Wilmington, DE - we visited several du Pont estates during our stay in the beautiful Brandywine…read moreValley area, starting with the Hagley Museum, which is the place of the first du Pont family home, built by the French immigrant ancestor who started it all, Éleuthère Irénée du Pont. We toured the house (Eleutherian Mills) and garden, powder yard, saw a small antique car exhibit, a gunpowder demonstration, and strolled around the grounds, which are very walkable and well-shaded in parts, but there is also a shuttle that travels between the main areas (visitor center/museum, house, powder yards) which runs every 20 minutes. The property is impeccably maintained and gorgeous to walk around, bordered by the Brandywine River where we saw some kayakers row by (for paddlers & outdoor enthusiasts: you can do this as an activity in the area). Everything was SO well-organized, and the tour guides & staff could not have been more lovely or helpful. They helped us time-manage our tours (as we arrived late in the day and were in a bit of a rush) and were generous with answering questions and sharing information about the history of the place and of the du Pont family. ======= TIP: If you love museums and historic homes & gardens and plan to visit at least a couple, the best thing you can do is purchase a Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport ($49 for individuals, or $99 for family including 2 adults & 3 children 17yo and under), which grants you admission to 12 area attractions that you can visit once any time between May 24-October 31. (This year is almost over but you can still buy the 2025 pass or wait for 2026 to be released.) There were many enterprising du Pont descendants/cousins, and the multiple grand estates in this area were built/owned by different branches of the family: in addition to Hagley there is also Winterthur, Nemours, Mt. Cuba Center, and Longwood Gardens - all of which are included in the passport. I find these properties to be more impressive than the Newport RI mansions, and highly recommend visiting as many as you can!

We did not have this museum on our radar until we learned about it when touring the nearby Nemour…read moreEstate. It helped that with our reciprocal museum membership we got free admission! It was already 2pm when we arrived so we had limited time. We walked the road to see the machine shop demo and the powder rolling demo by Bob. Both were quite interesting especially the big bang finish of the powder rolling demo. Learned a lot! Given it was late and way too hot to walk up the hill we skipped the house tour which looked interesting. We opted for the AC in the visitor center and the very educational two floor exhibit on patent models. Nerdy. Overall a big thumbs up for this museum.

1 star for adults and kids over 10…read more 2.5 stars for children under 10 This is a small museum. You can do the full loop in 15-20 minutes unless you have little little ones that get engrossed in one of the interactive stations. Not worthy of a field trip. If you really want a decent natural History museum, plan a day trip elsewhere.

It's considered traditional to celebrate Independence Day at a parade, or a barbecue, or a picnic,…read morefollowed by watching fireworks, right? Well, Lion and I must be non traditional folk, because we visited the Delaware Museum of Nature. It was wonderful. The museum is one of those place I've driven by so many times, thinking - hey, really should go there sometime. Just .... didn't. On a broiling hot 4th of July, when the last thing we wanted to do was barbecue or go to a parade, we saw it was open and decided this was our opportunity. Yay! We arrived to a mostly empty museum, with a group of volunteers and staff who were really great! Being in the museum without crowds was lively. I could spend as much or as little time as I wanted with an exhibit. Volunteers demonstrating various artifacts were friendly Jan helpful. We got to meet two different snakes, learn that turtles can actually move quite fast and can climb trees, and learned that after the passing of Dude, the Museum Cat, they gave a new cat in training. Rye exhibits were nicely curated. This museum is not expansive, however they use their space well, focusing on aspects of Delaware's ecology and history. There's a family/kid nature "lab" where people can explore hands in nature. Parking is free in their private lot. It's an open, airy space that is fully accessible. I think we may have started outrun own new tradition this year.

Place is beautiful with a wonderful Museum as well. My girlfriend and I spent some time here on our…read morelast trip. Park is huge with lots of running trails and lakes. Beautiful nature and trees to get surrounded and lost. Tickets are only $10.00 for a tour of the museum. Nice historical artifacts of the world and art. Delaware historical scenery and sculptures too. Weather was moderate at the time we were here. I love it. I will be back again.

