Fantastic experience due to all of the friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. Right from the start at the ticket booth through to Ed the tour bus driver this crew of volunteers made this a memorable visit. Of course the grounds are stunning as is the house. This estate has the best basement I have ever seen. Sure the rest of the house is beautiful but that basement is great. Don't miss the chauffer's garage and living quarters. We learned a ton about the duPonts that lived here but I now need to learn more. Well worth the price of admission! Bravo! read more

My husband and I went to Nemours Estate & Gardens after i had recently heard about it. The mansion was very beautiful. Just remember no eating, drinking (the complimentary water they give you upon entering their welcome center, don not touch anything, sit anywhere unless there is a throw pillow indicating "Yes you can sit here", oh yes and no chewing gum. The gardens were pretty except most of the flowers aren't in bloom in mid April, the fountains aren't turned on in the multiple reflection pools either. It would be great if they indicated all of this somewhere on their website. I just feel like you don't get your money's worth if not all of the flowers are in bloom. My advice is visit sometime in the summer possibly then maybe you'll see more. All in all it was a cool experience just to get out and do something but u definitely would have went at a later date had I known the gardens were not fully in bloom. But as a love of tulips I absolutely loved seeing those. read more

Wilmington, DE - one of several du Pont family grand estates in the Brandywine Valley, I'd say Nemours is probably the most photogenic and classical of the properties, with its French chateau style house and formal gardens, modeled after the gardens at Versailles. When I say photogenic, I mean that literally - this is a gorgeous location for photo shoots. As close as one can get to Europe without going to Europe. Perhaps because of its stateliness and the expanse of symmetrical rather than natural terrain (or maybe because it's our third day visiting lavish homes and I've become impervious to luxury), I also found this to be the least interesting and inviting of the properties, but that's entirely a personal opinion and others may feel the opposite. Actually I take that back - I forgot all about the basement level of the home, which was a cool part of the house! There was also a lot of walking involved to see all of the gardens behind the house, which we endeavored to do, with many lovely features such as the reflecting pool & fountains, a maze garden, and a sunken garden which was under renovation at the time of our visit. The garden shuttle tour is great! It takes you all around the property and is a nice break from all the walking. There's also a chauffeur's garage displaying a small collection of vintage automobiles. ===== 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 Nemours, there is also Winterthur, the Hagley Museum & Library, 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

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Finding this place wasn't the easiest but it was well worth it! I ended up having to go through the hospital parking lot but thankfully there were signs to guide me to the actual estate. Parking was easy and the ticketing staff was extremely friendly and helpful. There are complimentary waters throughout the entire estate and several bathrooms as well. The property, grounds, and buildings were immaculately taken care of and stunning. There is a lot of history to learn of the property while you are here and even if you miss the guided tour, there are staff members all throughout the buildings to give you a bit of info or to ask questions. This was a great experience and I will absolutely be back! read more

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Its a nice tour and the grounds are very formal! You get 3 floors to tour from the basement to the 2nd floor. Cannot take backpacks in so you have to put them in a locker before you start the self-guided tour. The car garage is a bit of a walk towards the grounds exit but there are only about 6 cars in there. The only downside is that there are so many people working the tour route, they practically jump out of every corner to tell you about their area. Its a nice tour and the gardens are well taken care of . read more

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Really enjoyed my recent visit here. The grounds are beautiful and well maintained. Staff were friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. There is no food on site but there are picnic tables. Make sure to wear comfy shoes as you will be getting your steps in. If you enjoy gardening, the walking tour with the gardener is a must. We got to see a hummingbird and he was very well versed in the history of the estate and the DuPont family. read more

