This is a small gem of a museum (...pun intended...) on the campus of the University of Delaware…read more It houses one of the best mineral, crystal, and gem collections in America...especially including the Irénée Du Pont collection. Much of the collection is displayed by the continent on which the minerals were found. Some of the crystals and gems on exhibit will totally wow you. So stop in for a look if you have a chance!

This is a really great little museum if you are into geology. Most people don't even know that…read moreit's there. It is located on the University of Delaware campus, and it is free. Most of the specimens are world class, and many were donated by Irénée du Pont, Sr. He started collecting them as a child, and some he purchased through Tiffany. There are donations from others as well. Exhibits include regional minerals, American and Canadian minerals, crystals, minerals from caves, and gems. This is the only museum I have ever visited where I was able to see everything in a few hours, but it really is fascinating.

Any visit to historic Chesapeake City is not complete without a visit to the C&D Canal museum which…read moreis located on the grounds of the Army Corpse of Engineers who also operate the canal. This is a small museum that is unmaned and can be covered in about 30 min or an hour if you choose to sit and view all 3 videos about the canal. The museum itself is located in the original pump house and shows the history of the canal which is vital for cutting out some 300 miles of shipping around the Delmarva peninsula. Did you know that the C&D canal is still one of the busiest fresh water canals in the world? Did you know that 40% of all shipping traffic leaving Baltimore harbor goes through the C&D canal? Did you know that Philadelphia is the largest fresh water port city in the US? I know all of this because I visited the museum. Don't be a dummy. Go learn all this fascinating stuff. The canal was the dream of Augustine Herman but digging did not begin for another 100 years. Too bad. If he had seen this canal completed in his lifetime it would have connected Delaware City to his property on Bohemia Manor which is now present day Chesapeake City. The dude was way ahead of his time which is why it took the rest of the world 100 years to catch up. Admission is free and is open from 8-4 weekdays and is self-guided.

We had a lovely time at the Rose Valley Museum. The history in Pennsylvania is amazing and this is…read morejust the start of our exploration of history and culture in Delaware County and beyond. Also known as the Thunderbird Lodge, this was a community of artist who started with a leap of faith in 1904 with approximately 60 people and moved here from Paoli. They started a community of woodworking enthusiasts, artists, painters, writers etc.. and were very successful in the arts and crafts movement. The museum was opened in 2017 to the public and has been thriving ever since. The property is approximately laid across one acre of land. There is a wonderful gift shop with may artifacts from the eighteenths and nineteenths centuries, that you may purchase for yourself or others to enjoy for your own pleasure Please, if you live in Delaware County come experience the history of our community and give back to the ones that keep our history alive. There is a mere $10 donation collected at the door when you enter. Unfortunately, the building is not handicapped accessible due to the structure and the artifacts in the building, but this is a great place for couples, especially if you are planning to be in the area or families who want to come to visit and enjoy a day trip learning some historical history about our community. Thank you to the volunteers who were so knowledgeable about this project and extremely helpful to us.

