By Winterthur is a breathtaking garden of flowers, woods and waterways whose vibrant combinations create an exquisite naturalistic garden, reflecting Henry Francis du Pont’s (1880-1969) artistic vision. Winterthur’s design stands the test of time as one of the greatest masterpieces of its time.
Follow your own itinerary or hop aboard our narrated tram ride (March-December). Experience highlights like Azalea Woods, Magnolia Bend and Enchanted Woods children’s area.
What to Expect
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library spans 1,000 acres on an estate of rolling meadows, woodlands, 60 acre gardens, house museum, library and art gallery designed by Henry Francis du Pont himself. Winterthur also contains over 300 years worth of American antiques from which Henry Francis du Pont designed their collection.
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Guided tours of the house are offered every hour and fifteen minutes, lasting around an hour and fifteen minutes each time. Visitors must remain within a roped off pathway in each room during these guided tours; photography is permitted, however tripods are not permitted inside.
On our grounds, blooms and colors transform with each season. Winter brings yellow forsythia blossoms and pink flowering cherry trees; while in spring you can marvel at daffodils filling March Bank and Pinetum.
Flowering quince can also be found along Quince Walk while Azalea Woods Magnolia Bend Quarry Garden offer up their impressive displays of hued rhododendrons to complete the scene.
June brings with it peak bloom for the Kousa Dogwood at Sycamore Hill Gardens. Meanwhile, all four gardens will also burst with colorful blooms including arching sprays of white deutzia and spirea along Winterhazel Walk; rose-colored spireas with rose lilacs at Magnolia Bend and lavender lilacs in Peony Garden; while in Quarry Garden visitors will experience an array of shades and textures such as ferns, hostas, and daylilies!
There are various hands-on activities designed to explore the intersection between art, design, and nature. You can decorate your own terra-cotta pot using garden-inspired designs or participate in our seed planting activity to take home a geranium seedling and learn to nurture it at home. Or listen as artist Monet Le’Mon paints landscape or still life scenes at Winterthur Gallery while explaining her use of impressionist techniques.
Getting Here
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library boasts an unparalleled collection of American antiques housed within one of America’s most stunning historic homes.
Boasting 60 acres of lush garden spaces and 60 house museums to explore American material culture history – its 60 acre garden alone and graduate programs offer visitors a comprehensive overview.
Situated near Wilmington Delaware on 1,000 acres of rolling meadows and woodlands it makes Winterthur an unmissable visit.
The museum boasts 175 period rooms that showcase some of its impressive collection of over 85,000 decorative arts objects. Most were produced or used in America between about 1640 and 1860, and galleries frequently host changing exhibits that explore global trade, cultures, and craftsmanship.
A museum ticket includes access to both gardens and museum collections; children, seniors, college students and SNAP participants all enjoy discounted admission rates.
Additional admission options include Time-Traveler’s Tour for young visitors as well as Touch-It Room in Galleries. In addition, there are special tours and programming for visitors of all ages including Point-to-Point horse race and antique shows.
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library can be reached in various ways from different places. Moovit provides an all-in-one transit app that makes planning your journey simple with door-to-door directions on public transit as well as prices, routes & schedules information about your journey.
Travel to Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library with ease using Moovit app and website’s directions and live maps. Select from multiple transport options including bus, train, subway and taxi for an effortless journey. Ensure that you know where your stop or station will be beforehand in order to avoid any confusion.
Getting Around
If you’re planning a visit to Winterthur Museum Garden and Library, public transit options can make the trip more straightforward. Moovit provides door-to-door directions as well as help determining the optimal route and timing to reach Winterthur Museum Garden and Library using transit schedules, maps, journey times, fares, etc.
Winterthur offers guided tours that highlight one of the finest collections of American decorative arts in a stunning historic house museum, gardens, and gallery spaces.
Furthermore, you can tour one of its world-famous conservation laboratories staffed by conservators trained at the University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation to take care of works of art and antiquity that need protecting.
House Museum boasts 175 period rooms that showcase decorative arts from across history. Guided tours are provided in small groups led by knowledgeable staff members who deliver information at a steady pace that allows visitors to ask questions freely.
Tours rotate periodically so as to give returning visitors new views on objects and topics covered during each tour year.
Spend an unforgettable day touring this historic Brandywine Valley estate designed by Henry Francis du Pont and Marian Coffin – featuring stunning gardens designed by both designers.
Visitors can take a 30-minute narrated tram tour around these acclaimed gardens while kids will love exploring Enchanted Woods children’s garden! Plus, admission includes tram tickets that operate daily between March and December!
Dining
Winterthur has long been known for its gardens and library – prior to becoming a museum and garden, however. Here lived a family that ran a self-sufficient community raising cattle, sheep, horses, poultry, pigs and vegetables and fruits – each family’s story explored through crafts, games and demonstrations on Terrific Tuesdays! For children aged 3-10 as well as their adult companions.
Henry Francis du Pont was known to enjoy entertaining guests, be it for tea on the terrace, golf, tennis or endless bridge games at Winterthur; or dinner parties held in the Du Pont Dining Room.
Henry also created elegant tablescapes – something which the Designing Winterthur exhibit includes as part of museum admission. Here you can view sample table settings from Henry’s extensive Winterthur collection.
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Restaurant Associates is Winterthur’s preferred catering partner and offers exquisite onsite dining for visitors and guests of the museum. Renowned for their passion and attention to detail, their talented team are committed to making every event truly unforgettable.
Visitors are invited to bring a picnic, enjoy sandwiches, soups and sweet treats at the Pavilion Cafe during their visit from 9am until 4:30pm daily (unless special events or private events). The Pavilion Cafe also provides catering services.
Note: All plated meals include salad and bread as a standard menu item, so please inform us in advance if you require gluten free, vegetarian or vegan options.
As summer winds down, visitors to the garden can appreciate its naturalistic beauty on foot or with a narrated tram ride (March-December). To get an insider’s view of its landscape design, stop in Buckley’s Tavern; locals and out-of-towners alike love to gather there – mushroom soup is especially popular; for an authentic taste try chicken pot pie featuring crisp pastry top and chunks of tender chicken in velvety veloute sauce!
Events
Winterthur offers inspiration, education and entertainment all year-round – no matter the time of year! Once home to Henry Francis du Pont himself, this Museum & Country Estate now showcases an acclaimed collection of American antiques spread out across its 1,000 acres of meadows and woodlands. Take either a guided or self-guided tour through its house and gardens before visiting its library, galleries or museums.
As spring progresses, yellow forsythia, pink and white magnolias and native dogwoods come to life throughout the garden – from its entrance to March Bank with early spring wildflowers such as burgundy hellebores and yellow buttercups – while Quarry Garden features fragrant white tulips and lavender lilacs.
By late summer, the garden is in full bloom. At Sycamore Hill, kousa dogwoods display their star-like blossoms among pink spirea and white deutzia; in contrast, Peony Garden boasts early peonies in shades of ivory and salmon yellow; woodlands smell fragrant with soft white daylilies and joe-pye weed.
The Campbell Collection of Soup Tureens boasts an illustrious past and an even brighter future, now standing as one of the premier collections of 18th and 19th-century American decorative arts, consisting of over 89,000 pieces.
The Delaware Antiques Show draws together more than 60 of the nation’s premier dealers of antique furniture, rugs, paintings, ceramics and silver for an annual show that supports Winterthur’s educational programming.
Held every November at Winterthur Gardens and Gardens of Winterthur Estate and Garden Center. Collectors from across America and overseas come out in force!
