
Accessible indoor spaces.
Restrooms are available.
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
FAQs
Will there be restrooms available? Yes, accessible restrooms are available in the old carriage house at the top of the drive.
Are the grounds accessible? Yes, we installed 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.
How long can I stay? Guests are welcome to stay as long as necessary, typically the experience lasts between 1-2 hours.
Are dogs allowed on the property? We welcome leashed dogs, please pick up after them.
What are the horticulture and ecological changes being made at the property and why? Removing invasives, including the Norway maple and encouraging wildflower meadow(s)
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.
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, trapping, and possessing or using firearms (seasonal hunting is permitted with permission and accuracy test only)
- 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.
The Trustees reserves the right to photograph or video visitors and program participants for promotional use, and usage of our properties implies consent. Please review our photo and video policy.
Please note that our policies have changed around photo shoots at Long Hill. All sessions now require a permit, for more detailed information on our photo policy and to book a photo shoot, click here.
- All portrait and commercial photography must be approved in advance.
- Drone photography is not permitted except in rare circumstances and only with the authorization of the Director of Long Hill.
- Photography shoots are not permitted inside the house.
