Welcome to COOPERSMITH'S, North America's oldest and most trusted garden tour company, specializing in upscale, small-group garden, fine arts, country inn and manor house tours since 1984.

2011 has been a most rewarding year for us. Not only have more people participated in our tours than at any time since 2001, but, perhaps even more gratifying, the response has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic. Having operated tours successfully for 27 years, one can sometimes get a little blasé about positive feedback. But the questionnaires, letters, e-mails, and phone calls I have been receiving after every tour we’ve run so far in 2011 have knocked me off my feet.

Tour members are no longer content to simply rate their accommodations A or A+. They’ve also started adding remarks like, “I would happily repeat the same tour, just to stay in the same wonderful hotel!” Our clients have always extolled the virtues of our extraordinary tour leaders. But recently I’ve been receiving comments similar to this one (for Celia Ribeiro): “She is beyond ‘incredible’ as a tour guide. Her knowledge, warmth, and caring....exceed what anyone could expect.” As for the gardens and landscapes, assertions such as “I knew I would be impressed. But I did not expect such beauty!” have become the norm.

The year ahead offers some exciting new travel opportunities. Topping the list is the Floriade, a once-a-decade horticultural extravaganza in the Netherlands that’s in a league by itself. We include a full day’s visit there on our May tour of Belgium and Holland. In June, when the United Kingdom goes all out to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee, our new West Country Gardens trip will dovetail with the spectacular, four-day-long festivities.

In addition to Ty Mawr Mansion, Clow Beck House, Langley Castle, and Corse Lawn House, all of which won rave reviews this year, we’ve booked two more superb British manor house hotels for 2012 (see West Country tour). On the Continent, we’ve chosen deluxe chateau, seafront, and canal-side hotels of a similar, superior standard (Belgium & Holland and Italian & French Rivieras). For the first time, we’re offering three tours that allow for extensions to the acclaimed Chelsea Flower Show (Belgium & Holland, Scotland, and Wales); a fourth that dovetails with the equally renown Hampton Court Flower Show (Northumberland); and another that features the Malvern Spring Gardening Show (Cotswolds), which some of our participants now prefer to its more famous cousins.

I could go on. But instead, I’ll let our clients tell you what they think of our trips (What our clients are saying about our recent tours). And I’ll sign off with the hope that, if you haven’t already done so, you’ll come join us soon, to see for yourself what makes our tours truly One-of-a-Kind™!

Happy travels,