Living part time in NYC where I'm reliant on public transportation, it's kind of a treat to ride in the car when I'm back in PA. I was game when my husband suggested visiting Hagley Museum in Wilmington, DE. Hagley is the DuPont family's first U.S. "home," though I'd describe it more as an estate. The property encompasses 235 acres along the banks of the Brandywine with historic buildings, a research library and black powder mills. The gardens and grounds are spectacular. There's shuttle service between the visitors' center, powder yard and DuPont residence. What particularly impressed me are the friendly and knowledgeable docents leading tours at key sites. Demonstrations are pretty cool, including a blast -- a literal blast! -- at the black powder mill. (As I learned, gunpowder is made from black powder, so not exactly synonymous.) Wear comfortable shoes. Some paths are rocky. And if you can, avoid visiting on a broiling hot day. (I should've taken my own advice!) read more

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Hagley is a little hard to describe, but I spent hours there this past weekend, so I'll do my best! Hagley is one of many properties in the area associated with the du Pont family. Hagley is where Éleuthère Irénée du Pont founded his black powder mills in 1802. For more than 100 years (the factory was the largest in the world but then closed in 1921), it was the center of the du Pont family's work, wealth, and success. The reason it's hard to explain? Hagley has multiple areas and attractions - it's not just one place or one thing. There's the Powder Yard, Workers' Hill, the historic home and gardens, and the Nation of Inventors (a museum/exhibit exploring inventors/patents in 19th century America). When you arrive at the visitor center, a friendly staff members hands over a map, which you'll need during your visit. You can walk around most of the property, but you do have to take their shuttle to get to and from the historic home and gardens. Since I was already at the visitors center, I explored the Nation of Inventors first and found it interesting and fun (with some interactive aspects). Then I walked along the Brandywine River and the mill race to the Powder Yard. There, I visited the Powder Yard Orientation Gallery (for some context), explored the roll mills (historic structures where the black powder was produced), and visited the millwright shop. At the millwright shop, the friendly staff turned on some of the 19th century machines in the machine room, explained about the work that happened at the factory, and demonstrated a small, contained black powder explosion. From there, I took the shuttle to the historic home and gardens. I visited the barn (where you can see carriages and antique vehicles), the pollinator garden, and the restored French kitchen garden, before taking a tour of the house and the First Office (a structure next to the house that served as DuPont Company headquarters). After all this, I looked at my phone to realize I had spent about 2 hours longer than I had intended to at Hagley and I was starving. It says a lot that I had intended to spend about 2 hours at the museum and then go grab lunch in Wilmington and instead spent at least 4 hours at the museum. And I didn't even make it to Workers' Hill (where you can visit another house, the Sunday school, a picnic pavilion, and the workers' garden)! There is so much to do at Hagley. I learned a ton (big thanks to the docents that helped me to learn at Hagley - Pete, John, and Jonathan), and I had a great time. Visiting Hagley is easy - most sites have tours or demonstrations on the half hour, so you're never waiting for long for something new to begin. The shuttle makes it easy to get around, but the property was also beautiful to walk around. Hagley would be great for anyone interested in history, science, or the Brandywine region. Definitely plan to spend a long time here to fully experience what it has to offer! read more

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We did not have this museum on our radar until we learned about it when touring the nearby Nemour Estate. 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. read more

A very interesting museum and beautiful grounds. They have a gun powder demonstration which was worth it and very cool. It's nice to walk the grounds around the creek. We also toured the house but the tour guide had a bad attitude and it kind of took away from the tour. Every other tour guide was super friendly and informative. read more

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Wilmington, DE - we visited several du Pont estates during our stay in the beautiful Brandywine Valley 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! read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Museum in the visitor's center - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the different areas on this 225 acre Estate and gunpowder mill. So much history and great demonstrations that really helped me understand how things worked during the time the mill was operational. I was amazed that everything works and looks great and was used from 1803 to 1958. We did a walking tour with Susan (who was great) which included the powder yards. So much interesting information and it was great being able to ask questions. Take the tour. The docents in the house were all so helpful and friendly. We were there 4 hours so you know we really liked our visit to Hagley. read more

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Visited this beautiful du pont property Bec our hotel had a promo to come here for free. It was interesting to learn about gunpowder and the engineering involved in powering it. The staff were very nice and the tour was very informative. The property is well kept Too bad, the pandemic didn't allow us to tour the interior of the house. read more

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Beautiful place, Rich with history and very friendly staff! Black powder mill started in 1802 by E.I. DuPont.

