Nine Ways to Have Fun at Winterthur in Wilmington, Delaware

On a recent trip to Wilmington, Delaware (read our full City Guide here), we enjoyed an afternoon at one of the most beautiful estates, and property, in Wilmington, Delaware, Winterthur.

Built in 1839 for Jacques Antoine Bidermann and Evelina du Pont, descendants of the first du Ponts to arrive in the Wilmington area from France, Winterthur is a 1,000 acre estate that includes a 175 room home; museum and research library;  60 acres of gardens, rolling hills, and vistas; and the Enchanted Woods that kids of ALL ages will love.  Named after the ancestral Swiss home of Antoine Biderman, the home was sold to various generations of the family, who continued to add to the property. Great grandson Henry Francis du Pont, who was a prominent horticulturalist who also collected American decorative arts, took over the property in the early 1900s and expanded the house and gardens further. Over time, Henry Francis amassed the largest collection of decorative arts in the world- Winterthur has over 90,000 objects in its collection! 

Winterthur was so large (over 250 employees worked and lived with their families on the estate at one time, in addition to 600 cattle) that it even had its own zip code, post office (with Postmistress) and train station. Today, some employees do live in some of the 118 buildings on property, and the train does still occasionally pass through one section of the estate each day, with several freight train cars.

Winterthur opened to the public in 1951 and today, welcomes thousands of visitors each year. Families will especially enjoy many daily activities and exploring the beautiful gardens and grounds. 

Travel Tips:

Nine Ways to Have Fun at Winterthur:

1. Take the tram tour: The 30 minute tour covers many beautiful places throughout the property, and makes stops at the Enchanted Woods, main house, and museum. Highlights on the tour include a peek at the 1750 house (built in nearby New Castle and moved piece by piece to the estate to cover the HVAC system), the famous Japanese maple with its twists and turns, and the 250+ year old sycamore that had been rotting; arborists filled with 16 tons (!!) of cement and rail tracks and the bark and outer layers of the cortex of the tree grew back and the tree now thrives! 
2. Become a faerie in the Enchanted Woods: The three acre Enchanted Woods is covered by maple trees and offers shade all year. It’s a short walk from the Visitor Center and there is a paved stroller and walking path.The village includes a giant bird’s nest, Faerie Cottage, witch cottage, tearoom for tea parties, Frog Hollow water feature, Tulip Tree House, and Troll Bridge. There’s a stage (and costumes!) for performances, extra large mushrooms that mist (during the summer!), a flower labyrinth, and hidden surprises around every nook and cranny (croaking frogs, sleeping green men, and a hidden troll) See all of the adventures in the Enchanted Woods here.

3. Walk through the gardens and hike the trails: Winterthur has over 60 acres of gardens, including innumerable species of flowers and plants. Popular areas include the Sundial Garden, Magnolia Bend (over 40 types grow on the estate!), and Azalea Woods (over 9 acres!).There are also a dozen trails throughout the (almost) 1,000 acre property, most of which are under a mile and very kid friendly. 
4. Explore the museum exhibits: The Bearing Witness exhibit features objects that tell a broader story that, according to the website,” illustrate a global story that crosses gender, racial, cultural, social, and geographic boundaries“. Kids will love checking out items like a hot chocolate set from 1915 and woven silk textiles with ornate designs. The Outside In exhibit features elements of the gardens that have been moved indoors to be restored like statues, furniture, and gates., and even birds nests.  The Conversations with the Collection exhibit includes several unique objects from the 18th, 19th, and 20th century that help visitors better understand life at Winterthur.

5. Tour two floors of the nine floor, 45,000 square foot house: The house was built into a hill and the grand size of it cannot be seen from just one angle. Du Pont even had it painted a beige color so it would blend in with the surroundings. Floors four and five are open to the public for self guided tours (there are docents in almost every room) and display some of the 90,000 objects in the collection. The handmade and hand painted 1175 wallpaper on the walls of the sitting room are especially impressive. Have kids track how many portraits of, and items belonging to, George Washington they can find throughout the house and museum exhibits. The house displays more of Washington’s china than Washington’s Mount Vernon has!  Enter through the Conservatory of the house.
6. Peek down into the reflecting pool, the first heated pool in America: The duPonts hosted many parties by the reflecting pool and had separate bath houses for men and women built on site for guests. There are even giant speakers that were used to pipe music.

7. Count the fish in the koi pond: There are two koi ponds and three main pond spread out throughout the property. Keep your eyes peeled for the blue and red floaters in the two ponds at intersection of Duck Pond Road, Clenny Run Road, and East Barn Road, which grow mussels that are moved to other water systems throughout Delaware to protect them. 
8. Check out the Transformations exhibit, opening in June of 2024, throughout the house: Thirty artists showcase their works, inspired by the collections and gardens of Winterthur. The art work is spread out through six rooms of the house. 
9. Choose a favorite tureen in the Campbell’s Collection of Soup Tureens exhibit at the entrance to the library. There are dozens or tureens, dating from 1720 to modern times, to choose from, including a water buffalo head made in China in 1750 and a silver turtle made in England in 1830.

Bonus: Be sure to grab a seasonal “Winterthur in season” guide that showcases dozens of special events and programs. 

Looking for other adventures throughout Wilmington? Check out our features of Hagley Museum and Library, Nemours Estate, the Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, and our full Wilmington City Guide. And follow along on our adventures on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and X.

Disclosure: Our family was given a tour of Winterthur and a media pass to explore the grounds. All opinions expressed are my own.