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An elite home and estate tour of another du pont in Delaware. This was the second home on our Wilmington Day, and this one is a fancy home built by Alfred for his second wife modeled after Versailles. You can tell the staff loves working here. Such a contrast to Winterthur, which was like pulling teeth to get info. Here the staff made sure you got the highlights (we got here with an hour to close) so we definitely were rushed. It was also 100 degrees outside so the staff offered us water upon entry. The house is amazing, and one of my favorite grandeur homes from the past. It reminded me of the Biltmore, with a basement with bowling, a wellness center and cinema room. The tour is self guided, but again the staff is SUPER Friendly so you can ask as many questions as you want. The gardens are spectacular, they're doing renovations so you can't see a lot of it but what tis open is still huge. The gold fountain is amazing, and even though I've not been to Versailles the first thought I had was that it reminded me of the photos I've seen. I would come back as we didn't have enough time, it's definitely worth a visit when in Wilmington. read more

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A friend and I visited Nemours Estate for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and it was such an amazing visit. Nemours Estate was built by Alfred I. du Pont in 1909/10 as a gift for his second wife Alicia, who was a Francophile that appreciated French/Louis XVI architecture. So it's little bit like visiting a baby Versailles in Rhode Island! The mansion is 47,000 square feet (not all of it open to the public during a tour) and has 77 rooms - incredibly preserved and full of art and early 20th century artifacts and technology. The tour of the mansion is self-guided, but there were very friendly staff members in almost every room to answer any questions we had about the house. Between the staff and the signs in the rooms, we learned a lot about Alfred, his second and third wives, his children, and the house and its furnishings and architecture. And it was absolutely gorgeous - what a breathtaking house. Every floor of the house had something interesting to see (don't miss the bowling alley and gym areas of the basement)! The gardens (200 acres) were undergoing some renovations when we visited (June 2024), so I'd love to visit again in the future to appreciate the gardens at a better time! There's also a garage you can tour (which contains a vintage collection of automobiles opened by the du Ponts). A day pass to Nemours includes access to the mansion, garage, gardens, and grounds for a day ($23). Totally worth it to take in this gorgeous mansion. We hadn't given ourselves enough time to explore as much as we'd have liked, so I'll definitely return for a second visit! read more

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I went with a friend and enjoyed the visit. You check in at a welcome center to get a map and orientation. It's a bit of a walk to the entrance but Julia from the welcome center was very nice to provide a ride in the golf court for us to the house. She told me that any of the staff there could call her to come back and unfortunately I had left my phone in my car and she came back to take me back to the parking lot to get it and then take me back. She was pleasant and very helpful. At the estate, there are guides throughout the building who can answer questions and tell you about the rooms. There are 3 floors and you want to be sure not to miss the basement which has shuffleboard, bowling alleys, a screening room for movies, pool tables and machinery that operates the house such as a water bottling area. The first floor is living room, office, dining and kitchen areas. There are some chandeliers that are quite beautiful. The kitchen area held 16 full sets of china and there was a safe for the silver. It was a big and very professional kitchen. There was a servants area as the servants lived there and were treated very well. Much food was raised on the premises. The upstairs has bedrooms-each with its own bathroom and the husband and wife each had their own sitting room with on one side of their bedroom. Mr. DuPont was interested in wellness and had a variety of medical devices he used and tested. He donated the funds for a children's hospital that is adjacent to the property. The grounds are beautiful and they offer a van tour around it which is worth doing as well. There is a gift shop with limited things-a big disappointing but nice to have. It is worth a visit. read more

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We were driving from New York to Virginia and stopped by the Nemours Estate to break up the drive and spend a little time to walk around. The grounds and estate were amazing and truely set up to accomadate anyone that would like to take a tour. The tour is self guided but their is a staff member to answer questions in each room. It was a needed break and great experience that we recommend if your in the area read more

Spent several enjoyable hours at the Nemours Estate, another gem I was unaware of. We recently watched a video on Gilded Age mansions and it was featured. I love me a mansion and landscaped grounds and this did not disappoint. It's self guided, but the docents are friendly and enthusiastic. It feels accessible in a way many of these places don't- the rooms are veritable time capsules and you can wander through them, rather than only peer in. Highly recommend!! read more

