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Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE

Photo: Delart, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsRainy-Day PickDate NightLocal Gem

Delaware Art Museum

2301 Kentmere Parkway · Wilmington, DE

Why you should go…

Founded in 1912 to honor illustrator Howard Pyle, the Delaware Art Museum holds more than 12,000 objects centered on American art and illustration from the 19th century to today. Its Bancroft Collection of British Pre-Raphaelite art sits alongside work by Pyle and his students N.C. Wyeth and Frank Schoonover, plus a large John Sloan collection. Outside, a nine-acre sculpture garden includes a labyrinth built in a former reservoir.

  • #art museum
  • #pre-raphaelite art
  • #american illustration
  • #sculpture garden

Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Delaware Art Museum, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Nemours Estate

    Under $25

    Tour Alfred I. du Pont's 77-room mansion, stroll French formal gardens, and see vintage cars in the Chauffeur's Garage.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

    Under $25

    Natural history museum near Wilmington with dinosaur, shell, and bird exhibits plus a planetarium.

    1.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Hagley Museum and Library

    Under $25

    Tour the original du Pont gunpowder mills on the Brandywine, the family's first American home, and a gallery of patent models.

    1.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley

    Free

    Delaware's largest city and the du Pont family's Brandywine Valley estates, gardens, and museums.

    1.7 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library

    $25–$50

    A former du Pont estate holding the world's top collection of American decorative arts, set in a 1,000-acre naturalistic garden.

    3.0 mi awayMore like this

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Iconic

    Longwood Gardens

    $25–$50

    One of the world's great gardens: 1,100 acres of fountains, conservatories, and seasonal spectacle in the Brandywine Valley.

    9.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sport & Outdoor