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Nemours Estate, Wilmington, DE

Photo: A. Rasey, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffDate Night

Nemours Estate

1600 Rockland Road · Wilmington, DE

Why you should go…

Nemours Estate is the 200-acre former home of Alfred I. du Pont, built in 1909 and 1910 to a design by Carrere and Hastings in the manner of a French chateau. A visit covers the 77-room mansion, the Chauffeur's Garage with its vintage automobiles, and formal gardens patterned after Versailles, with a one-acre reflecting pool, a colonnade and a Temple of Love. Woodland and lawns surround the formal axis, so allow time to walk the grounds as well as the house.

  • #historic mansion
  • #formal gardens
  • #du pont
  • #house tour

Good to know

General sightseeing guidance

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

  • The forecast is part of the ticket

    Haze, low cloud, and rain flatten a view. Clear-day visits are worth rearranging your plans for.

  • Golden hour sells out first

    Sunset slots at observation decks and cruises are the first to go, so book those further ahead.

  • Dress a layer warmer

    It is always breezier up high and out on the water than it feels at street level.

  • Timed entry is common

    Plenty of landmarks release tickets in windows rather than at the door, so check before you walk over.

What's around here?

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

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Delaware Art Museum

    Under $25

    See Pre-Raphaelite paintings, Howard Pyle illustrations and John Sloan works, then walk the sculpture garden and labyrinth outside.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • 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.

    0.9 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Delaware Museum of Nature & Science

    Under $25

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

    1.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Wilmington & the Brandywine Valley

    Free

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

    2.2 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Outdoor Adventure

    Delaware County

    Free

    A Philadelphia-suburb county nicknamed 'America's Garden County' for its public gardens and historic estates.

    12 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Chester County

    Free

    Rolling Pennsylvania countryside known as the Brandywine Valley, home to Longwood Gardens and historic Revolutionary War sites.

    13 mi awayMore like this