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This was an amazing house owned by the DuPonts and modeled after Versailles. The house is incredible. Self-guided tours are supplemented by knowledgeable guides in each room. We especially loved the basement with its specialty ice room, water bottling area, bowling alley, cinema and more. We visited on a hot day and were very impressed they gave out free bottled water. read more

Beautiful house! 3 stories of beautiful rooms and a lot of history. Instead of a tour on the hour, there were guides in pretty much every room to describe the Du Pont family and objects in the house as well as answer questions. Right now, the house is decorated for the holidays, so it's got a lot of beautiful trees in most rooms. I enjoyed seeing a lot of historic and artistic objects and interacting with the staff. The house was state of the art at the time, so it was really interesting learning about some of the ways Du Pont strove to make the house run the most efficiently. Plus, he had a bowling alley in the basement. The house is on the same property as a children's hospital, where a lot of the money went. So not only was the money well-spent on a grand house, but it lives on to this day helping children. It is a little expensive, but it's also nice to stroll around the grounds. There is a garage with some vintage Rolls-Royces, so don't forget your property map and take time to stroll around outside after you're done inside. read more

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Such a lovely experience at Nemours Estate. You hear about Longwood Gardens, which is another Dupont estate, so frequently but I think Nemours is underrated. It is such a beautiful property with so much history and so much to see. The entrance fee of $23 a person is well worth it to help with the upkeep of the home and the extensive gardens. I appreciated the tram tour which took you around the permiter of the property as we were limited on time and it would have taken a LONG time to walk all of that. We were disappointed by two things.... 1) We arrived at 2pm to find out that the mansion was closing at 3:30 for a private event. We had planned on staying 2.5 hours at the property, which would have been enough time for us to see everything, but our time was limited to only 1.5, which was not enough time to see everything. I wish they had offered us some type of discount due to this being that we had no notice. 2) The person who did the tour on the tram was not really knowledgeble about the property. I had hoped the tour would have provided some more in depth information but he spent a lot of time pointing out things that were pretty obvious. I would like to go back when I have more time to explore. read more

Absolutely BREATHTAKING! I really took my time in each room and thoroughly enjoyed my experience. The people employed there REALLY know the history and background and because i was there on a day with hardly no visitors, I was able to talk to everyone and even get insider knowledge on all sorts of things im sure i wouldnt have been told had it been crowded. Exquisite taste and fantastic detail all over the house. My favorite place was the bowling alley and the views from the window. read more

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Very well maintained mansion, gardens and grounds of the DuPont family. $20 per person entry fee is well spent to offset the considerable staff kept full time to operate this "simple" great house of the early 1920's. Not ostentatious but rather human scale, it does not impress in the way that the grand palaces and chateaux of France upon which it is modeled do. The gardens are simple yet reverent , and the reflecting pool is cornered with exquisite gleaming white marble sculpture celebrating the human form. Yes there are a lot of rooms, but no grand ballroom, a dining room and not a dining hall, a writing room and not a grand library. The plan is decidedly livable and efficient. A van tour takes visitors around the grounds to see various interesting spots, ending at the garage and chauffeur's residence. I finally got to see where the quirky Cadillac logo comes from a hundred years ago, it makes much more sense in the original design. GM should go back to this old look. And I guessed the year of their newest Rolls within 2 years. Not bad. read more

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As someone who has lived in the area for most of my life, when I say I was surprised at the hidden beauty of the Nemours Estate for it being in Delaware, I was shook. It was $20.00 for Sunday admission. My friend and I had no idea what to expect going in. Apparently Nemours Estate is the largest French garden in North America. It was gorgeous! My breath was taken away by the landscaping and the statues and fountains. I can't state enough of how beautiful it is here and I don't believe my photos do it justice. There is a free shuttle that takes you on a 25 minute tour of the grounds. Take it! You learn so much about the estate and the family When you are ready, go take a tour of the inside of the house. I thought the house and property were from the 1800s and to learn it was from 1930s - 1970s blew my mind. There is so much to take in and I want to go back just to see it all again. read more

