The Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway travels 12.25 miles from Rodney Square and the famed HOTEL DUPONT in downtown Wilmington to the Pennsylvania state line.
As you explore Routes 52 and 100, you will enjoy Delaware’s only national scenic byway and one of
only 150 across the country.
Take an unforgettable journey along a route where the city of Wilmington gives way to the rolling hills, pastures and chateaus of the Brandywine Valley and discover the lasting influence of the du Pont family dynasty along the way. This route is a true Delaware original, often referred to as Chateau Country. The Brandywine Valley National Scenic Byway leads to an unparalleled concentration of historic sites, magnificent estates, glorious gardens and mesmerizing museums where visions from a vanished century abound.
You can simply take in the beauty or enjoy several stops on and adjacent to the byway. Lodging options along the route include the HOTEL DU PONT and the Inn at Monchanin Village.
Depending on the time of year you travel the byway, you are sure to find the richness and beauty that makes this place special. Are you a history buff? Love horticulture? The arts? You will be amazed at all you can see and do in the Brandywine Valley.
Start your tour at Hagley Museum and Library, celebrating the history of American business and innovation. Here you will find an example of early American industry that includes restored mills, a workers’ community, and the ancestral home and gardens of the du Pont family.
Next stop, Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library, is regarded as one of America’s most beautiful historic homes and mansions.
Worth the stop, Nemours Estate is just off the byway, and a jewel in greater Wilmington. Modeled after Versailles it is home to arguably the finest French-style gardens in America.
Back on the byway, especially if you are traveling with children, take in the Delaware Museum of Natural History to see the second-largest collection of birds’ eggs in North America as well as a couple cool dinosaurs.
From there enjoy the picturesque scenery as you travel to the Pennsylvania state line and head towards the Brandywine River Museum of Art in Chadds Ford - home of artwork from three generations of the Wyeth family.
A great way to cap off your journey is with a visit to Longwood Gardens – one of the world’s greatest gardens.
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