A Free Garden Tour at Meadowbrook Farm, Seven Blocks of Art in Jenkintown, and Abington Fest Across Three Parks: Your Late-September Guide for Rydal

Think Rydal tucks in for the season once the leaves start to turn? Not this year. Over the next three weeks the neighborhood carries a running start straight into October: a free guided tour through the historic gardens of PHS Meadowbrook Farm on Saturday, September 19; seven blocks of open-air art in the Jenkintown town square on Sunday, September 27; and the township’s signature Abington Fest celebration across three parks on the first weekend of October. Let us run through all three.

Late September in Rydal and Abington Township is that golden stretch when the evenings keep their warmth and the oaks start showing off. Whether you have lived here for years or you are a family weighing whether to call this area home, these three make a strong case: they are free to low-cost, all within a few minutes of Rydal, and all built around neighbors actually showing up. Here is the rundown.

🎬 Hand-held walking shot up the gravel path toward the stone manor house and greenhouse of PHS Meadowbrook Farm on a Saturday afternoon, guests strolling between formal flower beds, late-season blooms catching the sun, golden dappled light through the old oaks, no readable faces. Text overlay: "SAT SEP 19 | GARDEN TOUR | PHS MEADOWBROOK FARM."

01 Garden Tour at PHS Meadowbrook Farm: Saturday, September 19

Start with the neighborhood’s own hidden gem. On Saturday, September 19, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM, PHS Meadowbrook Farm hosts a free guided Garden Tour of the historic horticultural estate on 1633 Washington Lane, Jenkintown. A volunteer leads you through the formal gardens and grounds as late-season color peaks, pointing out the plantings and the story behind this one-of-a-kind private estate turned public garden.

The setting is the draw. Meadowbrook Farm is a historic estate garden that feels like it belongs to the neighborhood, tucked right off Washington Lane with mature trees, formal beds, and the manor house at the center of it all. The free public garden season runs through mid-October, so these September tours are one of your last easy chances to see it in full bloom. From Rydal it is a five-minute drive, and you can walk the grounds at your own pace even when a tour is not scheduled.

It is a slow, lovely, free afternoon that pairs perfectly with a Saturday morning at the Glenside Farmers Market. The kind of thing that makes you glad the neighborhood keeps its gardens open to everyone.

🎬 Hand-held tracking shot along the tree-lined town square in Jenkintown on a Sunday afternoon, white artist tents stretching down the street, a band audible from a stage at the end of the block, families browsing paintings and ceramics under warm September light, a quick push-in on a canvas before you move on. Text overlay: "SUN SEP 27 | FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS | JENKINTOWN."

02 Jenkintown Festival of the Arts: Sunday, September 27

The following Sunday, point yourself at the Jenkintown Festival of the Arts, running 1:00 to 6:00 PM at the town square, Leedom Street and Greenwood Avenue. Presented by the Jenkintown Community Alliance, the festival turns downtown into an open-air gallery: seven blocks of artist tents selling paintings, ceramics, photography, and handmade work, with multiple music stages filling the square with live bands all afternoon.

It is the classic small-town scene at its peak: the town square closed to cars, everyone out walking with coffee in hand, a band playing, and artists happy to talk about their work. From Rydal it is a short drive down Old York Road, and it is one of the easiest days of the year to bump into half the township. Come for the art, stay for the live music, and walk away with a new piece for the wall.

A sunny Sunday of art and music minutes from Rydal is proof the neighborhood keeps its calendar full all the way into fall. It is the perfect day to show prospective neighbors what living here actually looks like.

🎬 Hand-held golden-hour pan across Abington Fest and its three parks: the movie screen glowing at Roychester Park on Friday night, the 5K finish line crossing the grass at Roslyn Park on Saturday morning, and a packed Crestmont Park lawn with white vendor tents, strings of lights, decorated car trunks with pumpkins and hay bales for Trunk-or-Treat, kids in costumes as distant silhouettes, warm autumn light, no readable faces. Text overlay: "FRI-SUN OCT 2-4 | ABINGTON FEST | THREE PARKS."

03 Abington Fest: Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4

The centerpiece of the season is Abington Fest 2026, running Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4 and spread across three parks for the first time. It kicks off Friday at 7:00 PM with a family movie night under the stars at Roychester Park, 1837 Harding Avenue. Saturday morning brings the Kids’ Dash and the Abington Fest 5K at Roslyn Park, and Saturday from noon to 3:00 PM the Fall Festival at Crestmont Park, 2595 Rubicam Avenue, with Touch-a-Truck and Trunk-or-Treat filling the lawn with costumed kids. Sunday rounds out the celebration with more community fun.

It is the classic small-town fall weekend at its best: fire trucks for the little ones to climb, decorated trunks and pumpkins every way you look, festival food, a movie under the stars, and a crowd of neighbors out enjoying the first crisp nights of the season. Abington Fest is free to attend and built for families, and after last year’s debut filled every park end to end, this second annual edition has even more planned. From Rydal it is a short drive to all three parks.

A festival like this is the neighborhood at its best: parks closed to cars, everyone out walking, and the whole township feeling like one big block party. It is a perfect taste of what living in this area is actually like, and a great weekend to show prospective neighbors.