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I have lived very close to here my whole life but this was the first time I checked it out! Beautiful gardens and house, very well maintained and the staff was super friendly Definitely would recommend! read more

I have seen a fair amount of mansions from Newport, RI, up the Hudson River Valley, Biltmore, and on the West Coast. I really really enjoyed touring this house and gardens. The staff was so helpful and very knowledgeable. I loved that they had things for kids to look at and lots of information about dogs. The grounds and gardens were beyond fabulous. I was with my elderly mother who has trouble walking so we took the bus tour around the estate and we had a golf cart ride to the chauffeur's garage. The bus was air conditioned so that was very pleasant. My only suggestion to the estate would be to get an app and provide self guide audio tours on personal phones. read more

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Beautiful mansion and garden. Staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They are available in the whole mansion. The tour shuttles are pretty frequent Don't forget to get some gifts at the gift shop. read more

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This place reminded me so much of my trip to Paris when I saw Versailles. If you can't make it to Paris, just come here! The grounds are BEAUTIFUL and the mansion is amazing. I don't remember how much it was but I remember thinking this was a great deal. I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't see the 2nd floor. I don't know if that's because of Covid or they just never opened it to the public. The staff was super friendly and helpful and it was just a great place overall, just very interesting and informative. I would highly recommend this place if you are in the area. read more

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The Nemours Estate is a 200-acre country estate with formal gardens and mansion, built to resemble a French chateau. It has 105 rooms on four floors and occupies nearly 47,000 square feet. Created in 1909 by Alfred DuPont as a gift for his second wife, Alicia, the mansion is an eclectic collection of antiques, artwork, and tapestries. The grounds are beautiful and boast many fountains, a reflecting pool, sunken gardens, Russian gates, English gates, and a maze garden. While touring the mansion, you're sure to see interesting antique furniture in Mr. and Mrs. DuPont's sitting rooms and bedrooms. An impressive library has a large collection of classic literature. Plenty of docents on site to answer any questions or simply explain the furnishings and history of each room. Worth checking out if you're in the area. After touring the mansion, spend some time along The Long Walk in nature. Beautiful and peaceful. read more

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Went last year and had a great time. The mansion was beautiful and the grounds were well maintained. Highly recommend touring. read more

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Beautiful grounds and estate plus very attentive docents ... well worth the drive! Need a full day to take it all in. read more

Must visit even if you need to make a trip! Nemours Estate has a crazy pretty French garden, a giant mansion, and 300 acres to offer. Pictures do not do justice for this magnificent piece of history. You must visit in person to see its beauty in full. They offer different tours inclusive with your admission. I highly recommend them! read more

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This place is a hidden gem. I was surprised the parking lot was so small, I really would think more people would love to explore the beautiful grounds of the DuPont mansion. Wonderful tour guide and exhibits. You spend a day here. read more

Nemours Estate - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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I was followed around (being the only person of color there). My money and excitement to learn was treated as less than and ignored throughout my entire experience NEVER AGAIN! read more

We came to Nemours as almost an afterthought, we had time to kill on our last day of a road trip so we decided to drive to the Dupont (Nemours) mansion to check it out. The price is 18.00 per person and there is 20 minute film to start. From there you take the shuttle bus to the front of the mansion for a self-guided tour. The house is enormous and full of all kinds of cool art work and historic relics. The basement, aka the man's area was by far my favorite part. The pool room is full of dark wood and seems like the perfect place to have a bourbon and a cigar. The also had a bowling alley, exercise room, library, sitting room, screened in porch, and who knows how many other rooms in the mansion. The real star though are the grounds themselves. I've never seen a manicured garden this nice in my life. It seemed like a place that was only in the movies, like the place Jackie Gleason lived when he hired Richard Pryor to play with his son in The Toy. We spent a good 3 hours exploring the house and walking the entire grounds. The place is amazing and the owners themselves seemed equally amazing. There is a children's hospital right next door that was built and funded by the Dupont's. The Nemours Estate definitely peaked my interest in learning more about the man behind the home. read more