The Rose Valley Museum has been around a little over a year now, but I just discovered it a couple…read moreweeks ago. When I took a look at their events and saw a whiskey & chocolate tasting, um, I was there! Admission is $10 for non-members, but with our $20 event, we got free admission to the museum. I'll explain the museum first, and the event we attended, below. The museum is housed in Thunderbird Lodge, designed by architect, Will Price, who was the father of the Rose Valley craftsmen guild at the beginning of the 20thC. The museum is primarily dedicated to this era in Rose Valley's history, however, there are Native American artifacts, remnants of RV's 18th/19thC. Quaker inhabitancy, and other facets of the borough's history, to learn about, as well. The interior of the lodge is gorgeous! Exposed beams, Arts & Crafts features everywhere, handmade EVERYTHING! Artfully laid fireplace stones, hand-hewn stair railings, leaded glass windows! There were handmade Moravian tiles wherever appropriate (Will Price was friends with Mercer). Just art everywhere! The main room you hit upon entry is where they hold events. Beyond there, you find a sitting room and dining room, arranged for use with original Rose Valley furniture, and period lamps, rugs, and decor, all either made by the original guild, or authentic to the period, and part of the Arts & Crafts style. I saw some Tiffany type lamps, but no Van Erp. Furniture was Stickley style, with a little more rusticism and character, IMO, which adds to the charm. I saw a lot of Art Nouveau pieces, especially in things like candlesticks, pottery, and smaller carved wood decorative objects. Tons of pottery was housed in china cabinets, and glass cases. The woodwork for the trim and built-ins around the lodge is high quality, and beautiful. They are currently restoring it back to its original form (for example, the dining room used to have a curved gold-leaf ceiling). Loads to see, especially if you admire this aesthetic. Since we were there for an evening event, there were various fireplaces roaring, adding so much to the ambiance, as well as candles, and parchment-shaded lamps. It was so cozy and inviting! Upstairs is another large room, which housed a more eclectic array of Rose Valley history. There is a small hand-carved totem pole, papier-mâché animal heads, an original guild worktable, antique train station sign for Moylan-Rose Valley, more original furniture pieces, Plein Air painting, portrait of Price, etc. If you are at all curious about the Arts & Crafts movement, they have truly captured a great feel for its flavor at this museum! ---------------------- Now, the event! I highly recommend trying one of their gatherings! The museum's board was there, and they run things, hands-on, like devoted hospitality ambassadors! They are all so welcoming and friendly. We seriously felt like we'd been invited to a 70-person dinner party, and had conversations with almost all of the board members. They were amazing hosts! Note that this event was sold out, and they had a waiting list, with people at the door hoping to get in. They allow you to sign up online, so if you see something you want, get it! Our tasting was four different rounds of whiskey drink, personally made up by a board member, who knows his stuff. Each round was paired with a chocolate from Shane Confectionery in Philly. Our aficionado announced each round with a fun story, and gave all the details of his ingredients' origins. Every table had ice and water if needed (not for me!). They even went around and offered everyone seconds, and sometimes thirds, on each round... I politely accepted a few of those. We got more than our money's worth, it was amazing! After the tasting, they had a full spread of hors d'oeuvres to help sober up, but, for those hoping to keep the party going, there was also a bar available. Everything was beautifully, tastefully done. I can't wait to try another event!

A very interesting museum located very close to the Brandywine River Museum and Brandywine…read moreBattlefield. An eclectic interpretation of local history, American History and Military History. Christian was a friend of N.C. Wyeth and several of Wyeth's paintings are on display in the Christian C. Sanderson Museum that you won't see at the Brandywine River Museum. The are also artifacts from the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Ancient Native Americans, Sanderson's personal correspondence, his time as a teacher, musician, radio performer, etc.

Quirky and curious. A fascinating insight into "the collecting mind". The story of the museum is as…read moreinteresting as the museum itself.

Such a special place! How had I never heard of this museum?…read moreIt's magic! As others have said, they are not open every day, festival days are held the first Sunday of every month (June-Nov). It is quick and easy to buy tickets online in advance. You can choose admission to the grounds with house tour, admission with rides, or the full package. This was really helpful because though I'd love to someday see the house, it's much easier to just do rides for young kids. With general admission, you do get to see the museum located behind the house, with antique cars, and Lionel trains. The model trains are set up and running, which the kids love. You also get free popcorn from the antique steam-powered popcorn machine. It was really good! Around the grounds, there is a train theme play structure, a pond with fountain and bridge, picnic tables, and a corn hole game. They also had era-appropriate live music, and an ice cream food truck! The Steamin' Days events are from 12:30pm-4:30pm, and if you choose rides, you get 4 with your ticket. They punch the ticket each ride. There is a ride-on steam train, ride-on diesel train, a steam bus, and two convertible cars from which to choose. You can ride 4 times on the same thing, or any combo you like! My son had a blast on everything, but my favorite was the convertible car. The day was all for my son, and I did not think I'd enjoy myself as much as I did, which is always a happy surprise! I can't wait to go to another! Also as others have mentioned, the volunteers were really knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, and engaging. They really put their all into creating a spectacular day for everyone. Every detail was covered, from the crossing guard at the entrance making sure everyone was safe, to the "purse parking" table at the train boarding, to the exciting train conductors' uniforms. This place is immaculate looking, and the experience is 1000% streamlined to care for everyone's needs. It was like a VIP event, but my ticket was only $12, and my son's was $4!!! If you have an ACCESS Delaware pass, you get $2pp admission for up to 4 people. The experience is worth so much more! *One caveat was a woman helping with boarding the train; she randomly, and very unnecessarily and harshly, warned my son to keep his hands inside the car--BEFORE he even sat down--with a threat of ejecting him from the ride, and did not give the same misery to any other passenger. You don't speak that way to a 2yo! But overall, I cannot recommend this place enough! It should be all over the brochures of the Brandywine Valley. Such an exciting, fun, amazing place!