There is a LOT to see here, so you are getting a lot of value for the price. This is history of the Du Ponts, some history on the gunpowder production, on site demonstrations, info about the workers, and some nice scenic views. Amazing. On their site, they have tips if you have 90 minutes, a few hours, all day, etc. what to see. All day? There's enough stuff to do? Hey, if you have the time, they have the presentations. They have a whole map, most of it's walkable and fun to stroll through. The tours of the house you have to take a shuttle to and sign up for a time slot. The house has consistently been in the family, so most of the furnishings are original and there's a nice history of the family and their business. There is also a demo of the steam engine in a room, at the Power Yards, they take you around a factor setting and show how things worked, and in the visitor center there is a timeline demonstration of the history of munitions and on the top floor, more modern innovations from the Du Ponts. Sure, the family itself donates to the museum, so it's all positive, but it's still really thorough and interesting. There is a cafe on site which makes a great stop for lunch if you'll be here a while. Which I was. Gift shop wasn't much. Plenty of parking. The shuttle comes in handy for cold days to get around. It's right on the river, so on a warmer day, it's even better to stroll along. This is a must see for history lovers to get a ton of things to do and see. read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Steam engine! - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

History buffs paradise. Patent inventions exhibit. Black powder demonstration....historical mill works. Beautiful walking setting by the Brandywine. read more

I was fortunate to receive two 2015 Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport tickets which gives you access to 11 amazing attractions throughout Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley's top attractions and this was one of them. The Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport was valid from May 23, 2015 through September 7, 2015 and couldn't be used during special events. We had no issues using them at the admission office and just waited for our passport stamp which was cool. We visited this museum and mini mansion at the beginning of a very hot and humid day. We thought since the house was smaller our tour would be shorter, wrong! I would've preferred a self tour so we could skip through what we didn't want to see. Nevertheless the experience was cool. The house was simple and its furnishing were basic household items you would see in our homes which was refreshing. We really enjoyed the grounds of the museum where the owners wanted a ruin like look and they were successful. We had a tour of how hey made gunpowder and one of the staff actually made the powder so we could hear the explosion which was very loud. They had a cafe on the grounds and the place is so huge they have mini shuttle buses that can take you from one area to the next which was great during those hot and hazy days, This is definitely a place to check out if you're in the area. read more

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Occupying a couple hundred acres near Wilmington, the DuPont's 19th century gunpowder facility serves as the backdrop for this museum. The sheer size of the museum grounds offered visitors with plenty of options. For instance, there is a family garden, mill, and workers cottages. You'll also find garages with early 20th century vehicles. Parking is free near the visit center. The best advice I can give is that you'll need more than 2 hours of you want to see everything. read more

The Hagley Museum is one of the greatest museums in the United States, and I am surprised more people do not go there. "Museum" is really a misnomer; it's more like a complex or a campus. They have so much to see and do on the grounds, that you actually need to take a shuttle bus around. The Hagley is the location where the Dupont family originally set up a black powder mill in the early 19th century after they immigrated to the US. Just to name a few: they have an old cotton mill, which doubles as the welcome center with explanatory over exhibits. They have the actual forge, where they milled the black powder. Then they have the original mansion, which has all the original furniture and antiques inside. On the grounds, you will see it's right on the Brandywine River, and it's the part that has all the beautiful falls. That makes sense because they needed the hydro-power from the falls to turn the millstones. You will see many cool animals. We actually saw a turtle resting on a log by the river; a little kid pointed it out. They also have blue herons, among other cool animals. However, the best part was the volunteers and workers there. They are all so excited about Hagley's history, and they openly chat with you at each turn. read more