We came on a free Sunday with family to enjoy the nice weather and learn a little history. Tickets…read moreare usually $10 to tour the museum. Even though it was a free day, both tour guides took time to introduce us to the house and answer any questions we had. It took us just shy of an hour to go through, but we could've spent longer if we had read every piece of material and took in every photo in the collection. The grounds and surrounding park were also beautiful and well maintained. There was ample free parking. A nice way to spend the day!

I visited Winterthur for the first time with my mom on Christmas Eve for their Yuletide exhibit…read more I'd been mildly curious about the mansion over the years, and it seemed like a fun thing to do on my day off from work. The mansion is ornate, truly massive, and opulent. It's a true peek into the lifestyles of the rich. The Yuletide theme this past year was centered around Christmas and children's books, like Alice and Wonderland, Twas the Night Before Christmas, etc. When we arrived, we were a bit confused on where to park, as my mom has a handicap sticker. We ended up parking right at the visitor's center where the tram retrieves guests. We didn't have a long wait. On the tram, the driver recommended starting at the house and then walking down to the galleries. She didn't mention the enchanted woods/garden, so I didn't even realize they were there until I got home later that night -- bummer. Some of the folks working the rooms were pleasant, others felt like security guards. One chided my mom for leaning her hand against a wall at one point. Some were knowledgeable, and others clearly didn't want to be there. I appreciated the girl in the garden entry room who snapped our photo with the decorated trees before we stepped into the house! I took many pictures while in the house, and then we traipsed over to the galleries. The gallery building had a doll house, a really well-done gingerbread train station, furniture and other exhibits on the ground floor, and a rotating, very interesting exhibit on African American history on the second floor. After the galleries, we stopped by the museum store, and while most everything was dramatically overpriced, I did find a few cool items in my price range. We were on the grounds for roughly 2-3 hours I'd say before having lunch nearby. Arriving early was a good choice. They do offer reciprocal garden access with other garden memberships (I have one at home in Richmond, VA), so perhaps one day I'll use that access to see the gardens that I missed!

This was not on our list of museums to hit but since the weather was so darn hot we changed what we…read morewere going to do after spending the morning at Longwood Gardens. It helped that we got free admission with our reciprocal museum membership. It was 2:30pm we when we arrived so we didn't have a lot of time. We were given good advice on what to do in our limited time from the folks at the ticket office. We took the garden tram tour which was educational and got off at the house where we did the self guided tour. You only see a small fraction of this giant mansion but that was enough for me. While most of the docents had interesting facts the actual contents of the collection were not that interesting to me. If you are really into this era of American decorative furnishing supposedly they have more in-depth guided tours. We still had time to see a bit more of the grounds around the house but with big thunderstorms rolling in we headed out. I am guessing for some this place is a must... I am glad we got free admission.

For a DE native, this was my first time here. I came during the day and I was the only person…read morethere. The receptionist let me know the exhibits that were on and what was scheduled to leave at the end of the month. She was so helpful! I took my time taking everything in. I loved that there was a mix of found art, sculpture, collage and film. There was even art on display for sale, which I could definitely see myself taking advantage of. They also have a store with prints, pottery, jewelry, and clothing. Honestly, such a gem of a space. They have a night market coming up in June with vendors and food trucks and they are part of the Art Loop which is every first Friday of the month. Admission is free those days, or if you go during normal hours is $7 for adults. Definitely worth it.

Interesting exhibits, but very small with no permanent collection. Many of the exhibit descriptions…read moreneeded copy editing. There was one description that referenced Palestine and included a disclaimer that seemed discriminatory.