Awesome house and grounds - be sure to go to a Steaming Sunday and take a ride on the scale model…read moresteam train - visit the beautiful Victorian manor house and walk through the Stanley Steam Car Museum - plenty of volunteers on hand to answer questions.

A 2 1/2 hour sailing trip on the Delaware on Labor Day afternoon sounded wonderful, peaceful and…read morecalming. I imagined sails unfurled taking us in the replica sailing vessel under the Delaware Memorial Bridge towards Philadelphia or perhaps southward towards the merge with the ocean. Two and one half hours sailing ... 150 minutes of sails billowing perhaps music playing and history being shared. Casual entertainment on the Delaware. We pulled out of New Castle under the ships motors at 3pm and were back unloading at 5pm. By my calculations that was exactly TWO HOURS not the promised 2 1/2 hours and no sailor, the seas were not rough nor the skies stormy. Two hours ... shortchanged by 30 full minutes of "sailing" time. Oh wait, we actually did not sail but several of us were called to duty to pull up the sails only to watch them billow for a couple of minutes before they were brought back down. And, those of us who helped really had to put our muscles and our backs to work to pull those sails upwards. We we're motorized for these 2 hours and actually we sat almost still for about 15 minutes. We never reached the Delaware Memorial Bridge (we headed north for this trip) and actually we did not cover much of the Delaware River on this 2-hour experience. The ship itself is awesome but perhaps some music or entertainment other than having to help the amazing volunteer crew with the sails would have made the cost/trip more worthwhile. We were handed a sheet with a scavenger hunt hinting that we and our shipmates should start searching for the answers but they never provided the answers to the scavenger hunt and there were no winners nor losers. It was as if it was an afterthought. The history narration was interesting but most on board either missed the announcement or couldn't find the docent providing us with insight on the Kalmar Nyckel. The extremely excessively large American flag kept hitting people on the foredeck wrapping itself around them, which was not a pleasant experience (You would think by now they would have purchased a smaller flag ). I felt worse for people with children because there was no energy in this TWO HOUR cruise ... it was calm and peaceful and I burned a few calories pulling ropes. Yelp asks ... "What could improve?" ... MUSIC, MORE INTERACTION by crew leaders, being truthful about how long the trip is, actually using the sails to move the boat, and travelling up or down more of the Delaware, which might lead the trip to last the advertised 2 1/2 hours.

We visited the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation Museum and Shipyard yesterday, and it exceeded my pretty…read morehigh expectations. We are visiting Sweden later this month on vacation, and (somehow - I don't remember how), I learned about the Kalmar Nyckel and thought: "Now that is the perfect thing to do leading out to our vacation in Sweden!" So off we went. We booked a sail on the boat - 9:30 a.m. on their opening day of the season. We arrived a few minutes before 9:00 to check in (as instructed when we purchased the tickets). That was great, because the Foundation's building is also home to a surprisingly great museum. The museum is on the upper floor of the building, and you can learn about navigation, sailing, the original Kalmar Nyckel, the replica of the Kalmar Nyckel, the colony of New Sweden (founded just a few minutes walk away from where you stand), and more. I knew nothing about the Kalmar Nyckel (had never even heard of it) and almost nothing about the colony of New Sweden. I got so much out of my visit. The Kalmar Nyckel was built in 1625 and eventually came to be owned by the Swedish city of Kalmar. When Sweden decided to establish a trading colony in the New World, the Kalmar Nyckel was one of two vessels selected to make the journey. The colony of New Sweden was founded in what is now Wilmington when the Kalmar Nyckel and the ship that accompanied it landed at the rocks just next to where the Kalmar Nyckel is docked now in 1638. The ship was sunk in 1652 off the coast of Scotland, but it made three more journeys to New Sweden and so was instrumental in the founding of the colony. In 1986, a group of Wilmington citizens established the Kalmar Nyckel Foundation, which designed, built, and launched the replica that you can see or sail on if you visit. After learning as much as we could in half an hour, we boarded the Kalmar Nyckel with around 50 others (lots of children and families) and went out for a sail on the Christina River on the ship. The ship is beautiful, and I spent a lot of time taking in the details (see my many pictures). The sail was lots of fun. The staff volunteers were amazing, answering lots of questions and providing lots of information throughout (there was a pirate story for the kids and a history talk for everyone during our 1 1/2 hour sail). There are opportunities to help the volunteer staff pull some ropes (sorry I can't provide technical language for what we did; not a sailor!). Important info: The Kalmar's sailing season is May-October, but it docks at some other East Coast locations throughout the season. So definitely take a look at their schedule on the website to ensure you're visiting on a day you can see and sail on the Kalmar! This was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot and had tons of fun. And it just felt so unique to this region and to Wilmington. Where else can you go for a sail on a 17th century replica of a Swedish vessel?! Definitely an activity to add to your to do list if you live in or are planning a visit to Wilmington. I was really glad we made this day trip up for our sail.

