4 Best Sights in Brandywine Valley, Pennsylvania

The park is the location of the 1777–78 winter encampment of General George Washington and the Continental Army, where winter tested and proved the army's perseverance. Stop at the temporary Valley Forge Visitor Center for touring information; a renovated center is due to open in late 2020. The renovated center will have park and regional information, a new orientation film, and the Encampment Store, as well as displays of historical objects and engaging, immersive displays about the encampment. Take a driving tour (free cell phone guide) or buy a CD ($14.95); hire a guide for your car; or take a narrated trolley tour (limited times other than summer) for $17.50. Stops include reconstructed log huts of the Muhlenberg Brigade and the National Memorial Arch, which pay tribute to the soldiers, and Washington's headquarters.

In 1777 the army had just lost the nearby battles of Brandywine, White Horse, and Germantown. While the British occupied Philadelphia, Washington's soldiers endured horrid conditions—blizzards, inadequate food and clothing, and disease. Although no battle was fought at Valley Forge, 2,000 soldiers (of about 12,000) died here. The troops did win the war of will, regaining strength under the leadership of Prussian drillmaster Friedrich von Steuben. In June 1778 Washington led his troops away from Valley Forge in search of the British.

The park contains more than 8 miles of jogging and bicycling paths (bike rentals available in summer) and hiking trails, and you can picnic in designated areas. A leisurely visit takes about half a day.

Chanticleer, the onetime estate of the owner of a local pharmaceutical company, is now a 30-acre garden that bursts with color in the spring when 10,000 bulbs bloom. The grounds offer a range of settings, including lush woodlands with rare Asian specimens, a formal house garden, and a serpentine-shaped "avenue" lined with young junipers, wheat and barley, and gingko trees.

A small but lively museum, opened in 2019 on a site that holds the first American home of Haitian-born artist and naturalist John James Audubon (1785–1851), captures the wonders of the avian world as well as Audubon's life and his mission to paint all of North America's birds. Kid-friendly interactive exhibits explore nests, birdsongs, feathers, and more; galleries on Audubon's artistic process (with original prints and a copy of his massive Birds of America) will appeal more to older children and adults. There's also a bird-themed outdoor play space. Admission includes a tour (one tour daily, at 1 pm) of Mill Grove, Audubon's stone farmhouse home, built in 1762 and filled with displays relating to Audubon. Managed by the National Audubon Society, this site 2 miles north of Valley Forge National Historical Park is within the 175-acre Mill Grove estate, which has 5 miles of marked walking trails.

The Wharton Esherick Museum preserves the former home and studio of the "Dean of American Craftsmen." Best known for his sculptural furniture, Esherick (1887–1970) shaped a new aesthetic in decorative arts by bridging art with furniture. The museum, a National Historic Landmark, houses 200 examples of his work—paintings, woodcuts, furniture, and wood sculptures. The studio, in which everything from the light switches to the spiral staircase is hand-carved, is one of his monumental achievements. The museum is 2 miles west of Valley Forge National Historical Park. Reservations are required for the hourly tours. On weekdays a minimum of five people is required for a tour.