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The guides on this tour make this an incredible experience. Olga and Jane spent time with us when my husband and I visited on Valentine's Day weekend. They put their hears and souls into their tours! There was also very nice and informative gentleman who showed us around the fruit and vegetable garden area. This is a must see attraction when you are in Wilmington. read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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After passing by this place on several trips, we decided to give this museum a try on our way back home from Philadelphia. Are we glad we made the time to try out this museum. The tour with the guide is way worth the time. Excellently preserved furnishings in the house give you a picture of the DuPont family in a simpler time. The grounds of this historic property are beautiful. The bus is an excellent way to tour the property. For family interest, there are attractions for the kids like the working steam engine and the working machine shop. When we were there they we running hay rides for the kids. For gear heads, the preservation of all of the working turn of the century technology will appeal to big kids and small alike. read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Hagley Museum - Dupont Estate - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Really incredible experience. This is the Dupont families first home and factory here in the United States. The site features an estate home that is open for guided tours, several interpretive experiences that describe the locations and processes where the company made gunpowder in the early 1800's, and a small museum and gift shop. The location is beautiful, along the Brandywine river in northern Delaware. I'm sure when the factories were working it was a mess, but 150 years later it's absolutely beautiful. We were lucky enough to visit during the fall and colors and river were incredible. read more

We just recently joined and made a couple visits but still have not seen all that the Hagley has to offer. The DuPont company was and still is a great example of American entrepreneurship and this museum offers a glimpse of how French immigrants came across the Atlantic and helped make America great. Ok, enough platitudes. The Hagley is a great place to take the kids with plenty of outdoor activities and demonstrations (the gunpowder demonstration is my fave!). You can't do it all in one day. Again, we haven't explored all there is but by being members, we are eligible to attend the classic car show and the Independence Day fireworks, both of which are considered the best in the region. I'm also looking forward to seeing it decorated at Christmas time. read more

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Lovely museum on a historic piece of property. I was actually there for the art show - which was run quite well. read more

Really cool place to check out, went with my family because I had a school project that required me to visit a museum and so glad I chose Hagley. Beautiful location, will return in the future? read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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My husband and I had so much fun coming to this park! It was $15 for admission, and there is a bus that will take you from site to site although you can easily walk the first half of it. We were initially let down because we thought it was going to be more of an arboretum/garden/free roaming place like the Nemours Estate (IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TO THE NEMOURS ESTATE, YOU HAVE TO GO!!!) but it was more like a limited guided tour. Having said that, it was a lot of fun and the staff is so hands on that we learned more about the history of the Du Ponts than in any of the other sites we have been to! (And we have been to several). A charming and hilarious tour guide brings you through the house, you can spend time walking the vegetable gardens and learning more about the land, the bus brings you back to the path where you can walk and explore a little bit of the surrounding land, you get to see how they used to utilize steam and the waterwheel, they fire a mini canon (this was super fun to see), and there is a gunpowder demonstration. You can also walk up to the schoolhouse and practice your quill writing skills, and you can tour an old house where the workers used to live. It was a very educational experience and we do not regret going at all! FYI you will not get cell service here, although the visitors center does have WIFI. read more

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Might very well be a five star place - but I have not seen enough of it yet. We visited today (and did NOT have enough time to explore it all). The grounds are just wonderful - and post Hurricane Irene with the normally meandering Brandywine River now a raging mass of muddy water - WOW!. We saw a great blue Heron and a couple of Cormorants, too. Can't wait to go back and actually take the tour. read more

I have been a lifelong lover of Hagley and used to come here pretty much every year as a child for school field trips. I hadn't been here in 20+ years, but I definitely remembered writing with a quill pen in the schoolhouse and seeing how they cook and do laundry in the Gibbons house. They had some new exhibits, like the Dupont products exhibit on the third floor of the visitors center, where you can put your face in an astronaut's suit (AWESOME!) and learn everything you ever wanted to know about Lycra, Kevlar, Nylon, etc. The grounds are so beautiful, it's lovely to take a stroll around, next to the Brandywine River. They hold weddings and other receptions in the Soda House--that sounds like such a beautiful place to hold such an event! read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Your face in an astronaut suit! - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