In the heart of Abington, and about a hundred yards away from the Roslyn train station, you can…read morefind Briar Bush, a hidden nature preserve tucked away on Edge Hill road. With scenic walking trails, an outdoor classroom, day camps and a small indoor animal habitat, Briar Bush is a great spot for small children, couples on a date, or anyone looking for a brief respite from the urgency of the modern world. With free admission for locals and a small fee for out-of-towners, the preserve is accessible to all patrons provided that they are able to walk down some wooded trails that circle through the admittedly short walking routes. The centerpiece of the trails is a picturesque, secluded pond with benches for sitting and an interactive sign with information on the local fauna and flora. The indoor animal habitat has a small gift shop, pamphlets on upcoming events and information on other parks in the area, and several interesting animals such as a blind possum named Odin, a bearded lizard named Karl, and several other unique turtles and reptiles. All of Briar Bush can be walked through in an hour or so, but the low admission, interactive nature events and scenic walking trails will have you wanting to return again soon.

I don't remember having gone to this nature center. I'll have to bring my grandkids again!read more

We spontaneously decided to stop in on our way back to the DC area from a weekend in Philadelphia…read more Hours are 10am-5pm Wednesday-Sunday. Parking is free in the lot across the way. Admission is $15 and id say it was reasonable for the 4ish hours we spent. My kids loved the climbing/sliding cocoon that is at the front area upon arrival. The roadway with scooters was unique having never seen that at a children's museum before. The fitness exhibits with basketball and baseball were fun. Those tests at the beginning brought me back to the Presidential Fitness test era (IYKYK). The water play area probably was where we spent the most time, but that's always where we do at museums with a water play area. Another cool feature was the hollowed out redwood tree for climbing. The sections toward the back are designed for the youngest visitors but still have some fun stuff-like a mock farmers market and tire shop- for older kids. While there were no events on this day, it does look like they are listed as they come up on the website. Also, no food sold here (snacks are chips and candy) but there are two places across from the building to eat or you can BYO. While it is a smaller children's museum, it was still nicely done and we would definitely pop in again!

Great museum and good interactive space for kids ages 3 and up, featuring a variety of activities…read moreincluding water play, a cafe for pretending to buy fruits and vegetables, and dress-up as pirates. Kids can enjoy a reading nook, a mechanic shop, basketball, and pitching speed tests. There's also a mini-golf area on the boardwalk behind the museum. However, the gift shop is small, and the free parking lot is a bit of a walk, especially on hot days.

New Castle Court House Museum is a must see if you're spending a day exploring colonial New Castle…read more It was built in 1732 and served as Delaware's first court and state capitol. It was on the second floor of the court house building that Delaware declared independence from Pennsylvania and England (did you know that Delaware was a part of Pennsylvania and that it had to declare its independence from them? I didn't). New Castle Court House Museum is operated by the National Park Service. They have tours at set times (you can check their website or ask around town and they'll let you know the schedule). We waited on the steps of the courthouse for the 1pm tour last Saturday, and our tour guide was amazing. She talked so fast during our tour that I learned two hours of information about Delaware, New Castle, and the court house during the hour and twenty minutes the tour lasted! It is definitely one of the most interesting and important sites in New Castle - not to be missed if it's your first time visiting.

The staff here are very knowledgeable and gave me the ability to appreciate what life would have…read morebeen like 250 years ago. I learned a lot and was fascinated to see the place where Delaware gained its independence from both Pennsylvania and the U.K., plus where they had trials for locals accused with helping escaped slaves.

This is the most wonderful historic site! I would highly recommend visiting it, to see the…read morewaterwheel, learn about the history of milling in the area. The docent, Raymond Harrington, is a font of knowledge and makes the history come alive; the tales he can tell about the region, the railway and the mill are highly entertaining and also very moving. Take a detour - it's worth it!

Had an excellent tour with Raymond, such a wealth of knowledge. Small place with a powerful history…read moreof the New Castle area. Hope the site can expand with all the plans Ray had. His love for history is exceptional! Thank you!