Located southwest of Philadelphia (almost to Delaware), Longwood Gardens was originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape tribe. After Europeans started to settle the New World, William Penn sold this area to the Quaker family Peirce, who farmed the land until they sold it to be developed and preserved by the du Pont family. Almost a million people go through the gardens in an average year to soak in the 1000+ acres of floral and fauna.

The Irish have four-leaf clovers, the Chinese have tigers, the British have acorns -- every culture seems to have some way of expressing “good luck” -- it’s no different for those who live in Pennsylvania Dutch country, for they have hex signs. Hex signs originated in the 1800’s as a form of folk art where the “fancy” farmers (those who were not of the Amish or Mennonite faiths, i.e. the “plain people”) would paint geometric shapes onto the sides of their barns.  You could also find these s...

“Art imitates life” -- or so the saying goes -- which is why I’m watching twenty classic Pennsylvania inspired movies to teach me a little something about the state. The cinematic journey begins this coming weekend (April 6-8) with a Rocky marathon. After each movie, I’ll be blogging what I learned about the Keystone State through the camera’s lens.