Nemours is a super place to visit. It is one of America's grand estates and one of several in the Northern Delaware region outside of Wilmington and down the road from Philly. Nemours is one of the Dupont estates - this one developed by the philanthropist A. I. Dupont and it contains perhaps the best example of classic French gardens in the United States. Your visit begins in the Visitor's Center where you can also view a short film on Mr. A.I. Dupont and the development of Nemours. A shuttle bus will then transport you to the estate itself. There are guide-led tours through the mansion and gardens or you can do a self-guided tour. Information and helpful staff are everywhere to insure an educational and pleasant visit. And let me comment here - every person encountered at Nemours was extremely friendly and helpful. You could tell the staff enjoyed working there. Nemours is def a five-star attraction! read more

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Incredibly stunning with amazing tour guides. Those who love to learn about history and have an appreciation for art history will absolutely adore this. On their site they say that they limit guests so it does feel more like a personal visit, but due to covid too I think not a lot of people realize this is here. Definitely a hidden gem to explore on a weekend afternoon - less crowded than longwood gardens with a lot to see and experience. If you don't plan on taking the shuttle that they offer, WEAR COMFY SHOES - you will be walking a lot. :) read more

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A friend saw my pics and said, "This is what Versailles looks like." Based on her description, I was validated with my choice to come to Nemours. The grounds are lush, verdent, and well-kept. Pristine grounds are complemented by exciting vantage points. Lavender was in full bloom when we were there. The inside of the mansion is exquisite. Each room is ornately decorated and full of history. Definitely worth the $12!!!! read more

This is a beautiful place and a great place to visit and to go for a long walk. We would go back when we're in the area again. Employees were nice, but we got lost trying to find the place and driving around, we called for directions, and they were not very helpful. They don't have a lot of parking, but we didn't mind parking by Ronald McDonald's and walking. read more

Nemours Estate - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Wilmington, Delaware

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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. I had my 15 year old goddaughter who loves museums and we were both in awe of the beautiful grounds and mansion tour. We had to make reservations in advance, however we had a difficult time finding the location on our GPS. We arrived just in time for the shuttle bus that takes you on the tour of the mansion. The mansion was beautiful and we were able to view most of the home including the basement where there was a bowling alley, gym and Mr. DuPont's office. I wont go into the history of the mansion because I forgot it all now, LOL but that's what Google is for. LOL Now the grounds outside of the mansion were just picturesque. We walked around and took a few pictures after we had a mini tour from the shuttle bus that drove us around and stopped and showed us their garage with gorgeous cars and a boat. This place is definitely a must see when you're in the area. read more

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Nemours estate is a beautiful location! The mansion/gardens are a must-see if you're going to the Delaware area. Getting there is a bit difficult as there isn't much signage around to point you in the right direction. We turned around multiple times but once we finally arrived at this hidden gem it was breathtaking! The employees and guides are very helpful and they gave us an excellent overview of the property. The mansion and gardens are self-guided which is really nice because you can go at your own pace. However there is also a guided bus tour that takes you around the whole property in around 20 mins. You can learn a bit about the property and its history while enjoying some scenic views. We did this tour before the mansion which I recommend because you can learn about the property before exploring it. The mansion is beautiful and we loved being able to walk around at our own pace and look at everything. The grounds were beautiful and we could have walked there for hours, but it was pretty hot out. Overall, this estate is a wonderful place to visit! read more

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Be transported to the Gilded Age. This A. i. Dupont home was based on Versailles in France. It is decorated with artwork, furniture, etc. Yet it was still a home for family and friends enjoyment with a billiards room, bowling alley, work out room and a music room. The large pool was originally 5 ft deep for swimming till it was changed recently to the 1ft pool with fountain. Looking forward to coming back to see all the decorations at Christmas time. read more

