Contact:   Lyn Lewis, Director of Communications
                  Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau
                  302-295-2212
                  LynLewis@visitwilmingtonde.com

Eight members of the Brandywine Museums & Gardens Alliance will waive admission fees on Saturday, January 23rd.  Experience the rich tradition of art, gardens and culture that characterize the Greater Wilmington & Brandywine Valley...where Delaware and Pennsylvania meet.

The following attractions will open their doors to the public during this free event:

  • Brandywine River Museum
  • Delaware Art Museum
  • The Delaware Contemporary
  • Delaware Historical Society including the Delaware History Museum and the Read House & Gardens
  • Delaware Museum of Natural History
  • Hagley Museum & Library
  • Rockwood Museum
  • Winterthur Museum & Country Estate

Meg Marcozzi, Public Relations Coordinator at Hagley Museum & Library says, "The ‘free day' was offered for the first time in 2009, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.  More than nine thousand visitors turned out despite the threat of snow...The tremendous attendance shows how strongly the arts are valued in this region."

For more information about the January 23rd Free Open House, which is partially sponsored by 99.5 WJBR, visit www.brandywinetreasures.org or contact Meg Marcozzi at 302-658-2400 ext. 238 or mmarcozzi@hagley.org

To contact members of the Brandywine Museums and Gardens Alliance directly:

Brandywine River Museum, U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, PA 19317; www.brandywinemuseum.org; Lora Englehart, 610-388-8337; lenglehart@brandywine.org.

Delaware Art Museum, 2301 Kentmere Parkway, Wilmington, DE 19806; www.delart.org; Dennis Lawson, 302-571-9590, x. 515, dlawson@delart.org.

The Delaware Contemporary, 200 S. Madison St., Wilmington, DE 19801; www.thedcca.org; Sara Teixido, 302-656-6466, x. 7110, steixido@thedcca.org.

Delaware Museum of Natural History, 4840 Kennett Pike, Delaware Route 52, Wilmington, DE 19807; www.delmnh.org; Teresa Messmore, 302-658-9111, tmessmore@delmnh.org.

Hagley Museum and Library, DE Route 141, Wilmington, DE 19807; www.hagley.org. Meg Marcozzi, 302-658-2400, ext. 238, mmarcozzi@hagley.org.

Historical Society of Delaware (includes Delaware History Museum in Wilmington and George Read II House & Gardens in New Castle), 504 Market St., Wilmington, DE 19801; http://dehistory.org/. MaryLynn Mack, 302-295-2212, publicrelations@hsd.org.

Longwood Gardens, U.S. Route 1 at PA Route 52, Kennett Square, PA 19348; www.longwoodgardens.org; Lynn Fetters, 610-388-1000, ext. 567, lfetters@longwoodgardens.org. (NOTE: Longwood Gardens does not participate in the January 23, 2010 open house.)

Rockwood Park and Mansion, 610 Shipley Rd., Wilmington, DE 19805; www.rockwood.org; Philip Nord, 302-761-1722, pnord@nccde.org.

Winterthur Museum & Country Estate, DE Route 52, Winterthur, DE 19735; www.winterthur.org; Jeff Groff, jgroff@winterthur.org.