The Wilmington & Western Railroad is a non-for-profit primarily weekend and holiday tourist train…read moreoperation that runs on ten miles of track along the historic Red Clay Creek from Greenbank to Hockessin Delaware. The line started serving the area since 1867 and became a tourism line in the 1960s. The RR is mainly operated by volunteers and enjoys strong community support. After having to be rebuilt as the result of two devastating hurricane-related floods (1999 and 2003), the W&W resumed full operation in July 2007. The 2003-07 rebuild cost more than $10 million and was designed to help prevent future destruction from high water. The railroad operates two steam engines, two diesel-electric engines, and a self-propelled railcar (The Doodlebug). Two passenger rides are offered (with commentary on the outbound trip). The shorter one goes from Greenbank Station about half-way up the line to the Mt. Cuba picnic grounds, which are furnished with tables that are available free to riders. You can get off the train, picnic, and then catch the next train back to Greenbank. The ride each way is about 30 minutes. The longer ride, offered periodically, goes the total route to Hockessin and terminates next to the shops at Hockessin Corners for a total ride of about two hour and a half hours. Special themed rides are frequently available all season long from February until December. Any of their cars or an entire train is available to charter for private parties whether on a regular operating day or on a day when you could have the entire place to yourself. Looking for more of a unique experience we have chartered one of their three cabooses here just for the fun of it. It was a good call as the caboose had a cupola that all 4 of us were able to sit in. The views from up there were great you can control whether or not to have narration in the caboose. You will have one of the volunteers riding along and he was truly a wealth of information about the history of the line and of the area as he was obviously able to give more information than just what is told to you off of the script. Overall the W&W is a solid tourist train ride that while a little on the expensive side, is well worth the visit to support the work that this dedicated group does to keep the line going. http://www.wwrr.com/default.aspx

We had a wonderful trip full of color, history and wonderful staff. Tucker and Conductor Barb were…read moreso nice and knowledgeable. They made the trip so much fun. Do yourself a favor and take a ride on this amazing train!

We visited friends in Wilmington and suggested this garden. They had never heard of it, so I'm…read moregoing to classify this as a hidden gem. We went with 4 adults and one toddler. It's free to enter but there is a donation box when you enter to help with upkeep. There are limited parking spots and the entrance was a little hard to find as it's in a residential neighborhood and not marked in a very obvious way. The garden itself was lovely in May, with a variety of flowers in bloom. It's quaint and rustic with a lot of interesting structures and statues. My husband said it reminded him of the Secret Garden because it was sort of hidden, not pristine, and we felt like we were the first people there in a long time. There were photographers taking family photos but otherwise it was pretty quiet. A peaceful place for a walk or to sit and relax.

Randomly stopped in here while in Delaware and was so glad I did…read more Super beautiful garden with lots of statues and fountains. Beautiful Lilly pad pools and different plants along the paths. It's not a very large place but you can definitely spend a while in here. It is a free visit which is so hard to come across these days! It is a well preserved historical site with its story on its website. Please be aware dogs are not allowed in!!!