I was a lifelong Delawarean before my recent move and I visited this museum a few times as a guest and I also worked in the research library as an intern for the summer. I loved Hagley. The grounds are absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed walking along the paths through the ruins of the old powder mill. The Brandywine River runs right through the property and is an integral part of the history of the DuPont company as well as for the entire state and region. The museum is very well done and have new and interesting exhibits every once in awhile. The real treasure is the library which has amazing collections which documents the history of business enterprise in American. The facilities in which all of these documents and manuscripts are stored are also amazing examples of adaptive reuse. I can not recommend visiting Hagley enough if you are in the area or you are a Delawarean looking for something to do on the weekend. Even if you aren't very interested in history, the grounds are very much worth walking around for their natural beauty. read more

The grounds are beautiful at the Hagley, but gunpowder does not interest me. I was happy enough just to walk along the Brandywine river. If you are interested in the history of Dupont, then it's great. Just not my thing. read more

A fun stop on a road trip. We swung through Delaware upon driving from PA to DC. We happened to be there for Dollar Day which means that we paid a dollar each to get in and they had some dollar specials in the organic cafe as well. A bus takes you between all of the stops. The house has some amazing decorative arts particularly ceramics. I wish the other areas like the barn had more information about the weather vanes and horse-drawn carts. We didn't eat at the cafe but it had a nice, casual vibe. The gardens weren't too impressive since it is winter, but it was nice to walk through the woods on the way back. Be sure to get out and see the Steam Engine Demonstration. The kids (and my husband) seemed to love it. There are some good things for kids here, but the ones who were in our group as we toured the house lost interest quickly and left halfway through. It centers on decorative arts and the history of the DuPont company which may not interest many kids. read more

My mother and I walked around on a Monday. It was so nice and calming and each building had it's own little setup to look at. The examples were great and we had so much fun. Everyone was very friendly and informative. read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Turkey wrap and awesome brownie - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

Awesome place to visit - great for kids and adults, wear comfortable shoes because there can be a lot of walking (there is also a bus). Don't miss the live demonstrations. The staff is all very knowledgeable and friendly. read more

I never would have gone here if I didn't by the Brandywine Passport (great deal - look it up), but turned out to be a really nice day. It's mostly outdoors so go when weather is good. They have a great casual café that is surprisingly good and priced not too expensive so plan for lunch. It's a nice park setting, house tour, working old mill, demonstration and educational about the DuPonts. About 3 hours with lunch was time well spent. Not for kids who get bored easy though, but the old machine shop was very cool. You could also pair it with Neumors Estate, Mt Cuba, or DE Art Museum up the street for a longer day - all included in the passport deal. read more

Took my sons to this place. He loves it so much that he has been asking me to take him every single day. The place is clean and beautiful. The receptionist is nice. We learned a lot about the DuPont family read more

We were in the area, and found this gem. It was a little difficult to get to, tricky turns...and we ended up at the library which is the wrong entrance. Glad we were persistent! This is a very interesting and wonderful place to hang out. The tour of the house and barn were awesome, very informed tour guides that did not RUSH us. The home is beautiful and you can walk through almost all of it. We really enjoyed having lunch there, the best home made tortellini I have ever eaten....and we bought out the remaining supply of brownies (yeah they were that good). Everyone was pleasant and helpful. Definitely going back again. read more

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The Hagley Museum and Library is a step back in time to the very earliest industrialization of America. The grounds are huge and if I recall correctly it covers over 200 acres. There are many original structures that DuPont set up for the manufacture of gunpowder. Some of these structures, and the water powered machinery, is really quite impressive. The staff are extremely friendly and photography is allowed in all by two places. The guided tours are probably the best way to experience this museum because there is so much to see. There are also live demonstrations of working machinery as well as a live demo of how they tested black gunpowder. A fun day for both kids and adults. read more

