Be sure to include a tour of the original house built by Joshua Peirce, and then revel in the magic of the gardens and fountains. Bird song and blooms will greet visitors on a self-guided walk of Winterthur’s gardens and tall trees, and on a quiet day in the early season it’s easy to imagine the Winterthur working farm of 100 years ago.Kurt Jacobson is a freelance food and travel writer living in Baltimore. A member of the one of the richest families in the country, the du Pont family originally found their fortune in the gunpowder business, expanding their wealth in the automotive and chemical industry. Worth putting on the calendar for summer 2017 is the reopening of the spectacular Main Fountain Garden after a 3-year $90 million restoration.A 45-minute guided tour of the mansion is recommended to see many of the approximately 90,000 objects in Henry’s collection, including exquisite ceramics, glass, furniture, metalwork, paintings, and prints. Explore one at a time, or for the truly ambitious with energy and comfortable shoes, do a short tour of each and come back later for more.Today, a morning walk through Peirce’s Park will take you back in time and makes it easy to see why Pierre was so inspired and why Longwood became the favorite of his homes. They tell a story, one that may be decades or even centuries old, but…This is “Chateau Country,” Delaware’s most exclusive region and for generations the home of the DuPont family and its grand mansions. The trail highlights significant locations…Stately homes stand at the end of long, curving driveways, each nestled in an embrace of trees. Du Pont was chummy with local law enforcement, buying them bullet-proof vests and even training them at his personal gun range. Three of the grandest – Longwood, Winterthur, and Nemours - are in close proximity and excellent options for a spring daytrip or weekend getaway. Today, many of those spectacular homes and their stunning gardens are open to visitors, giving travelers a peek into a long-lost world of splendor and beauty.Admire the natural scenery of rolling hills, wooded groves, pristine landscapes are you travel through rural northern Delaware.The DuPont family’s grand mansions and their stunning gardens are open to visitors, giving travelers a peek into a long-lost world of splendor and beauty.Embracing a variety of historic locations in the northern and central regions of Delaware, the First State National Monument touches on tales that are central to America’s story…Take a drive northwest of Wilmington, and you’ll notice how the scenery seems to quietly become ever more inviting, and that much more enchanting.
Completing the scene are the Four Seasons sculptures, the Temple of Love, and the iconic 23-carat gold leaf statue Achievement, which anchors the Nemours gardens.
du Pont started the company that still bears his name today.
Things seem just a bit more genteel, sedate and refined, like a vision of the English countryside tucked away in our memories.They stand like snapshots from a dream -- silent, but somehow speaking of a grace and dignity that has not yet been lost to time. Apparently, du Pont even bought a replica police car and uniform. Pierre’s vision for Longwood is evident at every turn: the Conservatory, carillon, topiary garden, Italian Water Garden, a massive pipe organ, and especially the Flower Garden Walk, which explodes in mid-April with more than 240,000 tulip bulbs in bloom. You can then walk the gardens on your own and a bus will be back to take you to the visitors center Date of experience: June 2014
The former home of Margaretta “Gret” du Pont and her husband, former DuPont Corp. President Crawford “Greenie” Greenewalt, is … French sculptor Prosper Lecourtier’s massive elk sculptures mark the start of the Long Walk, and then it’s an expansive vista to the fountains and reflecting pool where, when the 157-jet fountain is resting, the entire Long Walk is reflected. The Brandywine River flows gently under sweeping willow boughs whispering tales of American history on its way to the Chesapeake Bay. Plan on spending 10-20 minutes in the Visitor Center to become oriented, then shuttle over to tour Nemours Mansion. Experience royalty and explore the elegant Du Pont mansions and gardens in Delaware.