HollyHedge Estate is Bucks County’s premier, historic destination for private weddings and relaxing country retreats.
For the last 30 years, the Luccaro family has nurtured HollyHedge’s rich 240-year-history. The Estate and its staff are proud stewards of the area’s natural environment and rich cultural heritage. Located close to the river towns of New Hope, Lambertville, Stockton, and Frenchtown, HollyHedge offers guests a glimpse into New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s rich, vibrant history and natural beauty. Our 20 plus acres of private forests and gardens provide a quiet space to relax while enjoying the luxury of our contemporary accommodations in our 15 room inn and historic barns all within an hour drive of Philadelphia and 60 miles from New York.
240 Years About Us
The estate traces its modern history to homesteader Watson Fell and his family who began construction on a new property alongside the Delaware River in the 1780s. Sourcing field stones and other materials from the local community, Fell established a working farm that we now know as HollyHedge Estate. For over a century the Fell family passed the property down through the generations.
The family eventually sold the estate in 1887. In the early 1900s the former Trenton Times Editor-in-Chief James Kerney, along his wife Sarah Kerney, transformed the property from a working homestead into their own private country estate, complete with formal gardens and updated stone barns to entertain guests.
In the 1960s, HollyHedge was again transformed, and became host to students from across the country as a regaional performing arts academy. “Arts amidst the fields” offered outdoor classes and performances in music, theater, modern dance, and ballet to the greater community. With artists in residents coming from New York and Philadelphia to provide workshops and classes for emerging artists. Later the estate would become the home of the Kildonan School, an early coeducational facility specifically focused on supporting children with dyslexia. The school moved to its current home in New York in 1981.
In 1994, the Luccaro family bought the property after it had fallen into a state of disrepair. For years the family has worked to restore the property to its historic nature as an elegant country estate. Bringing his years of restaurant and catering experience to bear, Joe and his team created a food-first facility that emphasized local ingredients to emphasize a restaurant quality service for the inn and event guests. The next generation of owners, led by Ben, have worked to become environmental stewards of the land, helping HollyHedge become an industry leader in eco-friendly weddings. Perfect for intimate weddings and private events, HollyHedge’s team work to preserve the breathtaking parts of HollyHedge Estate whose history predates the Fell Family. The historic buildings, particularly the “Old Barn” have become popular for weddings and private gatherings – hosting nearly 10,000 visitors per year.
Where Rustic, Bohemia, and History Meet
HollyHedge is located in the heart of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. We are just 4 miles from the historic artisans’ communities of New Hope, PA and Lambertville, New Jersey. The Quakers first settled the area known as the Pennsylvania Colony back in 1681. The Leni Lenape tribe traced its roots to the region 10,000 years ago. The turn of the 20th century saw the emergence of the Bucks County Impressionists, vibrant art, and artisans who attracted tourism with their charming galleries, emerging artists, and fantastic food.
With its seasonal festivals, historic reenactments, year-round cultural activities, community clubs, artisanal shops, and an authentic bohemian charm, it won’t be hard to see that New Hope and Lambertville have remained true to their roots. Each becoming popular destinations for recreational travelers, and voted among the most charming towns in America.
HollyHedge celebrates our community with its rich history of artists and LGBTQ pioneers. We offer guidance and recommendations from in-town happenings like wine tours, food tastings, antiquing and shopping, live music and theater. The area is also ideal for outdoor excursions like hiking, tubing, kayaking, and bike-riding, located just 1/4 mile from the Delaware River and the Delaware Canal and Towpath.
“We abuse land because we see it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” –Aldo Leopold
We take our stewardship of the estate, land, and its history seriously. Using traditional mason techniques, the maintenance and restoration of our historic stone buildings, walls, and barn has helped us retain the property’s rustic charm. A solar array helps us reduce our energy consumption and minimize our environmental footprint from weddings and other events – making HollyHedge a leader in developing the green wedding industry. Using better water catchment systems and responsible drip irrigation helps prevent soil erosion and water run-off from the property. It also allows us to maintain rich biodiversity, making a spectacular backdrop for wedding photos and ensuring native flora and fauna have protected space to grow.
Our commitment to farm-to-table and local food means we grow elements of our guests’ dinner and breakfast on the property. We work with our award-winning chefs each year to produce various fruits, vegetables, flowers, and herbs that can be prepared and shared with our guests. For the food we can’t grow, we try to source from local growers like Manoff Market Garden in Solebury, PA, Maximuck’s Farm Market in Doylestown, PA, or Blue Moon Acres in Buckingham, PA. We also ensure food scraps and biodegradable byproducts from our catering services don’t go to waste. Leftover cooking oil is recycled into biodiesel; fruits, vegetables, eggshells, and coffee scraps are turned into compost onsite; and leftover food scraps from events are saved and shared with our local hog farmer as feed for her livestock.
Sustainability isn’t a buzzword; it has always been our core business principle and helps us ensure we are living up to our obligations as responsible stewards of our beautiful estate. So whether you are planning your wedding or relaxing for the weekend at the inn, we are excited to be able to offer our guests an environmentally friendly experience.