Nemours is the largest formal French gardens in the United States. It feels very emblematic of it's original time period and lends itself a great experiential way to learn the history of the people and events surrounding the estate. Even you don't really care about history, it's built to be aesthetically pleasing and a wonderful place to take pictures. I recommend eating before you come and giving this destination multiple hours if you want to see all that it has to offer. Be warned that it's not a great destination for the summer heat as most of the experience is outdoor gardens! read more

I had been wanting to try Nemours for years. It was the only local grande manse left that I hadn't visited. We had done all the other places several times over, and for some reason never made it around to this one. Prior to visiting, we did a lot of online research for tips from travel blogs and rating websites, to assure we'd get everything possible out of our visit. The prevailing recommendation was that it's essential to make reservations ahead, and that if we wanted to pay in person to avoid online ticketing fees, we would need to call. Despite making NINE phone calls to the main number between 9am and 11am on a week day, we never got through to a live person. Since they REQUIRE reservations to visit, we were forced to reserve online, and pay added fees as a result of no one answering the phone, or returning our 2 voice mails. When we arrived at the center 20 mins before the 3pm tour, we explained our issues to the silver-haired woman at the ticketing desk. She was extremely unsympathetic about no one answering our calls, gave no apology or explanation, and told us too bad, but there is nothing she can do, and yes, visitors have to pay added fees when the Nemours staff refuses to do their job. This was very disappointing, and a poor first impression. The tour begins at the visitor's center, with didactic panels of Alfred DuPont on the walls, and a theater. Of course, Longwood and Winterthur will fill you in on other DuPonts, but what I did appreciate about Nemours was the film they showed, which was mandatory, unlike the one at Longwood, where people mill in and out, and no one really watches it. The Nemours film educated me more on the family history back in France, and filled in some pieces of the puzzle that were very helpful. That said, the environment for this film, and all the rules for visitors that they outline at the start of things, felt very controlling and a bit insulting. I felt like a kid being admitted to juvey. "Don't touch the antiques" is certainly obvious. But they stress it so much, it's beyond excessive. There are rules for where you can and can't walk, and I don't mean to stay on the runner or inside the velvet ropes, I mean you get a tip-toeing feeling as they watch you move through the house (like reform school mistresses). The day we were there, it was a bunch of geeky tourist-looking adults, not the kind of people to make trouble. There were no kids visiting (if they are even allowed), yet this freaky watchful attitude persisted. We were not to touch this, we were to grab every railing whether we needed it or not, we were to wait here, no, here, while another group passed. What the heck? Maybe the day before someone did something outrageous? I don't know, but it was completely unlike anything I have ever seen. Winterthur has FAR more stuff, worth a heck of a lot more, and they don't act like that. Monticello and Montpelier are US PRESIDENTS' homes and THEY don't act like that. What on earth makes the staff at Nemours think this place is so especially covetable, or in need of such dire protection? The furnishings were nice, but not amazing. The homes mentioned in the para above boast far more spectacular interiors than Nemours. I was actually disappointed by the interior or Nemours, and I think people who have been to the abovementioned other homes would feel the same way. The basement was the most interesting to me. A. DuPont's inventions for modern conveniences, and the state-of-the-art billiards room, were impressive. I could imagine a lot of fun being had in the various gaming facilities. When we were finished, the guide hovered over us to the door, demanding "watch your step" the whole way. (I am not in a walker, lady.) Not only did she walk us to the threshold, but then across the patio and ONTO the tour bus. SHE BABYSAT US ONTO THE MINIBUS! Then, we were told we would be taken by bus (whether we liked it or not) to the garden (which was about 30 feet from the front door we'd just left). The tram let us off, telling us if we felt hot, we mandatorily needed to drink water from the cooler offered at X location. We could walk on the paths only; watch your step!--Barked at us like we're nuisances. We were given 10 mins before being picked up again, and driven around the garden we'd just walked, but not allowed to walk this additional area for some reason. The whole micromanaged, policed craziness was bizarre to us. My husband and I thought we were in the Twilight Zone. It was so unfriendly, and made the whole visit feel miserable. I'd have had a MUCH better time if I didn't feel so controlled and bullied everywhere. All in all, the place is worth a visit for its aesthetic and historical value. However, with all there is in the area, Nemours is NOT worth a stop unless you've already done everything else. The staff is a bunch of unhappy control freaks, who practice the opposite of hospitality, and ruin the experience. I'd be embarrassed to take guests there. read more

