My daughter had Friday off, so she and I went to see the Oldfields-Lilly house and gardens. She had been once before with a group of girls from church. I hadn't even known it was there until she told me about it. This property has recently become a national historic landmark. The property was once owned by the Lilly family of Eli-Lilly Pharmaceuticals. They donated the land to the Art Association of Indianapolis which used the property to build the Indianapolis museum of Art.
This is a 26-acre estate with beautiful gardens, which is open to the public and free. We didn't tour the house because we didn't have enough time, but I can't wait to go back and see the inside of this striking home.
This is the side view of the house and this wonderful path leads to...
this stunning garden area with the fountain and arbors.
We saw quite a few butterflies.
This fountain is in front of the art museum.
This bridge is across the canal.
There is a lake behind the house.
There were several nice shady places to sit and rest. 
I'm very glad I wore practical shoes since there were some really steep stairs with no hand rails and this is a huge property.
These pictures of the Ravine Garden were taken from the back terrace.
A very active hornets nest.
I am already planning a fall visit to this property; I'm sure the view from the terrace will be breathtaking when the leaves turn.
7 comments:
Robin... it's been awhile since I've been to Oldfields. Thanks for the virtual tour, and indeed, it would be spectacular in the fall once the leaves turn.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens
Robin, what a wonderful outing for you and "J" to enjoy together. It looks like a truly spectacular place and sounds like a fall visit is certainly in order. I bet the tour of the home is incredible. We've been to the Biltmore in Ashville, NC and this house kind of reminded me of it ~~ large estate, mansion, beautiful grounds. As always thanks for sharing your wonderful pics with us!
What a gorgeous place! And you've taken and posted some beautiful photos that captured that. Love the photos of the Monarch and the Spicebush Swallowtails!
Good move wearing sensible shoes Robin on this visit. ;-)
The house is beautiful and I liked the pic of the fountain the best. Thanks for taking us all on this lovely visit with you!
That was a beautiful tour you gave of your weekend visit to the Oldfields. It's an incredible garden and thanks for sharing it with us.
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What a beautiful and interesting place you visited. Thank you for sharing! I guess the interior must be as beautiful as the gardens.
Greetings from Switzerland. Barbara
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