Hagley Museum & Library - Eleutherian Mills - Museums Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

The house and grounds are beautiful and the exhibits are of great historical interest. I would have really enjoyed the visit except for one thing: the house is not handicapped-accessible. My disabled friend was only able to see part of the first floor and then was handed a folder with photos and told to wait outside. The tour guide and mini-bus driver acted as if my friend, who needs a power-scooter to get around because of serious spinal damage, was an inconvenience for them. When we bought tickets, no one told us that the house was not handicapped-accessible. This information should be clearly posted at the ticket counter. read more

This is a pretty interesting museum! For $14, I got my hours filled with nature and history. It's definitely a very nice and relaxing place to be too--the Brandy Wine River was amazingly calm and beautiful! I was lucky that when I went, there were any people so it was really beautiful and peaceful. I like how you can walk or take the bus provided. The guided tour was very informative and the staffs were pretty knowledgeable. read more

Being in Delaware, I had no choice than visit a Dupont museum. This was an excellent choice, a real value for only $11. The tour guides were very informative & enthusiastic about their topic. This site was a gunpowder factory that grew to the point of being the biggest gunpowder manufacturer in the US. It i fascinating how much long term preparation & risk went into establishing this enterprise. Some of the Duponts actually lived on site as did their workers. This was essentially a small company town. The setting is idyllic, much cleaner & greener than when the place was actually in use. I would recommend it if you are in the Wilmington area with an afternoon or even a whole day to spend. We were there 4 hours and would have probably spent another 2 hours if it hadnt been raining. read more

First--lunch was DELICIOUS! Nice treat. We had hoped to get more info on the life of the workers and while we learned a lot about the early DuPonts, there seemed to be one lone person on "Worker's Hill" and while the kids picked up bits and pieces about how tough it was for the workers (despite the DuPonts "generosity" for the time) I would have preferred maybe more hands and info about "the common man (and woman) read more

Highly recommend!!! As others have said - there is a lot to see - and the guides/docents/interpreters were all wonderful! Shout out to Rodney n George of the machine shop - (also to the woman who demonstrated the steam engine: apologies that we did not get your name). These folks were knowledgeable and fun!! There is a wonderful cafe as well with excellent food and a lovely area with outdoor seating! Bonus - though it is a 'historic site' they definitely go deep on science which would make Pierre happy I believe - I know we enjoyed it!! read more

What a beautiful and wonderful place. For the amount of tours and demonstrations, this museum is a real bargain

Wow! A working historic machine shop, gunpowder demonstrations, a huge steam engine with connected governor and belts, this place was at least 5 times as awesome as its own website would suggest. Not even to mention a pretty neat historic house and garden, kids activities, hands on water works and visible working millraces and drive shafts. I would recommend not only visiting here if you are local but also driving here from Baltimore. read more

Very interesting. Extremely well preserved. Like an industrial Williamsburg with more original stuff. The tour guides and docents really knew their stuff. They were all very well versed on their subject. The tour lays out how they made gunpowder in the 1800's. You also see how owner, management and workers all lived. Truly fascinating and well worth your vacation time. read more

9/1/2013 Nice place for a visit. Gunpowder, the making of, is what made this place what it is, and what made the DuPont family at the time. There is an excellent museum, interesting powder demonstrations, machine shop demonstrations, and steam engine demonstrations. A bus transports you up to the Eleutherian Mills, the DuPont home, which actually is quite a good house tour.. It is surprising that the family lived a more down-to-earth lifestyle than many other rich people did in their mega-mansions. Walking along the river, exploring the mills is quite enjoyable. There is quite a lot to see. One fault I find with the property is that it would be nice to have viewing access to some of the roadside areas closed to pedestrians, mainly along the road to the house. Also found on the property is the Belin House Organic Cafe. It is a restaurant with good food, a mix of self-serve and heated sandwiches/meals. Good crabcakes, fries and BBQ pulled pork. The prices are reasonable and not overly high as one would find at other museums. read more