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Like taking an elegant trip back in time to experience the lifestyle and opulence of perhaps one of the most influential and wealthy families in the nation, the DuPonts. Those visiting must register for a specific time, tour groups are small and taken through the mansion in groups of 5 or 6 to maintain the quiet integrity of the mansion and to apparently allow the guide to explain and give more details. No photos are allowed in the house for some odd reason. They are very, VERY protective of the artifacts and layout of the mansion. The tour and indeed the home itself will explain the life, passions and even shortcomings of the man who built this magnificent mansion and its Versailles-like gardens, Alfred I. DuPont, wealthy son of one of the primary DuPont brothers to settle the Delaware Valley and make their initial fortunes in milling and gun powder. Mr. DuPont was also the man who endowed/started the world-famous Nemours Childrens Hospital which sits just north of the mansion grounds. The gardens are magnificent and while I've seen many extravagant mansions built by the super-rich of yesteryear, this is one of the most ornate both inside and out. Those with a love of regional history or architecture, furniture or interior design will love this place. Browsing the gardens and grounds is tour-guide free which makes-up for the hawk-like attitude one gets from the guides in the house. Once you've walked the gardens, the shuttle bus will take you on a tour of the estate itself where visitors can experience the winding paved roads through the property, the many deer and wildlife walking around and finally the DuPont's carriage house, meticulously cared for and housing Mr. DuPonts many now-antique roadsters, Rolls Royces and Mercedes as well as many of the wildlife trophies he kept. A great way to spend a Saturday or Sunday afternoon for guys in their 20s to retired folks. Don't miss it if you're anywhere near Wilmington. read more

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I took my son (13) to visit the mansion and gardens. Both of us are lovers of history. We have visited many mansions and palaces throughout the world, all peaking our interest and generating tons of questions about the time period. Nemours is one of the most beautifully and fully decorated mansions from the Gilded Age that we've seen in the US...the home is amazing and the gardens that adorn the property are indescribable. If you've visited mansions or palaces in other parts of the world and fell in love- Nemours will capture your heart in the same fashion. Plan a full day if you want to truly take in the history and the full experience of Nemours! You can utilize every minute. The tours are now self guided. I personally like it---and I don't. Unfortunately, you can miss many amazing things in the property, especially the story. The art pieces are incredible, but again, because there are so many, you may not appreciate all of what you see- when you see it, if someone is not sharing the importance. As you take it all in, be overly inquisitive and ask the professionals scattered throughout the house tons of questions. They are overly informed but may not proactively share, given their jobs have changed in the self guided business model. Should the self guided approach continue, it would be great to provide headsets that story tell the critical items being displayed and all else that excite history lovers. Delaware has a true gem! I'm so intrigued by the duPont's history. read more

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Great, great grandfather......Pierre Samuel duPont de Nemours...advisor to King Louis XVI and that Marie character during that little historical event called the Revolution. Political unrest sets in, goes to Delaware at the urging of old cronie, Thomas Jefferson.....after settling in Brandywine, starts a gunpowder works with his son. Thus is birthed the mega international DuPont Company. Century later, Alfred duPont builds chateau here ( super duper close to the children's hospital, and to Astra-Zeneca), a 47,000 square foot mansion inspired by Versailles. It was finished in 1910. Lots of priceless works of art, sculptures, a reflecting pool.....even gardens that look absolutely, quintessential European. About half hr south of Philly. read more