FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley (January 30, 2018) – With the new year comes a series of fresh, exciting travel offerings from Greater Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley. From the region’s first food hall to a reconstructed pier that pays tribute to the area’s unique history, there’s a lot to look forward to, experience and explore in 2018:
DE.CO
DE.CO (Delaware Collective) will join Wilmington’s newly bursting culinary scene as the first food hall for Delaware. Opening in 2018 off 10th and Orange streets, the $3.5 million project is centrally located in the business district at the historical Dupont Building, also home to the famous HOTEL DUPONT. This next step in revitalizing the city will introduce eight kitchens, a central bar and a private event space to showcase a diverse selection of culinary concoctions. Cuisine will feature selections from the Mid-Atlantic area and around the world, allowing the chefs to cultivate their new ideas and concepts. Operating daily, the 12,000-square-foot food hall is an effort to attract visitors who are ready to experience Wilmington as a food-focused destination. DE.CO will be the new place for the community to gather for whatever the occasion, whether that’s a brunch with the family or lunch with business associates.
Follies at Winterthur
Whimsical dreams come to life at what Forbes labels one of the most beautiful gardens in America. Winterthur, Wilmington’s testament to American decorative arts, includes a 60-acre garden amidst its 1,000-acre estate. Starting April 1, Winterthur will feature Follies: Architectural Whimsy in the Garden, the property’s first-ever outdoor exhibition. The garden will display 13 different structures, including a Gothic-inspired tower, Chinese pavilion, faerie house and more. The follies seen during the walk-through combine the original structures placed there by Henry Francis du Pont and new items inspired by other estates in the 1900s. Follies like these were very popular for estates like du Pont’s, and they served as creative ways to accentuate different parts of the garden. Follies can be seen on many popular television shows, including Downton Abbey and Brideshead Revisited. Tours are offered in a one-mile walking loop or on a guided tram; the exhibit will also be accessible via wheelchair and stroller. Between Labor Day and Memorial Day, Follies at Winterthur can be seen at a discounted rate via the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport. The Passport is a single ticket that provides access to 12 top attractions in and around Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley at greatly discounted rates.
Eye on Nature: Andrew Wyeth and John Ruskin
Coming on the heels of last year’s centennial celebration of Andrew Wyeth’s birth, the Delaware Art Museum will open a new exhibition that puts Wyeth’s and John Ruskin’s portrayal of the natural world side-by-side for the first time. Wyeth, an American painter, and Ruskin, a British critic and artist, were born 100 years apart, but both held deep passion for their natural surroundings. The exhibit opens March 10 and will run through May 27. The Delaware Art Museum, which was founded to preserve the work of Wilmington’s famous illustrator, Howard Pyle, also houses the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art outside of England. With Eye on Nature, the museum will compare, contrast and examine the varying approaches to the natural world as seen by these two celebrated artists.
Historic New Castle Pier
The Historic New Castle Pier recently re-opened and is once again ready to greet the Kalmar Nyckel. After Hurricane Sandy destroyed the previous pier off Battery Park in 2012, visitors have been waiting for a new way to access the Delaware River. The $1.2 million pier extends 170 feet into the river, jetting out from the concrete wharf at the bottom of Delaware Street. The Kalmar Nyckel, an exquisite replica of the Swedish ship that brought the first settlers to Wilmington in 1638, will periodically dock here during the warmer months. The ship provides further education about Delaware’s rich maritime and colonial history, which was tied to the Delaware River. The new pier will also provide increased opportunities for visitors to arrive in this historic village by boat and discover all New Castle can offer.
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Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley is in the heart of the Mid-Atlantic region and less than a two-hour drive from both New York City and Washington. Steeped in American history and the legacy of the famed du Pont family, Greater Wilmington is a destination marked by sharp contrasts – town and garden, past and present, historic and hip. From renowned gardens, world-class museums, colonial towns, outdoor adventure, festivals, and an ever-growing craft beer and restaurant scene, each experience is more vibrant, more unique and more authentic than the last. Learn more at VisitWilmingtonDE.com. And to see the beauty of the Brandywine Valley now, watch this: https://youtu.be/KyPWLnciO0E.
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