5 Best Sights in Wilmington, Delaware

A treat for art lovers, the Delaware Art Museum is housed in a splendid 85,000-square-foot building. The lighted roofline changes colors according to the celestial calendar, and Dale Chihuly's Persian Window installation draws attention to the entrance. The museum's holdings include a good collection of paintings by Howard Pyle (1853–1911), a Wilmington native known as the "father of American illustration," as well as works by his students N. C. Wyeth, Frank Schoonover, and Maxfield Parrish. Other American artists represented are Benjamin West, John Sloan, Winslow Homer, Edward Glackens, and Edward Hopper. The museum also has the largest American collection of 19th-century English pre-Raphaelite paintings and decorative arts and a children's interactive gallery. The Crying Giant, by Tom Otterness, is one of the highlights of the 9-acre Sculpture Park.

There's not a bad seat in the house at this working theater that also hosts jazz, classical, and pop performances. Built by the Masonic Order in 1871 and restored a hundred years later, the four-story Grand's facade is cast iron painted white in French Second Empire style to mimic the old Paris Opera. The adjoining Giacco Building houses a smaller theater and art galleries.

The first du Pont gunpowder mills still stand on this site, offering a glimpse of the du Ponts at work and an enlightening look at the development of early industrial America. You can tour the mills, a 19th-century machine shop, and the family home and gardens, all set on 240 acres. Wear comfortable shoes.

For a look at how the very wealthy lived in the early 20th century, visit Nemours Mansion and Gardens, a 300-acre, 47,000-square-foot country estate built for Alfred I. du Pont in 1910 by noted architectural firm Carrère and Hastings, who added the latest in technology. This modified Louis XVI château showcases more than 30 (of 77 in all) rooms of European and American furnishings, rare rugs, tapestries, and art dating to the 15th century. Despite its splendor, the mansion feels homey and personal. There are tours of certain rooms (first come, first served), but it's fun to explore on your own and ask the excellent staff questions. The formal French-style gardens, reminiscent of those at Versailles, are landscaped with fountains, pools, and statuary. Vintage cars are on display in the Chauffeur's Garage. The visitor center has an excellent film and exhibits about the house and Alfred I. du Pont (and his three wives).

There is no food on site.

Rockwood, an elegant English-style country house and a fine example of rural Gothic architecture, stands in contrast to the opulent, French-inspired du Pont homes in the area. Built in 1851 by Joseph Shipley, a Quaker banker, and occupied by his descendants until 1972, the house is now a museum filled with ornate Victorian furnishings and decorative arts. Tours (required in the house) are given on the hour; there are some candlelight tours in December. Beyond the English landscape garden, the 72-acre public grounds feature 2½ miles of paved, lighted trails. In summer Rockwood Park hosts one play in the Delaware Shakespeare Festival.