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ATTRACTIONS
"Here amidst the rolling hills of southern Chester county is where the Battle of Brandywine was fought and the paper milled for the Declaration of Independence and America's first currency. Here is where the duPonts made their fortunes, built a company and their mansions and where three generations of Wyeths have lived and painted the landscapes and people of Chadds Ford. Come discover the beauty and wonders of the Brandywine River Valley...our history, art, antiques, mansions and gardens and our unique brand of country casual hospitality." TheBrandywine.com
Gardens
Longwood Gardens, created by Pierre S. duPont, is one of the premier arboretums in the country, if not in the world. The Gardens encompass horticultural displays, walkways and meadows on 1,050 acres. Discounted tickets available for guests of Kennett House. Inquire with innkeeper.
Just minutes from the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Betsy Ross House is America's oldest living botanical garden, a pastoral 18th century homestead surrounded by the urban bustle of Philadelphia. You won't believe you are in the city when you see the wildflower meadow, majestic trees, river trail, wetland, stone house and farm buildings overlooking the Schuylkill River and of course, the historic botanical garden of American native plants.
In 1831, a distinguished group of Philadelphia and New York Quakers purchased 19.5 acres which lay in the center of the Welsh Tract, a part of the 40,000 acres for land ceded to the Welsh Quakers by William Penn. Upon this land the group founded Haverford College two years later. William Carvill, an English gardener, was hired in 1834 to convert the farmland into a functional campus. His design reflected the influence of Sir Humphrey Repton, one of England's great landscape architects.
A "pleasure garden" designed to illustrate the beauty of the art of horticulture. Thousands of bulbs clothe the ground in spring, followed by orchards of flowering trees with native wildflowers blooming in the woods. A vegetable garden complements a cut-flower garden, both accompanied by espaliered fruit trees. Courtyards are a framework for unusual combinations of herbaceous perennials, punctured by pots of tropical plants. Vines grow in nooks and crannies, trailing and twining.
Located in a rare remnant of the once continuous southeastern Pennsylvania hardwood forest, Jenkins Arboretum, a 46 acre, thriving woodland ecosystem, possesses large natural stands of mountain laurel, pinxterbloom azalea, blueberry, deeryberry, native wildflowers, ferns, and herbs. Paved walkways allow visitors to comfortably enjoy year-round.
MORRIS ARBORETUM - Philadelphia, PA
Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is an unterdisciplinary center that integrates art, science and the humanities. Thousands of rare and lovely woody plants, including many of Philadelphia's oldest, rarest, and largest trees, are set in a romantic, 92-acre, Victorian landscape garden of winding paths, streams, flowers and special garden areas.
MOUNT CUBA CENTER - Hockessin, DE
Mt. Cuba Center, dedicated to the study of he Piedmont flora, realizes the vision of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lammot duPont Copeland. On the gently rolling hills of the Delaware Piedmont, the Copelands established their 630-acre estate to preserve the historic rural pastures and fields, protect the native forests and develop a series of naturalistic woodland wildflower gardens and formal landscapes.
NEMOURS MANSION AND GARDENS - Wilmington, DE
Nemours is the 300-acre country estate of the late industrialist and philanthropist Alfred I. duPont. The estate looms over the 47,000 sq. ft. mansion surrounding formal gardens and is furnished with fine antiques, famous works of art, beautiful tapestries, and other treasures. The grounds surrounding the mansion extend for one third of a mile along the main vista from the house, and are among the finest examples of French-style gardens in the United States.
ROCKWOOD MANSION AND PARK - Wilmington, DE
Enjoy 72 acres of quiet and serene parkland including 6 acres of formal gardens, 2 1/2 miles of lighted trails and tour the 12 room historic Rockwood Mansion. Rockwood is a part of the Northern Delaware Greenway.
RIDLEY CREEK STATE PARK - Media, PA
Site of Colonial Pennsylvania Plantation. Enjoy hiking, jogging, bicycling, horse trails, stocked trout streams, picnic areas, sledding, and cross country skiing.
SCOTT ARBORETUM OF SWARTHMORE COLLEGE- Swarthmore, PA
The Scott Arboretum of Swarthmore College is a farden of ideas and suggestions. Encompassing more than 300 acres of the Swarthmore College campus and exhibiting over 4,000 kinds of ornamental plants, the Arboretum displays some of the best trees, shrubs, vines and perennials for the use in the region.
TYLER ARBORETUM- Media, PA
The Arboretum began as the private collection of dried plants, rocks, and other specimens by two brothers, Jacob and Minshall Painter. In 1825, a systematic planting of more than 1,000 varieties of trees and shrubs was begun. Today, the informal gardens and educational displays pay homage to the Arboretum's roots.
The first duPont family home in America, Eleutherian Mills, was built by E.I. duPont in 1803. Situated on the crest of a hill, it affords a commanding view of the Brandywine River, with a dam which fed water to the original millrace. This charming Georgian-style residence is furnished with antiques and memorabilia of the five generations of duPonts associated with the home. Adjoining it is the restored French-style garden created by E.I. duPont, an avid botanist.