Brandywine Valley Holiday Tour

The Chateaus Of The DuPonts

Brandywine Valley Three Day Tour

The Gardens Of The Brandywine Valley

BRANDYWINE VALLEY HOLIDAY TOUR (Two Day Tour)
Day 1: Morning/Lunch: Off to Winterthur Museum Yuletide Tour which features more than 20 rooms highlighting America’s winter holiday celebrations of the 18th and 19th centuries.
  Afternoon/Dinner: Then tour Longwood Gardens and celebrate the season with a walk through the spectacular garden holiday theme. Inside the conservatory, enjoy brilliant red and white poinsettias, towering Christmas trees, exotic floral trees and white narcissi that transform the indoor gardens into a warm holiday retreat. Enjoy a festive yuletide buffet at the Terrace Restaurant.
 

Evening:

At dusk take in the choral concerts and fountain shows with the 400,000 lights that glitter in the trees at Longwood Gardens. Then take a drive through the Holiday light display at Herr’s Foods.
Day 2: Morning: Tour Brandywine River Museum: Sneak a peak at the hand-crafted “critters” decked on the trees along with 2000 feet of O-Gauge model railroad track.
  Lunch/Afternoon: Enjoy the fine food and atmosphere at the Harry's Savoy Grill. Be enchanted by a tour of the Hagley Museum and Gardens, a duPont home and mill that will be trimmed for the holidays.
 

Evening/Dinner:

Dinner at one of the region's fine restaurants.

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THE CHATEAUS OF THE DUPONTS (Two Day Tour)
Discover an American family’s story – the du Ponts. The story celebrates two hundred years of history, spans three centuries, includes four estates and gardens, and recalls five generations.
Day 1: We start with a visit to the Hagley Museum, where the du Pont story begins. A tour of this stunning park-like museum on the Brandywine River details both the family’s and the DuPont Company founder E.I. du Pont (1771-1834), its adjoining garden, and dramatic demonstrations illustrating the manufacture of DuPont’s first product, gunpowder.

Then it is on to Winterthur, one of a few surviving great American country estates. Henry Francis du Pont (1880-1969), an avid antiques collector and horticulturist, was Winterthur’s fifth owner. It was his love of American craftsmanship that led him to assemble one of the world’s most complete collections of antiques and Americana.
Winterthur’s fields and farmland detail the workings of a great American country estate. The 60-acre naturalistic garden boasts breathtaking beauty.
Day 2: Today our first stop on the itinerary is Nemours, America’s Versailles in the Brandywine Valley. Alfred I. duPont (1864-1935) employed the architectural firm of Carre`re and Hastings to design the 1909-1910 mansion. The 47,000 square foot house is decorated with rare rugs, antique tapestries, oil paintings, and decorative arts. Guest will enjoy a walk around the sculpture-filled, formal French gardens and a visit to the chauffeur’s garage, where antique cars are displayed.

The trips grand finale is Longwood Gardens. Pierre du Pont (1870-1954) bought the property in 1906 to preserve the trees, and he built the major garden features that today are considered to be the world’s premier horticultural display. Eleven thousand different types of plants flourish on more then 1,000 acres of formal gardens, idea gardens, meadows, and woodlands. The four-acre Conservatory shelters twenty indoor gardens, including the Orchid Display, Children’s Garden, Cascade Garden and Mediterranean Garden.

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BRANDYWINE VALLEY (Three Day Tour)
Day 1: Visit the Hagely Museum, the original duPont mansion. This 1803 Georgian-style residence sits amidst 230 acres of gardens. Tour the mansion, black powder mill and exhibits.

Then it’s off to Winterthur! Spend time exploring an American Country Estate, which houses the richest collection of American decorative arts made in America from 1640 – 1860.

Next it’s onto the Nemours Mansion and Gardens. Built in 1909, this Louis XVI-style chateau is the former home of Alfred I. duPont.

Day 2: On to the famous Brandywine River Museum. This former 19th-century gristmill has been exquisitely transformed into an outstanding museum housing an extensive collection of the Wyeth family art.

Enjoy lunch at the Terrace Restaurant at Longwood. Then stroll through Longwood Gardens, one of the world's premier horticultural displays. Situated on 1,050 acres, its forty gardens and spectacular fountains await you.

Our next stop will be the Chaddsford Winery. Here you will tour the vineyards and wine cellars and learn all about the process of making wine. A wine tasting is also included.

Then it's off to Simon Pearce Glassblowing and retail store, where you can interact with the glassblowers and learn about the oldest industry in America.
Day 3: Tour the American Helicopter Museum and take part in the showcasing of the aircraft, technology, and the milestone contributions of rotary-wing flight to this nation's aviation heritage.

Before heading home stop and take a walking tour of the QVC Studio and overlook the broadcast area from the observation deck.

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THE GARDENS OF THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY (Three Day Tour)
The Brandywine Valley has been compared to a jewel box containing more exquisite gardens than any other region of North America, perhaps the world. The area is bursting with the most wonderful arboretums, public gardens and historic houses.
Day 1: We start our tour with a visit to the Jenkins Arboretum, one of the oldest and largest in the northeast. Experience Jenkins extensive horticultural collections, rare specimens and ancient trees.

Next it’s onto Longwood Gardens! The world’s premier horticultural display on 1,050 acres offers 40 indoor/outdoor gardens, breathtaking conservatory and spectacular illuminated fountains.
Day 2: We start our day with a trip to Winterthur Museum & Country Estate featuring an outstanding American collection of antiques and a glorious garden. Winterthur was once the home of Henry Francis duPont.

Next we visit Nemours Mansion and Gardens. This was the home of Alfred I. duPont and is a French-style chateau furnished with antique furniture, rare rugs, tapestries and outstanding works of art, set among spectacular French formal gardens.

Our next stop is the Chaddsford Winery. Here you will tour the vineyards and wines cellars and learn all about the process of making wine, as well as having a wine tasting.
Day 3: Today it’s off to Chanticleer Gardens. Known as a “pleasure garden”, Chanticleer is designed to illustrate the beauty of the art of horticulture. You will see everything from vegetable gardens complemented by cut-flower gardens to woodlands surrounded by grasses and sweet-smelling herbs.

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