With its rolling hills, plentiful parklands, historic sites and convenient location the Greater Wilmington area appeals to leaf-peepers who want to combine the beauty of the autumn season with a fun-filled weekend escape.
Walk the town of Historic New Castle to view the scarlet and gold trees that line cobblestone streets. Visit the Court House Museum, built in 1732, and part of the First State National Historical Park, a collection of seven sites throughout Delaware. Learn the town’s history and plot your visit at the visitor center inside The Arsenal at 30 Market Street, New Castle. Save time to stroll Battery Park, which overlooks the Delaware river, it will provide some Instagram-worthy photo opps.
Hagley Museum & Library is situated alongside the Brandywine and populated by mature trees with branches that spread out over the water. The kaleidoscope of burnt orange, green, red and gold make it a preferred setting for photographers. Hagley is also home to the original headquarters of the DuPont Co. Enjoy living history programs and tours, which detail what life was like living and working on a gunpowder-manufacturing site in the 19th century. Take time to see the family’s ancestral home, which was built in 1802, and the Osage orange tree that was already 100 years old at the start of the 19th century.
The Wilmington & Western Railroad was chartered in 1867 to move goods between the mills along Red Clay Creek and the Port of Wilmington. Today, 10.2 miles of the old line are used for a variety of excursions, including the Autumn Leaf Special. A trip that takes passengers through brilliantly colored woods that flank the creek.