Explore the Attractions of the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport
Whether you’re planning a summer getaway with old friends or a relaxing escape while the kids are at camp, the Brandywine Valley will rejuvenate you. Renowned for its cultural attractions, glorious gardens, elegant mansions, and superb museums, Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley offer a trove of new delights each and every year. Best of all, the 12 must-visit destinations below can all be visited for one low price when you purchase a Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport.
We invite you to explore what the attractions of the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport have in store for you...
Discover an outstanding collection of American art housed in a 19th-century mill with a dramatic steel and glass addition overlooking the banks of the Brandywine River. Renowned for its holdings of…
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A few miles outside of Wilmington, the Brandywine Museum of Art is set among trees and flowers along the Brandywine river. The former 19th-century mill now includes a modern steel and glass addition, and the illustrious collection within is celebrated for including the work of three generations of Wyeth family art: N. C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth. Once inside, the carefully curated collection of American art includes a special focus on art from the Brandywine Valley.
Not to Miss
Explore the inspiration for many of artist Andrew Wyeth’s paintings at Kuerner Farm, a 10-minute drive from the museum. Docent-led tours make connections between Wyeth’s work and actual sites on the property. Look out at the world from the vantage point of the boy who would develop into the artist, and begin to understand why the house and farm fascinated the painter from childhood. Perhaps walking those floors, absorbing those views, or breathing the air that lambs and cows and barnyard cats breathed helped make Wyeth into the artist he became.
Explore reimagined art galleries, a spacious sculpture garden and labyrinth, and spectacular special exhibitions. The Delaware Art Museum is best known for its large collection of British…
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The Delaware Art Museum features many pre-Raphaelite visionaries—it’s the largest collection outside of the British Isles—and the sculpture gardens provide a beautiful outdoor backdrop for some attention-grabbing three-dimensional pieces.
Not to Miss
The Howard Pyle collection showcases the drawings and paintings of Howard Pyle, whose images were published in Harper’s Monthly, among others. Pyle was the father of American illustration and taught the aforementioned N. C. Wyeth. Vincent van Gogh was a fan.
Explore contemporary art and stimulate your creativity with our always-changing, thought-provoking exhibitions, events, and programs! The Delaware Contemporary houses 7 galleries, 26 artist studios…
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Although the Brandywine Trail is steeped in history, it makes room for modern as well. This contemporary art museum reminds Brandywine Trail blazers that Wilmington is not only about the past through 30 exhibitions that showcase the abstract and the thought-provoking.
Not to Miss
The Delaware Contemporary presents exhibitions of regionally, nationally, and internationally recognized artists that explore topical issues in contemporary art and society, including the West Street Art Festival held in June. This is a day of creative fun featuring indoor and outdoor art-based activities, performances, vendors, food trucks, and refreshments.
Come explore the many stories of the First State at the Delaware History Museum, which also includes the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage. The Delaware History Museum…
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This art-deco building once housed a Woolworth's Department Store in the 1940's, today Delaware History Museum uses an overarching theme of "Delaware: One State, Many Stories," to tell the state's history through topics that include Delaware's immigrant history, maritime heritage, agricultural roots, and Wilmington's transformation from industrial hub to financial center.
Not to Miss
Housed within the Delaware History Museum is the Mitchell Center for African American Heritage. Sharing the museum's theme, the exhibit Journey to Freedom presents compelling perspectives of African Americans’ struggles for human rights, freedom, and dignity in Delaware and the nation.
Explore immersive ecosystems from Delaware and around the world at the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, recently reopened after a complete renovation to its galleries and public spaces. You'll…
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The Delaware Museum of Natural History has made a huge metamorphosis and reemerged as The Delaware Museum of Nature & Science in 2022. This new configuration of the well-known and treasured museum will bring new significance to the wonders of science in the natural world. With a new café, Paleozone, Evolution Trail, and more, the Nature and Science Museum will spark creativity and curiosity for all types of adventurers.
Not to Miss
In the Global Journey Gallery, travel a giant floor map to explore our planet’s ecosystems. The map is surrounded by recreations of three different land-based ecosystems (tropical rainforest, Arctic tundra and African savanna), plus three different ocean environments. What better way to dive into nature’s diversity and experience how we’re all connected?
Hagley is a large, indoor-outdoor museum experience with hundreds of years of history. Explore the new Nation of Inventors exhibition celebrating diverse stories of American innovation. Join…
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The Hagley Museum & Library—a gorgeous mansion, museum, library, and former business on manicured grounds—draws visitors into a time long past. Walk through the story, business offices, and homestead of the du Pont family, whose company supplied more than half of the black powder used by the Union Army in the Civil War, as well as the dynamite that was used to build railroads across the West. Other highlights include permanent and changing exhibits, as well as the library, a renowned research center dedicated to preserving the history of American business.
Not to Miss
The Powder Yard. The museum tells a story of an American family, but it also tells the story of work that mattered, of men who spent their days toiling in explosive dust. Exploring their workspace also reveals the ingenuity of early American engineering, the millworks, cogs, wheels, tracks with moving carts, and massive drill bits, all set in a historic building next to the running water that made it possible.
Explore one of the great gardens of the world, featuring 1,100 acres of meadows, gardens, and woodlands including a 4-acre Conservatory. With dazzling horticulture displays, majestic fountains and…
